Real Wedding in Chania: The details

I know, I know, this is long over due!  Here are the details from the wedding in Chania, Crete in June.  The couple Elias and Nancy were from San Fransisco, Elias being of Greek descent.  Nancy's pro activity in the DIY area really made this wedding and all the personal touches were clearly apparent throughout the decor.  Firstly, she had designed and hand printed welcome tote bags for all her guest which were waiting for them in their hotel rooms.  Along with the very cute bag she had included a handmade sarong, local products such as herbs and sesame brittle and information sheets so as all their guests knew where and when the events were happening.

 The table design was striking.  Tall tapered candle sticks with gorgeous  flower arrangements of Peonies with a mixture of foliage and berries looked beautiful.  Now just a bit of a heads up, in 36 degrees candle sticks tend to melt!  So if you are have tall tapered candles they need to be put out at the last minute otherwise they tend to bend out of shape.  

Each place setting had a menu, printed on the gorgeous petal effect, watercoloured card and a sprig of rosemary and lavender.  The place names, again on the same car, also had a print of either a fish, pig, lamb or vegetable to depict to the caterers which main dish the person had requested.  This detail blew me away.  It was so simple and yet Nancy had incorporated it into the design with such ease and the caterers were thrilled!

Unfortunately due to the strikes in Greece at the time there was a power cut for 1 hour just as the music and Greek dancing began.  What was wonderful was how all the sound and lighting guys steeped up to the plate.  With a little help from around 150 tea lights we had as back up and an amazing catering staff, the show went on.  The Greek band played beautifully whilst all the catering staff, including Costas who is the main chef from Tsedakis Catering, got up and started Greek dancing for the crowd.  It was wonderful so see and the whole wedding party loved it.  It especially got interesting when all the guests were dragged up too.  Greek dancing by candle light, it doesn't get more romantic than that!

The courtyard at Kindelis is a magical place to first enter at the venue. It sets a wonderful atmosphere for the rest of the reception.  The Greek band was set up playing traditional music to greet the guests at the cocktail hour.  There were long stem peonies in tall vases and meze menus on the each of the tall cocktail tables.  What made this area for me was the personalised match boxes with OPA on them. They were awesome!

 

The escort cards doubled as the favours.  Nancy had designed them again with the same watercoloured design as little boxes.  Each had the guests name on it with the table number in sticker form sealing the box.  Inside she had put an uneven number of koufetta (in keeping with tradition).  Coupled with the bougainvillea and Peonie arrangements the table looked gorgeous, especially when the tea lights were lit a little late on.

Then there was the photo booth!  As you all know I am hugely keen on this idea.  I love them and the further into the evening you go the more hilarious the photos!  The backdrop for the booth was made out of different coloured ribbons and although it doesn't look like much on its own the photos come out amazingly (as you can see by the photo of Niko, Sara's gorgeous husband!).

The wedding was a blast and topped off by the awesome mix of 90's RnB that kicked off in the party zone later.  Nancy's DIY touches really paid off and made the wedding such a personal event.  As always the suppliers were amazing.  Tsedakis' food was delicious, the flowers from Birgitte were beautiful and as always the music and lighting by Manos from Sound Design was awesome!  Sara played out of her boots on planning and design and I must say I had such a wonderful time assisting her and Niko.  

There is nothing more to say than a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Elias and Nancy.  We hope your honeymoon was as amazing as your wedding.

NY

Real Wedding in Chania, Crete

So as you all know Sara and I headed back to Crete last week to set up a wedding she had been planning for the gorgeous Nancy!  It was awesome to be back at Metohi Kindelis again and I must say, Manoli the owner, has made it even more beautiful!  Seeing it at a different time of year also bought a whole new aspect to the venue for me, as different plants were in full bloom and obviously the light was different as the sun set later.  The bride was amazing.  So chilled and generally a very kind soul to work with.  Her ideas were beautiful and due to the fact she works in the design industry her eye for detail was striking.  The menus, invitations, escort cards and place names were printed on hand painted card which resembled the colourings of a rose petal.  They were honestly breath taking and my photos do not do them justice! 

So to break down the different areas for the wedding. The main courtyard was were the cocktail hour was held.  Champagne and strawberries with an array of meze.  Through to the rear garden, the dining area was set up around the pool with the live Greek band situated in front of all the tables.  Lastly, the party area.  This was in the second pool area of the property (there are 3 private gardens with pools at the venue) with bare bulb lights and pom poms not forgetting the bar and the DJ.

What I love about Greece and it is something that any bride getting married in Greece needs to accept, is that the Greeks go at their own pace.  This can sometimes be alarming, for example when you are heading to Church for the service and the tables are only just getting set.  Don't fret.  It amazes you when on return and hour or so later the whole venue has been transformed!  The heat has a lot to do with it.  We were working in mid thirty degrees, it was hot to say the least!  So the later you can leave it the better.

The suppliers that were used were the same we had sourced for my wedding and I must say they never cease to amaze me.  The food was divine, the flowers gorgeous and as always the sound and lighting were spot on.  It was also really cool to be on the other side of the procedure.  Am not sure that I didn't enjoy it even more this time!

I will showcase the wedding over the next couple of posts. It really was gorgeous!

NY

Chania at Last

So Jubbs and I finally arrived in Chania at about 3 am this morning,as always, we thank Easyjet for a 5 hour delay. What made it all worth it was walking out of the airport to the beautiful smell of Crete and on arrival at our hotel, finding a bottle of wine and some snacks waiting for us. Obviously, this trip in my case is a little bit of holiday and little bit of work.  I am hoping to corner some of the suppliers I used for the wedding to give you brides some advice on the best way to go about planning and how to sort the good suppliers from the bad.  For the mean time though, I am going to get some lunch and hitting the beach for some sun baking!

NY

Save the Date

You have got engaged and you have set the date for your wedding in Greece, next step, sending out your save the dates.  There are some really individual ideas out there ranging from traditional to just plain funky. So which do you choose?  Here are some I found to inspire you!

Images from weddinginvitationshop.co.uk & blog.ourweddingday.com

Images from Emmalinebride.com & heartvsheart.com

Images from melandgerinyc Etsy.com & bridescafe.com

Jubbs and I went with the postcard option.  We had a blast finding the most amusing and for a select few, indecent postcards we could in Chania. It was reasonable in price and simple. Plus I liked the fact they arrived with a Chania postmark, fitting considering the wedding was to be there.  Below was one our favorite postcards....how cute is that old man!

Image by Georges Meis

He still makes me chuckle!

NY

3 Day Eventing

Ok so if you are getting all your family and friends to travel abroad for your wedding, you are more than likely going to organise more functions than just the wedding. So in reality you are going to find yourself with more work and a little more stress than normal. This is ok if you make sure you have a structure to your events. Let's say you are organising a 3 day event. Friday night dinner, Saturday Wedding and Sunday Lunch. Now that is at least 2 venues and 3 menus to organise. A lot of work but if done well, truly worth it.
Jubbs and I opted for the exact layout as above. Finding the wedding venue turned out to be easy. Sorting the other 2 venues, a little more tricky. Not only that but it meant thinking through 2 other menus.  I knew exactly what menu I wanted to have for the actual wedding reception (lamb on the spit with an array of other Greek dishes) but then I had to organise the other two event's menus to compliment that evening.

Images from Okeanos Beach Bar on Facebook & Friends

Originally, we were going to use the villa where Jubb's family was staying, as the venue for the Sunday lunch. The caterers were going to sort all the food, drink, tables etc and it was to be a casual, swimming party affair. After a little more thought it was decided that that was actually a terrible idea as his poor family were to have 150 people invade their privacy and make a complete mess of their villa. So 2 months before the wedding, the wonderful Nikos from the Ammos hotel, showed Sara and I a cool beach bar called Okeanos. It as right on the beach, had a pool, obviously a bar and the guests could stay as long as they like. As for the menu; the caterers made amazing pork gyro, chicken souvlaki, with chips, salad and Loukoumades for pudding, what else does anyone want when horrendously hungover!

Images From Friends

So only the Friday to sort out and this is where my advice on befriending the locals comes in handy. A lovely lady who runs the Drakiana Taverna, nr Platanias, told us, after plying us with a substantial amount of Raki, about a fish restaurant in Halepa. The next day, after drying out, we headed down to check it out and were astounded by what we saw. OK so it is no oil painting but it is right on the water and has stunning views over the sea of Chania harbour. The fish was renown for being spectacular and the owner insisted that my father came on the day of the party to check the fish out personally, otherwise he would not agree to have us there. To be honest he nearly cancelled it at 2pm on the day of the party because Dad had not turned up already to check out the catch and he had to rush down there to appease the poor chap! It turned out to be my favorite evening. I know I should say that the wedding day was but the Friday was awesome. We could relax and enjoy our friends and I got a little too drunk for my own good but I had a blast doing it. The only let down was my Mother insisted that I had to leave before 12am because Jubbs was not allowed to see me after that time and I was forcibly removed from my own party by a family friend. I would like you to know it was not without huge protest.
Seriously, if you get the right places to hold the events they really make the wedding a memorable one. You could just have 2 venues and hold the Sunday event at the wedding reception venue, whatever works for you. As long as you make sure you are having a diverse array of food it will be amazing, as each event will set a different atmosphere.

NY

Little Details Make the Day

Photos by friends and care of Artedona.com

I am all about the little things! I love the details, it is what interests me the most in planning parties. For the wedding we came across so many quandaries in this area and also had moments of clarity! It was quite hard trying to incorporate Greek tradition with English and to include bits of South Africa into it as well. At one point I was looking to find some Zulu dancers and even went to the extreme of trying to coax some of Jubb's friends into doing it themselves. They chose to decline! The one great thing about the Saffas is; if you put them in an area with all their mates, hand them a beer, add a little sun and have something cooking over a fire then they are set! So only to merge the other too nationalities. In our family it is traditional for my father and brother to carve the lamb at Easter. I wanted to have them do this at the wedding, obviously not all the lambs but the first. I refer to my Father as Big George, so I ordered two aprons for them (no man looks good in a DJ covered in Lamb jus). One with BIG GEORGE F.O.B and the other for my Brother with BIG GEORGE JNR KOMBARO. To say I was amusing myself is an understatement. For their thank you presents (my brother was also my Kombaro) I order two Laguile carving sets with Olive Wood handles www.artedona.com which were beautiful and appropriate! Bless them they looked so sweet standing in front of everyone carving and what was great was everyone went up and got involved!

Photos by Annie Angelopoulou and other friends

My page boy who was only two and a half at the time was a little too young for a full DJ outfit.  So I bought him the DJ suit but coupled it with a really cute rolling stones t shirt and a pair of converse!!!  It was this that lead me to put the idea to Jubbs that all the grooms party may like to join in on the foot wear idea!  Jubbs is not a naturally formal person and as half his party were Saffas I thought they may enjoy wearing a pair of cons rather than formal dress shoes!  I was right!  So instead of buying them a thank you present that would sit on a shelf and never get used we bought them all a pair of black converse boots and then bought the entire wedding party, girls and all a classic Greece Lightning T-Shirt we found on http://www.snorgtees.com. Priceless!

NY

The Idea of Hiring in Greece

I know that we have already mentioned this in our chats but we felt that it should be elaborated on a little more! Now, don’t get me wrong you can hire accessories for your wedding in Greece but it is not that easy and it will cost you a lot of money. Here is why: The likelihood of finding a hire company on the islands is slim to none. Trust us we have tried and failed. In Athens is where you will find them and this will obviously incur costs. Firstly; you have the hire cost itself, which is quite dear. Secondly; you have then got to pay the transport cost of getting it to your location. This will normally involve a van and a ferry. Lastly; you will have to pay for the accommodation of the people who will deliver it and no, collecting and returning yourselves is not an option. We are very spoilt in the UK, USA and many other countries in that our event and wedding industries are very advanced. I went out expecting the same level of service and suppliers as I had at home and was quite shocked by the difference. So, you need to think carefully through what you will want and make plans accordingly. The above advice also extends to things like chairs, tables, marquees, glasses, crockery etc and also if you want something a little different from your florist, you will again have to buy the vessels. I was lucky in that I used a lovely German lady called Birgitte who lives in Chania. She did not charge me for a lot of it and the things she did charge me for were at a very cheap rate. All the other florists were trying to charge me for everything including the earth to pot the plants with.
Your caterers will have tables and chairs of their own but a lot of the smaller, more local caterers will have a very basic range. I chose to just take it for the team on this front, but if you want to have more stylish, modern things you will need to budget for them. I also found it cheaper to go to the cheap stores and buy candle holders and other accessories.
It bottles down to the Greeks don’t really understand the concept of second hand! It doesn’t appeal to them. So you need to really think about what is vital for your wedding look and then compromise on the rest otherwise it will cost you a fortune.

NY

Trash The Dress

Nowadays it is popular to have a trash the dress session. I must confess I too participated in this ritual! Personally I have never had the urge to either carefully keep my dress protected in a dress sleeve in a wardrobe nor, it framed in a large glass box on a my bedroom wall like a shrine! Yes it does happen! So I decided to have Annie photograph me in the sea with it!

It has been done in many ways; in water, on a quad bike, on mountains etc. The extent of how much you trash you dress is up to you. Originally the plan was to play around at the beach of Okeanos Beach bar and maybe partake in some jet skiing. I ended up on a small isolated beach which had a plateau going about 15 meters out into the sea. They turned out to be my favorite photos of the whole wedding.

Done well they can be amazing. They are great for abstract portraits and to be honest a blast to do. I highly advise it!

Photos by John Micheal Cooper, bq Photography & Brandon Wyness

After cruising the Internet for a while; here are some examples I rather enjoyed!  There are also sites that specialise in this a and it seems even the papers are writing about it!   http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/fashion/weddings/10trash.html?  Enjoy!

NY

Natty's Catering Choices

Sara says: Ok, so over to the catering, what were your initial thoughts on the type of food you wanted to serve at the wedding and how was it approaching local caterers compared to those in the UK (if you have experience with them)?

Natalia says: I was always going to go with traditional Greek food. To me there was no point in going all the way over to Crete and eating what would be served at an English wedding. Lamb on the spit was a priority. Finding someone who would agree to it for up to 200 people was another thing! The local caterers differed on their reaction to me. As we have already covered the fact I am quite particular about things, it is no surprise that some of them were a little wary of me at the start. We had initial meetings with the caterers and then a food trial! The first caterer refused point blank to spit the lambs and then changed his mind once he realised I knew and loved my food! The one we ended up going with, was game from the start!

Sara says: I see this with Greeks all the time . The point blank refuse at the start and then come round to the idea as you talk with them in more detail! It's really strange!

Natalia says: I think the difference between the English caterers and the Greeks is; The English appreciate that you are the client and want what you want even if they know better. The Greeks don't really care if you want it they know better! It is your job to gently coax them round to your way of thinking and then let them believe it was their idea in the first place. Sound familiar ladies?!!!!!!!! Yes both my caterers were male!

Sara says: Exactly

Natalia says: Oh apart from the cake lady! And she agreed from the start!

Sara says: Because she was female

Natalia says: basically, yes!!!!!! She was lovely and so were her cakes and I ‘tasted’ a lot of them! Yummy!

Sara says: It really depends how modern and open the supplier is, most of them do think they know best and that there are only certain ways of approaching a job. They also think they should be able to choose what is most convenient to them rather than the client. It's an interesting concept and happens throughout Greece

Natalia says: If you have a planner or you know how to gently bring them round you will always end up with what you want

Sara says: It’s also frustrating when you try to investigate how exactly they are going to lay out and event or what process they are going to use for a specific event, they will tell you they have huge experience and everything will be great. Greek Men are simply frustrating. My main recommendation is to have EVERYTHING in writing

Natalia Yannaghas says: I agree and if they can't email you, get them to fax it! It is usually quicker! In the end I used a lovely catering company called Tzedakis

Sara says: They were so lovely, both the owners. Their main attribute was setting up the kitchens on site so all the food was cooked that minute rather than being transported which is usually what happens

Natalia says: For me they were great and they catered for the Saturday wedding and the Sunday lunch. Definitely would have been a deal breaker for me if they had not cooked fresh on site. The lamb was spectacular and the Gyro that they produced on the Sunday was out of this world. Just what the doctor ordered after a 12 hour bender! They were flexible and had a very open mind which is quite rare in Greece. Nothing was a bother and they gave us a wonderful food tasting session and one of their own homes! It was amazing.  think Jubbs was in heaven!  We also wanted loukoumades. A very controversial thing to ask for it turns out!!!! Apparently they are extremely hard to make on site because the batter doesn't like to travel!!!! Well that is what one caterer told us! Take it from me...Tzedakis batter travelled just fine and all the Greeks at the wedding said they were some of the best they had ever eaten!

Sara says: So what were the pros and cons of using a small local caterer rather than a large one from the mainland?

Natalia says: I suppose firstly the cost. It would have cost a lot more to have paid for logistics, and accommodation for all the staff coming from the mainland. I think if you are on an Island it is nice to give the work to a local. They know the traditional food of that island and also sometimes the small guys are better. Especially if you are going for Greek food. Some of the best Greek food is from recipes handed down b y generations. To be honest, Crete is a large island I so had anything I wanted there, food wise. Maybe if I had been on a smaller Island I would have been more restricted.

For me it was very important to taste the food of the caterers before I made any decisions on which I would use. Then to make them cook absolutely everything I had wanted for the wedding. It was at that point I set the menu and to be honest went on a 2 day starvation diet! Eating 2 days worth of food in one sitting kills you, especially after you have had gyro for lunch and cake tasting in the afternoon! I wanted to die.

Sara says: Oh yes, I too remember, we seemed to forget the tasting in the evening until very late in the day and then had to make room for a meal for 10. What about the set up and appearance of the food?

Natalia says: The set up and appearance was rustic! But that is what I had wanted. I checked their portfolio before and told them what presentation I like and what offended me! They were very good at listening to me! This helped! In the end there were some teething problems, nothing to do with the caterer I would like to add, but all went very well and it was delicious!

SP & NY

Picking a Photographer

Natty's Views

Wedding Photography…My Opinion!
For me, picking my wedding photographer was a very personal choice. Both Jubby and I don’t enjoy being photographed and he tends to look like he has sat on something rather uncomfortable, unless you catch him off guard! I studied Photography when I was younger and am a keen amateur photographer so, I suppose a lot of my personal taste in composition and style comes from this.
I think you need to make a decision on whether you want your photographs to be posed portraits of you and your day or more along a documentary/abstract approach to photography. I chose the latter. I also chose a photographer who still works with an analogue camera rather than a digital. I knew that there would be an entire congregation armed with their own digital cameras (apparently the opportunity to photograph me in a church sporting a white dress was too much of an opportunity for my friends to miss catching it on camera!), and the texture and depth of the old ways, for me, are more aesthetically pleasing. In relation to your family and friends photos. My advice to you all would be have someone on standby either at the end of the wedding or the next day (if you are having a post wedding brunch etc) with a laptop and a neg card reader. Try and download as many of the photos as you can in situ because trying to collect them afterwards takes an age! Don't under estimate the quality of amateur shots. Some of my favorite photos from our wedding came from friends and family!

There is a lot to be said about knowing your subject. Like any other form of art, photography encapsulates peoples emotions and characters. Having a rapport with your photographer is important. If you do not connect with them you will not relax around them thus handicapping their ability to get the best shots of you. I met one man who made my skin crawl so badly I could not even sit in a room with him, let alone spend an entire day with him. The key to getting the right photographer for the day is make a list of what style you like, whether you want film or digital photographs (remember all film can now be loaded onto a disc anyway) and then spend a little time with them. Organise the meeting in a coffee shop or somewhere informal and see how you get on.

Jubbs and I chose a wonderful photographer called Annie Angelopoulou who we just adore. So much so, that whenever I am in Athens I always make time to spend at least 2 hours in a coffee shop with her! Here are a few of her shots of my wedding!

Photos by Annie Angelopoulou

Sara's Views:

At the start of my career, I can't say that I had any interest or even an opinion on wedding photography. In fact due to the lack of internet and the fact that I never bought or looked at wedding magazines, I think my only experience of wedding photos would have come through the framed pictures of my family's weddings and perhaps the odd wedding album of my Greek friends. Not a good start really!
At some point, I suddenly saw some images that attracted my attention, I then started to research and look into what is out there, it was such a pleasant surprise!
So on to today, I have become very opinionated about wedding photography, I appreciate this art form, I constantly look at ideas, options, shoots to get inspiration, however at all times I always return to the same core belief:

If a photographer can take four or five candid unposed shots of you, through which you can see the emotion, the look, the atmosphere of the day, nothing else matters. These five shots tell the story, you should love looking at them and they will always take you back to that day. Of course you should have many shots that show the details and tell the entire story, so you don't forget anything, but those are the shots everyone will love!

Natty's Preliminary Decisions

Sara says: How did you decide to have a wedding abroad?

Natalia says: Although I have been born and raised in England I have always felt an affinity to Greece.  My husband is also from South Africa and a huge fan of hotter climates, so we thought it would be great for us to get married on a Greek Island rather than in the UK.  Greece for me is a more magical place than England and the idea of having all my friends in one place for a week was too tempting to miss!

Sara says:  What made you chose Crete out of the hundreds of islands in Greece?

Natalia says: My Grandmother was from Southern Crete a place called Sfakia. So I decided that it would be nice to have it on her island.  Also it gave me more options than most of the islands as it was bigger and logistically easier to get to from all the relevant destinations the guests were coming from.

SP & NY

Sara says: So you didn't really even consider other destinations? It was steam ahead to Crete really!

Natalia says: I was looking into a couple of Islands at the start. Spetses and Skiathos were a couple of my choices. It was after looking into the options and of course talking to you, my wedding planner (!) that I decided on Crete

Sara says:  Crete is a large island, did you research on the internet and decide on Chania?

Natalia says: I had long conversations with my father who knows Crete very well and we decided that that side of the island was quieter and more untouched than the eastern side.   The internet was not particularly helpful as most Greeks do not have a website and if they do they are either written in Greek or are just rubbish!

Sara says: So you decided on Chania because you were lucky enough to have a father that knew the area!

Natalia says: Partly, and partly because it was beautiful.  We arranged a road trip down there; my parents, Jubbs (my husband) and me to go see it we liked it.  A little daunting for Jubbs as he was about to get stuck in a car with my father and me which is always interesting to say the least…we are a little too similar for our own good.

Photos by friends

Sara says: Really that is the only way to go about it?

Natalia says: It was the most efficient way in our mind to go about it.  I could have delegated everything to you but as you know, I am too much of a control freak for that.  We hired a lovely Renault Megan and set off searching the area for appropriate venues

Sara says: But that's actually a better way to go about it.  I stress when a bride has only seen her venue on the web she may hate it when she arrives.

Natalia says: I agree and from experience they really do look very different in photos than real life.  For example the monastery which we chose. The stone would actually change colour at different times of the day.

Sara says: So how did you end up choosing your ceremony and reception venue?

Natalia says: We had decided on a 3 day event. As everyone was coming from far and wide we felt that it would only be fitting to put on a Friday dinner, Saturday wedding and a Sunday lunch. So finding venues for them all was a bit tricky and they did end up changing a few times. On the initial trip we managed to find the church and the reception venue, which we stuck by!  You sent me through a few options of reception venues and on there was a place called Villa Catani.  It is a beautiful villa, run by Katrina and Costas who are gorgeous!  When we went to see it we realised that it would not be suitable for 200 guests but Costas new of another villa which could work.  I had always wanted an old Cretan building rather than a hotel so when we arrived at Metohi Kindelis it was love at first sight!

Photos by Cristina Oliver and friends

Natalia says: It was an old renovated Cretan farmhouse.  Manoli the owner studied in Italy and had come home, renovated his family home and started an organic fruit farm on the land! He has done it beautifully.  The outside still has all character and charm of it's original self yet the inside has been designed to fuse the modern with it's old, original character.  Quite breath taking really.  It is very rare to find an original building as up until lately the Greeks tended to flatten the old and just build new.  With the reception venue ticked off the list, the next venue to find was the church! 

Photos by friends

Natalia says: As I am a Greek Orthodox, I wanted to get married in the Orthodox Church. Jubbs, it turns out is a Catholic, despite having lived his entire life believing he was Church of England (I will elaborate on that another day!). He therefore had no arguments (or basis for one!) to get married in my church. This is where we got very lucky.  My parents neighbour in their sleepy little village in Oxfordshire, used to be the head of the archeological museum in London. He very kindly put us in touch with the head of the archeological society in Chania, who was amazing. We ended up getting permission to marry in the monastery at Aptera which is steeped in history and surrounded by an incredible view over Souda Bay.

Sara says: It really is about who you know in this country!!!

Natalia says: It truly is!  Contacts get you everywhere as we found out more and more as the process went on.  My advice is you don't lose anything by asking!

Natalia says: Only 2 more venues to go plus a florist, caterer, light and sound, entertainment.  Oh and the priest!