We didn’t have a lot of additional time to explore other parts of the country because we were traveling especially for the wedding, and Addis Ababa isn’t the best destination to go sightseeing in Ethiopia. Therefore, if you do decide to visit Ethiopia, please remember to plan time to see other regions of the nation! Additionally, the man who officiated the wedding runs Abyssinia Ballooning, if you’re interested in enjoying a hot air balloon flight while you’re there. Regretfully, we didn’t have the best start to our trip. On our red-eye flight from Bahrain, we had problems as soon as we boarded the aircraft: people were occupying our seats and wouldn’t get up. The wedding took place at a restaurant and event space in Debre Zeyt, southeast of Addis Ababa, the next day. We discovered that the ceremony began several hours later than we had anticipated, but it was still lovely and the reception was a lot of fun with lots of dancing! Dinnertime on the day following the Western-style wedding was set aside for a cultural ritual. It turned out that this was a private gathering for the two families alone, but it had traditional Ethiopian food and performers/dancers, just like the cultural restaurant we went to the first night. For the supper and ceremony, the relatives and wedding party also dressed traditionally in Ethiopian attire.
