Fusion Of East And West

Finally the photos are up! Not all, but at least the wedding photos are up. Now I only have to sort out the photos I took in Malta, London, the rest of England, Scotland and Wales. Whew! Anyway, these were taken on the day of my cousin's wedding on 6 July, as well as the tea ceremony on 8 July. Enjoy!

My attire for the wedding - don't I look great? :-p

This was taken in the apartment. I was wearing a long plum evening dress, with a matching necklace. The shawl was needed for the church ceremony, as we were not allowed to show any bare shoulders in the church.

Honestly, I was quite proud of my own makeup skills for this event. I wore plum eyeshadow, with champagne highlighter and mocha accent, and a plum blusher. Everything was matching, and I have relatives who remarked I look like one of the former Miss Singapore Universe! :-p

The statue outside the church

The wedding was held at Mdina, the old capital of Malta. The entire city was enclosed like a walled city. The cathedral is actually an old converted Arabic house. The interior was grand though. The wedding was beautiful! The atmosphere was so touching, and the bride and groom actually cried when saying their vows! How I wish my own wedding (whenever it is) can be just as beautiful and touching!

The wedding car coming in

Interior of the church

The altar

The bride and groom at the altar

Me at the wedding dinner

The wedding dinner was held at a courtyard of a hotel, converted from an old Arabic palace. It could only seat about two hundred people or so, thus there were only twenty tables in all. Simple affair, but grand and elegant!

The wedding mass started about 7:00pm, with cocktails at 8:00pm and the dinner starting at 9:30pm, dragging on until 1:00am. Some of my relatives have yet to recover from their jet lag, so needless to say, by the time the dinner was halfway through, most of us were nodding away, trying hard to keep awake!

We did a "yam seng" with the couple, to the amusement of the other guests, as they never realised how noisy Chinese people can be at wedding banquets! I think we really opened their eyes to our culture!

Sunday evening was the tea ceremony at the bride's parent's home. Somehow the bride managed to get a Chinese tea set in Malta (no idea how she found it). When my family arrived, my mum and aunt had to supervise and brief the rest of them on the procedures and ceremony.

The tea set for the ceremony

The tea ceremony started with the family of the groom's side (my side). First his parents, then the eldest uncle and aunt, second uncle and aunt, then my parents (youngest aunt and uncle), then his elder brother and sister-in-law. After that, the bride and groom sat down and received the tea from the groom's younger brother.

The bride's family came next. First her grandmother, then her parents, then her uncle and aunts, followed by her elder sister and brother-in-law, then elder cousins. After that, they sat down again and received the tea from the younger cousins. The groom's godparents came last.

In the tea ceremony, the relative receiving the tea was only to have a sip, not to drink the whole thing. The gesture of receiving the tea is to welcome the new addition to the family. However, some of the bride's relatives drank the tea in a gulp, then were amused at the taste (Chinese tea can be bitter). It was quite comical, but at least the rest of the guests looking on were exposed to another culture which they would otherwise be left in the dark.

After the ceremony, everyone proceeded to the backyard for the barbecue buffet dinner. It was free seating, so the guests all mingled together, and I sat with the bride's eldest aunt and uncle and cousins, who shared their interesting travels abroad.

The food of the buffet

My attire for the tea ceremony (against the backyard swimming pool)

I was wearing a royal blue sleeveless turtleneck velvet dress, with a cameo necklace. I was not as made up as the day of the dinner, but I think it is still passable. :-p

Maltese coffee!

The fountain in the front of the house

The dinner ended about midnight. I partook a little red wine so was feeling a bit tipsy. When we went back to the apartment, I fell asleep immediately after changing. And so the wedding was ended, and we could enjoy the rest of our time in Malta!