Literally. And it was so beautiful that I cried! I have not cried for a very long time, even at my cousins’ weddings, but I really cried yesterday after the touching speech the groom made. It was nothing out of the ordinary, not some sappy love poem or great romantic “promising” speech. Yet, the ordinariness of the speech simply makes it less ordinary, especially since he was so filled with love for her when he said that.
And that is why I cried, because true love need not be hot passion, or romantic speeches. If you truly love a person, even an ordinary thank you speech can be touching, when it is so filled with tenderness and gentleness. Now I truly understand why she chose him. And I really feel so happy for her!
The banquet started off with cocktails (as usual). I arrived pretty early. Guests started streaming in one by one, batch by batch. I was feeling kind of left out, because how many people really attend a wedding by oneself nowadays? Most come as couples or families. In any case, I helped out with the ushering, talked to her sisters (who looked so different!) and looked through her wedding photos.
Gosh, she makes a really pretty bride. Okay, all brides are beautiful, but when I saw her wedding photos, I really took a double take. Is she someone I have known and am close to for more than a decade? I have never seen her look like that before, not even in formal dinners! She has always been pretty, but she looks stunningly ravishing last night.
When guests started to go into the ballroom for the dinner, montages of her and her husband’s childhood were displayed. And she must choose a photo with me inside! Which is nothing wrong, except why must she choose that photo of all photos? The one where we were clowning around in school, making monkey faces, and me with my glasses and messy ponytail standing next to her. I never looked geekier at that moment!
There were only two of us from school. I would kind of expect she would invite more people, but it seems her husband has more people to invite, probably due to the nature of his work. The rest are their relatives, colleagues and parents’ friends. My friend and I were put at a table together with her dad’s friends, so we were the only young people at a table of senior citizens. The friend who attended had also recently married, but his wife is overseas so he came alone. Plus, he needed to go earlier, so halfway through the dinner, I was all alone. I just spent the time eating, listening to the “sagely” advise of the senior citizens, and enjoying the show at the same time.
Before dinner was served, the bride and groom had to march in. The groom came in with his military uniform. The bride was resplendent in a tube dress with long frills and train. Before they started marching in, military people in their uniforms and swords came in and had a nice display of swords in the air, awaiting the bridal couple. When they started marching in, the compere told the bride to sing the groom his favourite song in front of everyone, and she managed the first two lines and stumbled.
Then at the next stage before they reached the stage, they were asked to kiss to the audience’s applause. So they kissed for five minutes! Later they reached the stage and cut the cake. No champagne though. Dinner started after that with the tune of jazz music. The food was not too bad, and wine was served, so I had a glass of red wine.
Halfway through the dinner, the bridal couple went out to change. She came in again with a silver back-revealing gown, almost the kind of design I like for my own wedding dress! The family members had to go up to toast to everyone. Then the groom made his very touching speech which got me crying. And the bride made her light-hearted speech in Mandarin, which got people laughing!
The couple then went round to take photos with every table. Poor thing, they did not seem to have eaten anything throughout the dinner! By the time the photo-taking was wrapped up, dessert was almost done and guests were streaming out, so they had to go out and see the guests off. I had a chance to talk to her grandmother, who still remembers me somewhat. I did not have the chance to talk to the bride and groom though except to shake hands and say my congratulations, but I did not wish to hold them up as they would have many others wishing to talk to them.
At the end of it all, I feel so happy, so excited. But at the same time, I felt as if part of me is gone as she begins her journey to couplehood, with different kinds of issues than singlehood. No longer will we hang out just eating and shopping. No longer will we talk on the phone late at night. She has to live her life for someone else now, and no longer for herself. Things have truly changed indeed.
And that is why I cried, because true love need not be hot passion, or romantic speeches. If you truly love a person, even an ordinary thank you speech can be touching, when it is so filled with tenderness and gentleness. Now I truly understand why she chose him. And I really feel so happy for her!
The banquet started off with cocktails (as usual). I arrived pretty early. Guests started streaming in one by one, batch by batch. I was feeling kind of left out, because how many people really attend a wedding by oneself nowadays? Most come as couples or families. In any case, I helped out with the ushering, talked to her sisters (who looked so different!) and looked through her wedding photos.
Gosh, she makes a really pretty bride. Okay, all brides are beautiful, but when I saw her wedding photos, I really took a double take. Is she someone I have known and am close to for more than a decade? I have never seen her look like that before, not even in formal dinners! She has always been pretty, but she looks stunningly ravishing last night.
When guests started to go into the ballroom for the dinner, montages of her and her husband’s childhood were displayed. And she must choose a photo with me inside! Which is nothing wrong, except why must she choose that photo of all photos? The one where we were clowning around in school, making monkey faces, and me with my glasses and messy ponytail standing next to her. I never looked geekier at that moment!
There were only two of us from school. I would kind of expect she would invite more people, but it seems her husband has more people to invite, probably due to the nature of his work. The rest are their relatives, colleagues and parents’ friends. My friend and I were put at a table together with her dad’s friends, so we were the only young people at a table of senior citizens. The friend who attended had also recently married, but his wife is overseas so he came alone. Plus, he needed to go earlier, so halfway through the dinner, I was all alone. I just spent the time eating, listening to the “sagely” advise of the senior citizens, and enjoying the show at the same time.
Before dinner was served, the bride and groom had to march in. The groom came in with his military uniform. The bride was resplendent in a tube dress with long frills and train. Before they started marching in, military people in their uniforms and swords came in and had a nice display of swords in the air, awaiting the bridal couple. When they started marching in, the compere told the bride to sing the groom his favourite song in front of everyone, and she managed the first two lines and stumbled.
Then at the next stage before they reached the stage, they were asked to kiss to the audience’s applause. So they kissed for five minutes! Later they reached the stage and cut the cake. No champagne though. Dinner started after that with the tune of jazz music. The food was not too bad, and wine was served, so I had a glass of red wine.
Halfway through the dinner, the bridal couple went out to change. She came in again with a silver back-revealing gown, almost the kind of design I like for my own wedding dress! The family members had to go up to toast to everyone. Then the groom made his very touching speech which got me crying. And the bride made her light-hearted speech in Mandarin, which got people laughing!
The couple then went round to take photos with every table. Poor thing, they did not seem to have eaten anything throughout the dinner! By the time the photo-taking was wrapped up, dessert was almost done and guests were streaming out, so they had to go out and see the guests off. I had a chance to talk to her grandmother, who still remembers me somewhat. I did not have the chance to talk to the bride and groom though except to shake hands and say my congratulations, but I did not wish to hold them up as they would have many others wishing to talk to them.
At the end of it all, I feel so happy, so excited. But at the same time, I felt as if part of me is gone as she begins her journey to couplehood, with different kinds of issues than singlehood. No longer will we hang out just eating and shopping. No longer will we talk on the phone late at night. She has to live her life for someone else now, and no longer for herself. Things have truly changed indeed.
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