23-06-2022 | Istanbul
Quick reminder:
The Wedding starts at 7pm
Moda Deniz Kulübü
Moda Caddesi, Ferit Tek Sok. No:1, 34710 Kadıköy, Türkei
Sidenote for those who are often surprised by that and struggle with spontaneous creativity (like Domenic): There will be a guest book.
Feel free to practice
Aslı put together a nice Guide to Istanbul with a lot of personal recommendations for your stay in Istanbul; ~ 8mb.
The wedding will take place in Istanbul. The location is called Moda Deniz Kulübü. As the name says it’s a sea club, where members can enjoy various activities, foods and drinks. The location is next to the sea on the Asian side, so be ready for some awesome views over Marmara Sea and the Princess Islands of Istanbul. Did you know that Istanbul has 3 different shores: Bosphorus, Marmara Sea and Black Sea?
Did you know that Istanbul has islands which you can reach by boats (operated by the city) and enjoy a down to earth life style with significant architecture and one of the oldest orthodox monasteries of the city.
The wedding location is easily reachable by taxi or car. There is parking space available. Once you’re there ask them for the wedding party and they will take you to the right area 🙂
Istanbul has 2 airports: Istanbul Airport (European side) and Sabiha Gökcen Airport (Asian side). Istanbul airport is the newly built airport from where you can fly to literally anywhere in the world with Turkish Airlines. However, we suggest you to take a flight to Sabiha Gökcen Airport since it’s close to the wedding location and is also on the Asian side, meaning you don’t need to cross the bridges over Bosphorus, even though it’s one of the unique experiences to cross between continents, it can also be painful due to the traffic jam.
Regardless of the airport, you can take the shuttle buses to central locations like: Kadiköy, Taksim etc. However, they only to go few stops in the city. Alternatively you can take a taxi from the airport taxi stand. Taxis are cheaper than in Germany and the ones from the airport are regulated heavily so don’t be afraid of being tricked. We suggest you to fly at least a day in advance. There is a chance of missing the wedding in case you land on the same day of the wedding.
Istanbul is a huge city and has many interesting districts. We suggest you to stay in Kadiköy/Moda. The old part of the city has unique sites and very interesting things to see, however there are not many locals there and it’s mainly visited by tourists, so it will not give you the local feeling and give you a view how Istanbulites enjoy the city.
In Kadiköy/Moda, you can find many Airbnbs, Hotels, Boutique Hotels for accomodation, for every budget. The district is known for its vibrant life with many traditional and modern cafes, bars, meyhanes (traditional raki restaurants), which are open almost 24/7. You can find many traditional restaurants, weekly markets, fish market and enjoy a cup of cay or Turkish coffee in a cafe. You can get lost in the streets of Kadiköy, taste traditional food (also vegetarian and vegan), enjoy the view of the Old Town. The district is known for being very liberal, that’s why you will see many young and old people together, mosques, churches and synagogues: all living in peace.
The district is also very well connected with public transport, namely, ferry to the European side (to the old town, Bosphorus shores and to the islands), bus, dolmus, minibus, metrobus and metro. There are also many pedestrian streets where you can enjoy shopping fresh fruits, vegetables and clothes.
Istanbul is a big city, and I mean big! It’s highly populated (which you will experience first hand on the streets), but also the distances are long. From the west end to the east end of the city it’s more than 150 kilometers! It’s one of the oldest cities of Europe and with many cultures passing by the city, there are so many interesting places to see, many interesting food to taste and many lovely people to meet. If you have time we suggest you to stay for a week to enjoy the city and have the opportunity to see the main sights but also to grasp the culture and the city life. However, if you do not have time, Thursday to Sunday would give you a chance to see the main sights like Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Bosphorus, Taksim and Moda. If you want to experience something apart from Istanbul we would be happy to suggest places that you can travel to. Some examples:
Istanbul has many means of transportation that you can use: Bus, Metrobus, Tram, Metro, Ferry, Taxi, Dolmus, Minibus.. You should know though connections might be complex if you’re using the bus. We suggest you to use either Metro, Tram or taxi. If you want to use public transport you need to buy “Istanbul Kart”, which you top up in advance and you can pay the ticket. Due to corona regulations you need to connect your personal HES code to your Istanbul Kart. That’s why each person needs to have an Istanbul Kart. As of May one way ticket costs 5,48TL, which is around 35 cents. Taxis cost way less than in Germany. An example: A taxi from Sabiha Gokcen Airport to Kadiköy should cost around 120 Lira, which is around 8 euros and it’s a distance of 34km.
Turkish weddings are fun! It is someway different than German weddings. Depending on the region, family etc it can differ a lot. We generally don’t have a religious wedding in Turkey and all the weddings need to be officiated by the state without any religious involvement. Asli and Domenic’s wedding will be thus a civil wedding with this order:
We don’t have any rules and restrictions in weddings, feel free to go crazy, dance, laugh, drink, meet with new people and take a lot of photos!
Turkish weddings are highlights so dress to impress. You can imagine going to a red carpet event while choosing your outfit. Many people wear long dresses, tuxedos and shirts. However, the most important thing is that you feel comfortable and happy! In Turkish weddings we do not have “forbidden” colors, you can choose any color you want. The date of the wedding is known to be a warm period. Average temperature in June is between 20-23 degrees. In case of a rain, don’t worry. We have a plan B 🙂
You might have heard about Turkish line dancing! The best places to show your line dancing skills are Turkish weddings. So we challenge you to join us. There are hundreds of line dancing styles depending on the region; however, we will keep the bar low for everyone and do the basic ones just to have fun. Below are few that you can be sure to experience. We suggest you to watch them, practice, make videos, send it to us 🙂
In Turkish weddings, we go pragmatic. It’s tradition to give either money or gold pieces to the couple so that they can buy the things that they need and you don’t need to carry spacious gifts. If you want to go traditional you can buy gold pieces in “kuyumcu”s in Istanbul in exchange for Lira or Euro. The gifts are given to the couple while they greet you on your table.
If you have any questions about the wedding traditions, music, food, drinks, places to visit let us know we would be happy to answer anything! Especially considering the bride is an Istanbulite she should give you the insider tips.