My Big Fat GYPSY Wedding

Thanks to Jason's friends, I have the wonderful nickname of "Gypsy" (don't ask).  So when TLC advertised the show "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding," I knew I had to watch it.  I mean, come on... that show was MADE for me!  And, of course, I had to BLOG about it!

I guess I didn't even realize what a Gypsy was in current culture.  I know my great-grandpa used to tell me stories about how the Gypsies used to come by their farm and demand things (jewelry, chickens, food, clothes, etc...) or else they would harm them.  I honestly thought Gypsies were a thing of the past.

However, after googling it a little, I learned some interesting things about Gypsies...

• There are somewhere around a million Gypsies living in the US right now.
• The origins of Gypsies can be traced back to Romania, but the now come from other countries (Ireland is a big one).
• Gypsies like to keep the details of their lives hidden from the outside world.
• They often change their name to common names (John Smith, Peter Lee, etc...) for the outside world.  This is the name that goes on their Driver's License, Social Security Card, etc...
• They don't really celebrate birthdays.  Many Gypsies list their birthday as January 1 of whatever year they think they were born.
• Gypsies are known for being "travelers," and can stay in one place for as short as a couple hours or as long as a decade.
• Gypsies tend to stick to their clans or families.  They live in colonies with these people.  Intra-family marriages are accepted.
• One clan of gypsies could contain 100 John Smith's all with the same birthday.
• The name redundency may be put in place to cause the outside world confusion.  It would be hard for an investigator to distinguish WHICH John Smith they wanted.
• They don't like being "employed" by someone.  They tend to do self-employed jobs: musician, used-car dealer, dog breeder, and the stereo-typical fortune teller.
• They usually don't have a formal education and marry at the age of 15 or 16.
• They are known for their ornate dress.  Usually big and bulky, or itty-bitty and flashy.
• They celebrate events with HUGE celebration usually consisting of the traditional, formal event, then a party afterward (sometimes lasting DAYS).

What post would be complete without pictures?  Here are some of my favorites of Gypsy Weddings:

She barely fit into the carriage!

Oh, but wait... the dress lights up AND has battery-operated butterflies!

LOVE the pink wedding dress!

One of those dresses has enough fabric to outfit my entire wedding party!

Or you could go with a lack-of wedding dress...

I love pink... but not THIS much!

I think the accidentally washed their dresses with highlighters!

Oh, and my FAVORITE... the only part of a gypsy wedding that I could see at OUR wedding:

A HOT PINK LIMO!!!

Yeah, pretty sure Jason will veto that one.

I may be a "gypsy"... but there's no way my wedding will be a Gypsy Wedding!