10 PM: Lina (younger sister) and I got dressed in our taksheetas (traditional dresses for fancy occasions) and then left with my host dad Aziz to catch a petit taxi to the hall where the wedding took place, which was all the way out by Marjane on the edge of the city. (My host mom Fedwa and older sister Aya were still getting ready and would be coming later.) I've heard that most halls are positioned further away from residences so as not to disturb others since weddings typically go all night with loud music. We arrived, said hello to the bride's dad (who remembered me!) and sat down at a table next to the bride and groom's throne.
Around 10:30 PM the bride and groom arrived. The bride, upon entrance into the hall, sat in a palanquin and was carried around for a while. Afterwards the couple sat on the afore-mentioned throne for a bit for pictures, and then left to go change outfits. It's customary for the bride to change outfits between 3-5 times per wedding - but since this was a little fancier than normal, she changed outfits 7 times! Upon their departure we were served juice and sweets from the nicest patisserie in town.
11 PM: After some socializing, people were slowly moving to the dance floor - mostly women, and a few of the young kids. A live orchestra was playing (very loudly, so talking was impossible) popular Moroccan music so dancing was inevitable! I mostly hung back and took pictures of Lina, who would run back and forth between the bathroom to freshen up her make-up (she's 9)/giggle with her friends and our table to ask me to photograph her.
The bride appeared in outfit #2 around 11:30, by herself. She went to the throne and the bride's assistants (she had 4 instead of the normal 2) put henna on her hands. She was soon joined by the groom and more pictures were taken, by themselves and with guests.
12 AM: The family is of Berber/Amazigh descent, so around this time a group of Berber musicians and dancers arrived to join in the festivities. More dancing. Fedwa and Aya finally arrived around this point.
12:45 marked the appearance of the bride in outfit #3 - I think platters of gifts were presented to her and the groom at this time.
1 AM: Dancing and music continued until everyone caught word of the impeding dinner, then they all found seats and waited. The bride changed into outfit #4 before dinner started, which I think ended up being closer to 2 AM than 1. Dinner consisted of three courses - a huge plate of chicken, vegetables, and olives; then meat with dried apricots and plums; and huge platters of fruit (which are also called "dessert" in Moroccan Arabic). Waiters came around to pour Coke and Lemon Fanta. I hadn't eaten much the day prior and tried to eat a bit of everything!
2 AM: Dinner wrapped up and it was back to dancing. The bride and groom went to the throne for pictures since none had been taken in that particular outfit yet. Tea (without mint?!) and traditional cookies were brought around.
3 AM: Dancing and music. I was not tired at this time but I can't remember anything else big happening until ...
4 AM: ... this time when the bride appeared in outfit #5, which was a traditional Amazighi dress. The groom was also wearing something traditional. They danced in the middle of the hall surrounded by the Amazighi dancers and the guests further surrounding them. It was interesting to watch the bride and groom throughout the wedding - because they spent so much time changing and being posed for pictures and having pictures taken of them, it seems that they did not integrate much with the crowd, who rather revered them and did the celebrating (in this case, dancing) for them. The dancing the couple did do was not amongst the crowd, and after some quick pictures they disappeared again. I myself did some dancing with my host sisters around this time though!
5 AM: This is when I remember getting tired. The bride came out in outfit #6, which I assume was also a traditional Amazighi outfit but looked like a tent. Her and the groom were only out very briefly as they were both put in huge basket-like semi-circles and carried around.
After they disappeared, a tray of cakes was wheeled out. More dancing took place - this I remember because everyone formed a circle and were doing a sort of traditional gesture of holding out their hands to each other. At 5:45, the bride appeared in outfit #7 or the final outfit, which looked like a traditional American wedding dress - long, flowy, and white.
6 AM: The bride and groom, as in America, cut the cake together and fed each other the first slices, before it was quickly cut up and distributed to all guests. The bride shed a few tears, as this would be her first night away from home, before her and the groom left the hall together. As soon as they left, everything stopped - music came to a halt, lights were turned out, everyone quickly pored out of the hall as light appeared on the horizon.
I went to bed around 6:30 AM that morning and woke up four hours later to try to prepare for class. Regardless, it was in all honesty one of the most fun cultural experiences I've had in Morocco and I would go again in a heartbeat. I'm so lucky to have a second family in Meknes!