Was it fate that brought Damian and Cheryl together? They met by chance when each was accompanying a friend who happened to have won the same local radio station prize-tickets to an Everclear contest and a key that might open the door to a new Honda.
THE BRIDE
Cheryl Anne Tom, 39
THE GROOM
George (Damian) Kosmas Synadinos, 30
THE DATE
July 10
THE SCENE
A traditional Greek Orthodox wedding and reception at the Hyatt on Capitol Square
THE PRIZE
While neither friend won the car, Cheryl and Damian came away with a prize...they found each other! Two and a half years later, Damian proposed on the ski slopes of Bozeman, Montana, and the two began planning a celebration that was fun, bright, and happy with an air of formality and beauty.
TRADITIONAL GREEK
For the traditional Greek Orthodox wedding, Cheryl converted and was baptized as a member of the Greek Orthodox Church. Damian's parents created a program to explain the special traditions of the ceremony, which included the betrothal and crowning, where the priest raises the crowns (stefana) and places them on the couple's heads. Also among the traditions incorporated were the lighting of candles, to symbolize purity and the light of virtue; and the ring exchange, to represent the unbreakable bond of marriage (the officiant blesses the rings over the heads of the bride and groom three times, and then the rings are placed on the fourth finger of the right hand).
HOMEMADE PASTRIES
At the reception at the Hyatt on Capitol Square, Cheryl and Damian opted for food stations so that guests could move around and mingle. "Damian and I are both extremely social people and that is what we wanted the flavor of our wedding to be -- good, fun, loud times with friends," says the bride. Carvers and pasta station attendants added to the entertaining atmosphere. In addition to the reception fare and wedding cake, a table of homemade Greek pastries was available in accordance with the Greek wedding tradition that families and friends contribute their best recipes for the occasion. The thoughtful couple created menu cards with descriptions to explain the various pastries.
DANCING SHOES
Cheryl and Damian's night was set to traditional Greek music. After practicing her Greek dance steps for weeks before the wedding, Cheryl finally got to show off her fancy footwork. The newlyweds' first Greek dance together was the kalamatiano, during which the rest of the wedding party and parents join the bride and groom as the song progresses.
FAMILY FUN
Throughout the night, everyone who could Greek dance or who wanted to learn how could take to the dance floor. Damian and most of his groomsmen had been Greek dancing since they were children. "We performed formally every year at the local Greek festival and informally at many other Greek functions with a band," Damian says. This wedding was no different: The group performed the traditional tsamiko, an acrobatic dance where each dancer leads and leaps into the air, and the fun zebekiko, where the dancers sequentially do shots of ouzo (an insanely potent Greek liqueur) from the floor. Luckily, none of the guests had to be picked up off the floor.
-- Vanessa Hoy
Photography © Nicole Dixon
For the ingredients that make up this wedding, see the right-hand column of this page.
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