i suppose i dreamt of having a grand wedding ceremony when a child, like other little girls. Years ago, somewhere along the way, probably after attending yet another cookie-cutter wedding with a 10-course hotel banquet, photo montage of the happy couple’s childhood, courtship and daytime ‘gatecrashing’ activities (seriously, do the groom and friends need to be humiliated so?), overly long thank you speeches, and endless YUM SENNNNNGGGGGGGs, i made up my mind that should i get married, it would be minimalist. There were numerous conversations on this strong conviction, even when getting married seemed unlikelier by the year… Friends asked, what if your parents insist? What if the guy or his parents want it? Don’t you want to celebrate your joy with friends and family? i remained unmoved, to the extent of saying that if the guy’s family insisted, then fine, let them organise everything and just let me know when and where to show up. i knew my family would be cool, because we are the easy-going type, and we don’t hang much on the concept of “face”. Some old-fashioned people think without a ceremony, it is akin to eloping, or being ashamed of the marriage, which is ridiculous, but of course, this is my opinion. Minimalism turned into an ongoing joke, where i said it would just be me, the guy, the Justice of Peace, and the ringbearer. i don’t know why i said ringbearer over our parents, but anyway… My best friend, ONOF, had to volunteer to be the ringbearer to guarantee her attendance if and when my wedding took place.
Eventually, when it did happen, it was somewhere in between. i did not have a grand wedding, there was no photo montage, and the only thing we did before the solemnization ceremony was my hair and makeup. Yvonne, the hairstylist i’d been going to for more than 15 years, did Nick’s hair too, since he was there waiting for me to be done. i did not get a wedding gown. He got a Ted Baker suit and matching leather shoes for the occasion, and says the next time he will wear it will probably be our daughter’s wedding.
We would have done it at ROM, but the dates were booked up until 2017 or something. After some time searching for a Justice of Peace, we found one available on the date chosen, 8 November 2016. When asked why this date, i joked that the US elections were on this day, and if the Americans picked Trump, it could very well be the end of the world, so better get married first. i hope i did not jinx them. Next up was the venue selection. i did some Googling, and decided on Shangri La’s Shang Palace, as they have a solemnization set menu.
The guest list was considerably longer than expected, even kept to almost relatives-only. Originally i booked a table for the weekday lunch, and i considerately did not want people to have to take leave just to attend. Truth be told, given the very short notice, i was quite touched that most of the relatives (mostly my parents’ siblings) could make it. We ended up at five tables, about 45 pax. Luckily the restaurant could accommodate my multiple changes.
We had the solemnization before the lunch, and Nick’s witness was late. Everyone was waiting for him. The whole thing was very… er… freestyle. Luckily my relatives are forgiving (i think) and of course, my brother and sister-in-law helped a lot, in ways that i did not even realise. ONOF and YT were my only friends who attended, and they left the ceremony room later than the others, so had a table to themselves because Nick’s friends went to sit with my brother, sister-in-law and her parents. The solemnization, tea ceremony and lunch took place smoothly, and by 4 or 5-something, we were back at home to prepare for our red-eye flight to Taipei, “not a honeymoon”. i just wanted to go somewhere since we had taken the week off, and it was only Tuesday. Note to self: never take a red-eye to Taipei again, because we cannot check in to the hotel, and nothing is open before 11am. Actually the same probably applies to other major cities. The thing is, i have taken a red-eye to places like Seoul and even Taipei before, and for the life of me, cannot remember how i got through the early hours before anything could be done.
Aw i ate it 