The first time I thought that that the neighbourhood I live in was unusual was when my husband gave me instructions to drive to our new rental apartment. He said from the main road I should turn right into Arnoldstrasse and the landmark was a boutique selling wedding dresses called Veronica which was at the corner of the main road and Arnoldstrasse. Sure enough I saw the boutique first before seeing the street name due to its large picture windows which were all filled with mannequins displaying beautiful bridal dresses.
Once I had got familiar with driving to our new apartment I noticed that just two blocks around the apartment there were at least 6 if not more bridal boutiques with names such as Honeymoon, ATV Design, Braut Modern etc. Did not understand what the mystery was till we came to collect the keys to our rental apartment. We live two doors away from the City Registry office for marriages and births. Not sure whether the abundance of boutiques in my immediate neighbourhood is supposed to make people crave to get married and they can fulfill their desires by first buying or renting proper wedding gear before proceeding to the registry offices.
On the very next day after we collected the keys and the packers were busy unpacking all the doors and windows of the apartment were open, I could hear shouts and clapping sounds and found that I had ring side views of various groups of people going to the City Registry office for weddings. The ceremony itself is done inside the Registry offices but often the wedding parties stand on the pavement outside posing for pictures.
Other times since the Hofgarten is just across the street from the Registry offices, they put up tables and have champagne and music and hors d’ouvres etc., Living on the first floor and having a balcony which juts half way across the pavement below I get a bird’s eye view of all the events. Some weddings are simple with just the bride and groom and a couple of friends.
Others are more elaborate with families and friends and parties in the park. I have seen a fiddler serenading one of the wedding parties. Other times the bride and groom being driven by someone in full livery and a top hat in a decorated cycle rickshaw in the park. Often at the end of the festivities the group of cars with the wedding party will go honking down the street to announce the happy event.
All in all I think we have found a happy neighbourhood to live in as both weddings and babies celebrate life.
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