Spring... the first flowers emerge from under the snow, and after them, the first posts and questions about holding a wedding in Bulgaria appear in groups and forums about Bulgaria. In this regard, we decided to write an article that answers, if not all, then many questions on this topic. We will talk about the peculiarities of the Bulgarian mentality, the level of service and the main mistakes that a bride and groom can make when preparing a wedding in Bulgaria.
Event cost
The price of a holiday depends on many factors: location, time of year, number of guests, duration of the event, rental of transport, amount of staff involved. In summer, prices rise on the coast, and in winter - at ski resorts. Therefore, it is quite difficult to name the cost even approximately. However, we can say with absolute certainty that they will try to “heat you up” at every stage of the organization. Most likely, as soon as you hear Russian speech (or Bulgarian with an accent), hospitable local residents will rush to tell you prices that are two or even 3 times higher than usual. In addition, the citizens of Bulgaria have one very ambiguous feature - they always say “yes, no problem!” (no problem - Bulgarian), agree, do not refuse even if, what about They are asked to do it, they are not going to do it under any sauce.
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What conclusion can be drawn from this - when you negotiate the price, if possible, involve a Bulgarian citizen as a proxy. This applies to everything - rental housing and transport, catering, holiday shows. Are you not a Bulgarian, but a Rusnak? That means for you 3000, not 1000 levs. Another important point is that the Bulgarians practically do not bargain. Once you have been given a price, it will never go lower. Do not pay for the event and the services of the persons involved in the organization in full, leave part of the amount unpaid - for motivation.
Wedding service
The topic of lack of service in the country runs like a red thread throughout all our publications. Not because we want to offend the locals, but because we want to warn our own. Bulgaria is “never Turkey.” For example, even at a well-paid event, a wedding banquet can be served by waiters in dirty aprons. If you ask to change it to a clean one, they won’t understand the “reasons for the complaint”, and worse, they will be offended and spoil your holiday with their dissatisfied appearance.
Your stay at the hotel or villa is coming to an end, and you want to take a couple more photos with the whole group in the pool? No, if you please leave the premises now, the manager will come out to you to remind you that your time is up. (As it was, for example, at the Kaliakra villa). Get out of the streets, Russians! And this is not nationalism or Russophobia - this is a simple lack of delicacy in dealing with clients.
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As one of our readers wisely noted. “I personally have the feeling that when I come to almost any Bulgarian restaurant, I have already done something wrong to its staff. My facial expressions and attitude in general tell me this: in expensive places they look at me condescendingly, in average places they look at me indifferently, and in cheap places they look at me with suspicion.” This statement very accurately describes the situation in the field of Bulgarian service.
Gala dinner
Not many people know that Bulgaria is not the most suitable country for gastronomic tours. Bulgarian cuisine is the poorest of all the Balkan countries. Traditional food is salad (carrots and cabbage), pyrlenka (bread flatbread), grilled meat (and it’s not even customary to marinate meat before baking, they will add salt anyhow before serving), giblet soup (shkebme). Such “delights” as risotto, pasta, tiramisu are in little demand here, which means chefs do not have the opportunity to hone the art of cooking (or do not want to). Even pizza is not a success for many people yet. And the confectionery business in Bulgaria is generally in its infancy.
Spices are a separate matter - they simply aren’t here. Vegetables overheated over the fire often turn into porridge, which the cook doesn’t even bother to salt. This is understandable; for almost 500 years the Bulgarian people were under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire. They paid rent (“kesim”), including food. All that was left after the Turks was liver, beans and vegetables, from which they then made soup. In addition, Bulgarians are great conservatives. They simply don't want anything new, even if it promises them profit. Another possible reason for the culinary decline is the opening of the Schengen zone borders for Bulgarian citizens: all the good specialists left for the European Union.
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Did you specially come to the restaurant for a food tasting for a future event? There is a chance that you are trying these dishes “with all the ingredients” for the first and last time. Are you tasting wine? At the holiday most likely you will be served something else - cheaper. Justifying it childishly, that it was not possible to get it or “there is no more of this kind.” Experienced wedding organizers know about the irresponsibility and disorganization of the locals and try to escape from the holiday before the brewing conflict. Conclusion: discuss in advance who and what will happen if something doesn’t go according to plan.
Organization of weddings in Bulgaria
The organization of Russian weddings in Bulgaria, as a rule, is carried out by our compatriots. Mainly only because they can communicate tolerably in both languages. Many of these comrades simply take money for nothing. As common sense dictates, at a wedding it is the organizer who should be running around in soap, while the bride is “relaxing” walking her festive dress in front of the guests, and not vice versa. If you want to throw money away, hire Irina Retunskaya as an organizer. She failed on any point (accommodation, food, festive atmosphere), but all the guests noted what a beautiful dress she had and high heels. At the end of the holiday, Irina disappeared altogether, while none of the guests spoke the Bulgarian language to communicate with the Bulgarians serving the banquet.
Wedding decor
If you need makeup, wedding hairstyle or manicure, then know the Bulgarians' view of beauty. We wrote more about this in the article Beauty in Bulgarian. “Every dog does a manicure here,” but there are still few good nail technicians. When attracting local beauty fairies, keep in mind that wedding makeup can easily turn into the war paint of a slutty woman. Leave time to correct their mistakes. Practice doing your own hair and makeup.
In the summer in Bulgaria, roses and lavender bloom, and on an industrial scale. Unfortunately, despite this, you are unlikely to buy a decent (let alone a wedding) bouquet in flower shops. Please note that decorations made from plastic flowers are still very popular in Bulgaria. Want to save money and be chic at the same time? Lavender flowers can serve as an inexpensive, elegant decoration for both a ceremony and a banquet. From June to August, in the fields outside the city you can find thickets of wild lavender. If you don’t have time to search, lavender can be bought at a flower farm; we wrote more in the article Purple gold of Bulgaria. We have collected ideas for wedding decoration for you in album on Pinterest, click and get inspired!
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Accommodation of guests
There are many romantic places in Bulgaria: the sea coast, golf clubs, ski resorts, hot springs, lavender and pink fields, high mountain routes. Not only hotels and private villas, but even yachts are offered for accommodation. However, the rule almost doesn’t work here: the more expensive, the better. There are very few good hotels in Bulgaria with attentive staff and delicious cuisine (not first-class, but at least simply edible), but they still exist - these are hotels with international names. We won’t name them so as not to give them free advertising. But the price tag there is also “cheerful”, almost European, which already makes you think about whether it’s worth choosing Bulgaria. However, a Japanese couple came to Bansko last year to celebrate their wedding, in previous article we wrote about how it was.
Someone will say - many Bulgarians celebrate their weddings in hotels and nothing, everyone is happy! Everything there should be perfected and put on stream. That's the point, they're "Bulgarians"! According to the majority of Bulgarians, Russians are spoiled by service. Our man is used to seeing smiling waiters, clean tablecloths, shiny cutlery at a wedding; he does not agree to anything less, and believes that these are trifles that are not even worth clarifying further. No matter how it is, friends. The local service standard is an order of magnitude lower than, say, in a chain pizzeria on the outskirts of Moscow. If you rent a villa with a pool, check whether the pool will be cleaned. If you rent a villa by the sea, check whether there is access to the sea. And so in everything!
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What to do?
- Think over the event plan to the smallest detail.
- Strictly monitor implementation, set deadlines. Check everything and everyone.
- Practise doing makeup and hair yourself. Get a manicure done in advance.
- Get to know the location as closely as possible
- Remember or write down basic phrases in Bulgarian in case you have to resolve difficulties yourself.
- Do not pay for the event and the services of the persons involved in the organization in full, leave part of the amount unpaid - for motivation.
- Internally come to terms with the fact that everything will not be exactly as planned, understand and forgive Bulgaria for the lack of service and possible problems.
- If you are hoping to entertain your guests with a first-class show, then abandon this idea. In Bulgaria, few people understand the meaning of this word. Better order fireworks, it’s hard to ruin them.
- Remember that flight prices in the summer season (Burgas airport) skyrocket. Ask guests to secure tickets in advance.
Output
Bulgaria is not about chic, class or luxurious food. This is rather about the beautiful nature on the coast and in the mountains. A modest holiday in the style of “Provence in Bulgarian style” is exactly what local realities are designed for. Bulgarians, in principle, are rather slow people, and even money cannot motivate them to do it quickly and well . Nevertheless, they know how to charm with their ease and cordiality, but often quickly lose interest in what is happening if they are required to pay attention to detail.
If you are ready for the fact that your holiday will not be perfect: plates with chips and fingerprints, crooked forks, absent-minded waiters, unclear dishes of European cuisine... Then, yes, Bulgaria is your option. We agree! The wrong side of a wedding in Bulgaria is completely unpleasant. However, it is quite possible that you will find the perfect place and everything will be romantic, magical and chocolatey! But this is unlikely to happen by chance, you need to find out, read reviews and inspect, try and plan everything yourself.