First, I have to say, it is really much more difficult to find the inspiration to write, once you are at home and not traveling and living the gypsy life. The last month went by in a blink of an eye.

Second,  before I start I really have to mention that we’ve been to many awesome weddings in the past few years.  I am writing about exactly this one because it was in Skopje and this city holds a special place in our hearts. We were in Skopje once before (as you can see in the gallery – I am betting the photo in Macedonia Square becomes a tradition), on our first trip together, in 2013, when we went surfing to Greece and returned back home through Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia. It was the last care-free trip for me, before I started my first serious job and the first long trip we made together.

We love these parts, because it is easy to get by with our “Slovene-Serbian” skills – we somehow manage to understand each other in the Balkan region, even if we don’t speak the same language, people are really hospitable everywhere, nature is beautiful and food is great everywhere you go. Unfortunately our first Skopje trip was really short – we only had a couple of hours in the city center, as we mainly visited Ohrid, so we were really excited to see it again.

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Skopje is famous for many things – what we loved the most is its great food, extremely good prices if you come from anywhere in EU, interesting architecture, awesome sculptures everywhere and of course its lovely, heartwarming people. The city underwent a major renovation recently, so many things changed since we saw it the last time, many things were added and improved. The city center has a lovely vibrant summer vibe, the city is humming with energy and people and it really is worth the visit. It is also very well connected to Zagreb and Ljubljana airports.

If you are lucky and have Macedonian friends, as we do, try getting an invitation to a Macedonian wedding. They definitely know how to do a wedding here – the traditional customs, the food, the photos, the dancing, the band and the ceremony itself and how people enjoy it. It is truly a wonderful thing to see.

What to know before you attend if you are from Slovenia?

•  It is hot in Macedonia in the summer, so people tend to change between the church and the civil wedding, as well as make a break for a nap or anything else. So, bring additional fancy clothing.
• People dress up for a wedding, definitely more than we do in Slovenia
• Weddings here a big, like 300 people big
• Prepare your dancing shoes, as here everybody is dancing
• Weddings don’t last the whole night but there is quite a lot of activities going on during the day
• Don’t even pretend to understand some parts of the ceremony – things will be explained to you if/when needed. Look for foreign guests to gain some self-confidence, they tend to be even more confused. 🙂 (When I say foreign, I mean from outside of the Balkan region).
• Don’t forget to enjoy as it is a lovely and fun event

We really finished this year’s wedding season in style. After this, Macedonia forever holds a special place in our hearts. It is lovely to meet people, who invite you into their home and take you as you were a part of their family, without any reservations, expectations or anything else. They are just that welcoming and warm and hospitable. We made many new friends and I, of course, many plans for the next time we’re here – kayaking in Matka canyon is definitely on it, as well as seeing the Old Bazaar in daylight and seeing the city from Mount Vodno etc. etc.).

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PS: If you haven’t tried Macedonian wine yet, you are seriously missing out.

PS2: Congrats to the happy couple and thank you for inviting us to attend your big day and an even bigger thank you to your family for taking care of us the whole weekend!!