somebody's getting mawwwiiied

since ben and i have successfully set a date for our turkish wedding ceremony, we have been scrambling to prepare for the july 2nd ceremony. americans probably think we're nuts (at times, i'd be inclined to agree), but in turkey it's less common to plan these things so far in advance. however, that doesn't make it any less stressful!

getting legally married in turkey is no easier than in the states. we've embarked on what has felt a bit like a scavenger hunt (though, not as fun), beginning with shopping for invitations. in turkey, invitations are big, and bold, and... lots of times a lil' over the top. fortunately, we were able to choose an invite that at least comes in an envelope and not in a box. next step is to organize the list of hundreds of guests who will receive the invitations-- by hand delivery.

there was the affidavit for eligibility to marry in turkey that i had to visit the consular section of the embassy to obtain and have notarized. going to the consular section of the embassy is never fun (picture the dmv but with a LOT more security). luckily this visit was fairly short and sweet, and i even met some other kind folks, including a kid traveling through turkey who had gone to college in my hometown. small world. essentially the affidavit states my parent's full names and whether or not i have been married before. nope! easy-peasy.

then i photocopied the document and brought it to the ministry of foreign affairs, where my original document was stamped and signed off by various officials. this is always an important part of any legal process in turkey, though i was glad that this one was much less complicated than when i got my driver's license (which took weeks). now the document is complete and ready for delivery to the municipality which will marry us.

then ben and i visited a health clinic near our home where we had blood drawn to determine if we are carriers of sickle-cell anemia. the clinic was tiny, and their resources very limited (no band-aids, and had run out of paper to print our documents so we quickly drove around the corner to a shop where ben had 200 or so copies made- they were so grateful when we returned with the extras they could use for other patients), but the staff so, so kind. the two ladies who drew my blood kept smiling at us, then told ben and i that we 'go very well together.' then they turned to each other and said i'm like a barbie doll (it's the ridiculously pale skin). once our blood was drawn, they stamped our documents and we left- the service was free of charge.

now ben and i are almost ready to be married in turkey, with a few minor details yet to be taken care of. oh yeah, and i guess we should also begin now to mentally prepare ourselves for actually being married...!