Your song will fill the air
Weddings make you think of one’s happiness; the way funerals remind you of one’s mortality, someone recently told me.
Last Saturday I found myself chanting this over and over again in my head.
“Perfect beach wedding, BROTHER’S HAPPINESS”.
“35°C weather, MY MORTALITY”.
Happiness, mortality, happiness, mortality.
I couldn’t have wished for a better day though. My brother and Jan got married over the weekend, in what was at once the most intimate and the loudest party-like-it’s-1969 beach wedding.
Rose petals lining the entire path to the dock where they exchanged vows. The couple doing the Robot at their first dance. The pastor praying a solemn blessing for the couple. Derek, our six-year old ring bearer, getting so excited that he clapped the cushion hard enough to send the wedding rings flying across the dock. White linen, low lights, and wine flowing steadily. The band playing “(I can’t get no) Satisfactionnn”, and half of us yelling along to the chorus.
I was tasked to manage the entire affair. Out of love, loyalty and a complete lack of self-awareness I agreed to do it. This produced several moments of discovery:
Multilingual angst. I can yell in three different languages. I mouth off in English. My spoken Malay, usually reserved for the gentle nasi lemak mak ciks, comes flying at the AV guys who are taking too long with the microphones. My Cantonese is rapid-fire, except that I’m not sure if I just told the banquet manager to move the wedding cake, or to give his pet Chihuahua a bath.
Event management is not my thing. “Bring the groom’s pants to Room 113″, “Arrange the unity candles for the ceremony”, “People from table Nine are sitting at table Eleven. Tell us what to do!”. I can barely get by myself, let alone plan for 200 family and friends to live through an evening of festivities. A borrowed dress, bare feet, and me running around hoping no one notices I have no idea what I’m doing.
All mush. Sunset. I watch my brother standing on the dock over the lake. Beaming, while his bride walks down the aisle to Gustavo Santaolalla’s The Wings. Beneath my sunnies, eyeliner runs down my cheeks. I stand up to make a toast at some point during dinner. Not one minute into it my voice is quivering; I want to say clever witty things about marriage. But the speech that I never wrote down now comes out as a rambling tribute to one of my best friends in the world and his lucky, beautiful wife.
Happiness. Mortality. Happiness. Mortality.
Happiness.
No dancing at my wedding - by request and we were limited by the venue management. I like that your brother and his wife did the robot as the first dance. Kraftwerk? No sunset at my wedding, that would have required sun to begin with. Pissing rain all day. Thanks to my awesome photographer we got some great photos.
200 guests, wow! I think you’re supposed to run around at that level. If you don’t, people will think there is definitely something wrong. My sister and my cousin (not the same person) organized most of my wedding, and we only had 30 people. There is a lot to do, especially for 200 people. I’m sure you did a great job.
Posted 3 months ago30 people sounds like a dream. I’d probably be happy with 8 myself.
No dancing?? Bad, mad moves seem to be the antidote to boring weddings. I hope you had plenty of alcohol to fill the chasms.
Posted 2 months, 4 weeks agoWe would have liked more, too. In fact, I had to uninvite a few people who assumed that they were invited just because I mentioned we were getting married. There was alcohol, but not so much because of course Ali was pregnant. Movie sips only for her. I myself remember a lovely three-olive gin martini. The format of the wedding was meant to be a nice brunch, so dancing might have been out of place. 8 people, huh? I’ve been to wedding with less. More fun, less protocol.
Posted 2 months, 4 weeks agoMy bro’s wedding had blooy 800 guests…majority of whom I have never met in my life. Although they claimed to have carried when “I was only tttttttthhhhhhhiiiiiii small”
So you can imagine the runningI had to do! *died after the wedding and rose again*
Posted 2 months, 4 weeks ago800. shite. hats off to you.
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago(let me guess: you’re chinese!)
Hi!! May I know where is your brother’s wedding held at? The photo looks good.
Posted 2 months agoSure thing — it’s Palace Beach & Spa, bout 30 mins from the (KL) city centre
Posted 2 months ago