A magical wedding affair
December is a month of weddings, interesting weddings, boring weddings, elaborate ones, simple ones, but mostly, happy weddings.
I kick-started the last month of this incredible year by attending one best I have ever been invited to, and a week later, I am still smiling with joy because it was one mixed with emotions, spilt cocktails over breaded crumbs but laced with the tightness and close bonds of a family strong and there for each other.
Right from its birth and foundational planning, the wedding was designed to be unlike any other, meant to be small and informal, customized with the fabric of only those that truly mattered. In a destination away from the city hustle, where vows were made in a glass pavilion surrounded only by trees and villas for a romantic break, a selected few were chosen and given the honor to witness the sealing of a marriage between two dearly loved and who deeply loved each other. Yet it was not just the fact that it was wedding vows that brought on the tears, but the very tangible pronouncement from the bride’s father that he would agree to give his daughter away to her husband, the huge silent sigh of relief after weeks of invisible tension, the quiet hush that fell on all in the room, broken only by a baby’s cry, that sent the diamonds of tears slowly down many cheeks on that late Saturday afternoon. The honor to have been asked to be one of the four bridesmaids and to take part in the event of their lives, the planning and preparation together with the wedding couple up till the morning of the wedding itself, every minute detail carved its way to create a wedding that was imperfectly perfect.
There was no presence of the huge daunting crowds that usually come together with the traditional Chinese wedding, no loud unrecognizable relatives that make a fool of themselves singing karaoke at the top of their voices, snatching the limelight from the bridal couple. There were no round tables which required people to shout at the top of their voices to be heard over the wedding band, and in the soft lighting decorated by delicately chosen flower ensembles, the dessert corner which replaced the huge wedding cake you can usually find in grand events gave the occasion a charmingly cozy and casual feel. With an open kitchen next to the tables, guests could see as the entrees, appetizers and main courses were prepared, and it felt like we took part in the wedding as much as we observed it.
That was the magic of that day. That we were not only presented the final product, but it was special and we felt connected because we had been given and trusted with coming up with the outcome together. As cousins, aunties and siblings all combined to create the event’s success, we felt proud, not just of ourselves, but of the family bonds that kept us close-knit and able to make it beautiful for the wedding couple.
