I was studying flamenco guitar with a gypsy guitar player. I already played classical but I wanted to learn how to play flamenco. The gypsies do everything by ear so I had to learn to play by ear. Then once I did he wouldn’t teach me because they think it is too easy and will take away your work! After the first two lessons Chispeter invited the owner of the guitar shop to a gypsy wedding. He couldn’t go and sent me in his place. My first misunderstanding was the clothes I should wear. He told me to wear riding cloths. Well So I arrived in my boots and jodhpurs’. Those were English riding clothes. Spanish riding clothes are very elegant and are considered like we would consider a tuxedo. Only twenty years later did I learn the intricacies of the traje corto or Spanish riding clothes. We went to the church and waited outside. First came a carriage with 4 white horses carrying the bride. Then came a carriage of 4 black horses carrying the groom. They entered a very large church with approximately 500 people. The ceremony was very long. Half way through the ceremony everyone started yelling at the priest that he had made it too long; everyone wanted to go eat and drink. That was the end of the ceremony. The bride and groom left the church in the carriage with the white horses. We followed in our cars and many people followed on horseback wearing the traditional riding clothes. We went to a big outdoor restaurant where we all ate and drank too much. I asked how did a poor gypsy family pay for such an elaborate wedding. The family had won the lottery! They spent the money on the wedding.