Iowa State got a taste of Turkey Tuesday night.

The Turkish Student Association re-enacted a traditional Turkish wedding in the Memorial Union for Turkish Night 1995 Tuesday. They even invited a horse.

Seref and Meral Soylu played the bride and groom. They were actually married four months ago in Turkey.

ISU President Martin Jischke and Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas Thielen were among the 300 guests at Turkish Night.

The ceremony opened when the fictional groom was carried in by his friends. The bride, dressed with a red veil, entered the Great Hall riding the horse.

The bride got off the animal and stood in the middle of the room while friends danced around her with candles as the groom watched. The bride’s parents and the groom then gave her a necklace of gold.

Once the ceremony ended, members of the wedding party took turns dancing and the observers were asked to join the festivities. Jischke was among those dancing in a circle with wedding participants.

“In certain regions of Turkey, the wedding can last up to three days,” said Yalcin Zafer Bulut, president of the Turkish Student Association. “The whole ceremony actually lasts two hours.”

Gaye Goker, who took part in the wedding, said at actual Turkish weddings, about 1,000 people are usually invited.

“Families invite everybody in the town or village,” Goker said.

Bulut said gold plays an important role in Turkish weddings.

“It is believed that gold is a precious material that will never rust,” Bulut said. “We believe that marriage will never get rusty.”

Brenda Knapp, a sophomore in chemical engineering attended the event as an observer. She said the experience was enjoyable.

“I liked the dancing the best,” Knapp said. “I thought the costumes were really neat. It was fun to see first hand how Turkish people celebrate weddings. The actual ceremony was different, but the dancing afterwards reminded me of American wedding receptions.”