The Happily Wedded Couple - Terrence & Vania
09th August 2009
09th August 2009
Great News to share, everybody! The Lin family just went through a 喜事~! Nah, as much as I wished it was mine, it's not... maybe in due time. Already found the perfect candidate though! *wink* Hahaa...
It was my 大哥's wedding~! Held on the same day as our Nation's Birthday (the National Day) on August 9th 2009. Does it have any connection to the fact that he is a signed-on army personnel? I don't know... Anyway it was a Sunday and the following day is still a public holiday. Maybe that's why...
Anyway, I'm really happy for both of them, 大哥 and 大嫂~! For the first time in who-noes-since-when, I see my own older brother all groomed up, looking smart, even with that big belly of his... hahaa. On the other hand, the bride looking ever more stunning & beautiful in his wedding gown/s on their special day.
The day started as early as 6am before the break of dawn. Almost all the groom's 兄弟团 stayed over at our place for the night. When the alarm clock struck, (this is also the first time I've seen my brother wake up on time when the alarm rings) slowly one after another, everyone started to make their way to the bathroom to have their shower, brush up, dress up and prepared to set off to "collect" the bride. Charmaine also woke up early, dolled herself up and tagged along with me early in the morning. Hehe...
4 cars including the bridal car, driving along the expressway in a single file formation and in sequence, what a sight to behold! We arrived on time but the bride was still not ready yet, and we had to hang around in the nearby car park for like 30 minutes, chit chatting & taking photos.
When the bride was finally ready, it was time to "gate crash" & "collect" the bride~! But before that, the cars went parading a few rounds around the car park below the flat, stomping their horns away & sounding their car alarms off, alerting everyone that we are here to "collect" the bride. Every nosey neighbour soon had their heads sticking out from their flats to see what was going on... haha.
The cute young boy, Sam, playing the role of the "lucky boy", arrived downstairs to open the door to the bridal car & handed the two oranges over to the groom. Immediately out of the car, the relatives & the 姐妹团 from the bride's side had their heads over the parapet of the corridor to welcome our groom. And soon our gate crashing games began...
As concluded by us, the 兄弟团, we all agreed that this is one of the "better standard", challenging (or worst, depending on your point of view) wedding gate crashes, considering other weddings we've been to. Here's why:
1. The Stairway to Heaven
First of all, the task was to carry the groom (my brother, easily weighing 80 - 90kg) up 13 flight of stairs to the bride's home without having any of his body come into contact with the floor or the staircase railing and without using any form of piggy-back or fireman lift. Lucky we had the numbers & the strength to carry him up, since all of us if not strong, were bulky in size. The girls even had a digital camera lent to one of us, to video the whole process and ensure
2. Bunch of Sweet Nothings
After the test of our strength, it was time to test our literary skills. We were to write mushy, romantic, sweet nothings on 100 pieces of post-it notes in a matter of minutes. And no, we can't write convectional phrases like "I Love You", "You are my everything"... We had to come out with more creative phrases. So each of us took up a topic we were familiar with & set off to work. I of course ended up with dragonboating as my topic... while others ended up with food, desserts, characters etc. It was really mind-draining... Hahaa
3. Sing along, Singapore Idol
Next it was time to work our vocal cords as we had to compose, dance and sing aloud a Chinese/Dialect love song to the bride in her room, while donning skimpy female outfits which they bought at the Pasa Malam for 3 at $10 sale.
4. 酸，甜，苦，辣 (Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy)
Last but definitely not least, my personal favourite although I never want to see it nor do it again. First up on the menu, 酸 was represented by some sort of big sour limes with the white sour flesh under the skin purposely left behind. Second, 甜 was bite-sized Mars chocolate bars coated with those fizzy ENO powder mixed in water. I'm telling you it didn't taste sweet at all. Next, the worst of the worst - 苦 was the worst tasting ever bitter gourd with a layer of those bitter solution you apply onto the children's fingernails to stop them from biting them. I'm telling you the bitter taste from the solution was made to linger in your taste buds for days~! Finally, 辣 was a slice of ginger with a layer of chilli padi and wasabi on top. These are the ever-lasting impressions of 酸，甜，苦，辣 that will stay with me for a long time...
5. Ang Pow Bargain & "Pegs on the Face" Torture
Next up is the must-have for any Chinese wedding - bargaining of the ang pow money... which ended in the punishment for one of the 兄弟团 and the groom - having clothes pegs secured onto your face & pulled off in a split second! All I can say is that the 姐妹团 may look like fairies but they are actually sadistic devils in disguise who seemed to have vowed to take revenge on the male population... haha =P
After passing the 姐妹团, we were stalled again by the bride's little cousins this time. But no fear, they were easily bought over as they "sold" the bride for $10 each. Once entering the bride's room & asking for her hand in marriage, the groom unveiled the bride & kissed the bride lovingly. In meantime, the 兄弟团 were running about the house, complaining & searching for ways to get rid of the bitterness that still lingered on... We successfully "collected" the bride & headed back to the groom's home for the traditional tea ceremony.
Off we go to the next destination - Potong Pasir
Ah ma 喝茶，Mother 喝茶, 姑姑 喝茶...
结婚成功~!!!
I, on the other hand, with some of the 兄弟团 had to change into our No. 1 uniform in time for the church wedding ceremony. Yours truly here, was "privileged" enough to be selected into the Sword Bearers/Party that will do the March-in for the wedding at the church as well as for the wedding banquet. This was the very first time I did my sword drills. Strangely I didn't get to practise any sword drills back when I was in OCS. But it has been long since I donned my No. 1 uniform, besides it was a chance to show Charmaine how smart I looked in it. Hahaha
More photo taking in our smart uniforms & beautiful dresses...
We were ahead of schedule when we were at the groom's place so there was time for all of us to take a break and catch our breath back. After which we headed down to the Church of our Lady Queen of Peace for the Solemnization ceremony. When we arrived, we still had time to cam whore at the back of the church. The ceremony went smoothly, - I did the march-in & march-out to the back of the church, & fell asleep throughout the ceremony. HAHA! The newly wedded couple signed the wedding certificate, and walked out of the church, under the blessings of the swords. But the work's not done, as the couple went to another classroom in the church & changed into their 2nd set of outfit - the groom changed out of his uniform into his black suit, and the bride changed into a light pink Peranakan bagu, for MORE tea ceremony to all the relatives! At the end, even I had to offer tea to 大哥 and 大嫂.
Signing on the Certificate of Marriage...
Walking down the aisle... under the blessing of everyone & the Sword Party
Charmaine & I went to the couple's hotel suite to change into my black suit. During so, we missed the 2nd entrance of the couple riding in, on the hotel's jeep down the aisle of the Grand Ballroom, and also the Yum Sheng session on stage... Grrr, what a waste!
Beep Beep! Here comes the couple on their Jeep...
Pop~ Champagne Time... Yummmmmm Sheng~!!!
Later on, there was even a performance by one of the bride's family's good friends - an award winning Pipa performer in Singapore (though I didn't know him but he was really good). However, as soon as he started his performance, the relatives' small children started to go onto the stage & started dancing. Soon everyone was laughing at the kids, obviously shifting their attention from the performance to the kids, which I felt was doing injustice to the performer & his goodwill. However the newly weds soon did asked the parents of the kids to get them off-stage & apologised to their good friend. Lucky the friend was easy-going & everything ended with a good note... =)
Photo taking with the 50 Tables~!!! starting with the VIP tables...
After that, I believe comes the most tedious segment for the night - the newly wed's photo-taking session with each & every table. Following, finally, the time came for the guests to make their exit. All the family members of the newly wed, including myself, line up along the Ballroom main exit to thank each & everyone who took their precious time to come down & grace this holy matrimony between the newly wed couple. With that, the night finally came to an end...
Time for the guests to leave... Thanks for coming!
More photo taking with the Groom & Bride...
It was great to see my 大哥 and 大嫂 finally tie the knot after years of being together. May they enjoy each other's company & be understanding & tolerant towards each other. I wish them eternal love & bliss together forever. =) All the best...
(I wonder when my turn will come... hehe)
It was my 大哥's wedding~! Held on the same day as our Nation's Birthday (the National Day) on August 9th 2009. Does it have any connection to the fact that he is a signed-on army personnel? I don't know... Anyway it was a Sunday and the following day is still a public holiday. Maybe that's why...
Anyway, I'm really happy for both of them, 大哥 and 大嫂~! For the first time in who-noes-since-when, I see my own older brother all groomed up, looking smart, even with that big belly of his... hahaa. On the other hand, the bride looking ever more stunning & beautiful in his wedding gown/s on their special day.
The day started as early as 6am before the break of dawn. Almost all the groom's 兄弟团 stayed over at our place for the night. When the alarm clock struck, (this is also the first time I've seen my brother wake up on time when the alarm rings) slowly one after another, everyone started to make their way to the bathroom to have their shower, brush up, dress up and prepared to set off to "collect" the bride. Charmaine also woke up early, dolled herself up and tagged along with me early in the morning. Hehe...
4 cars including the bridal car, driving along the expressway in a single file formation and in sequence, what a sight to behold! We arrived on time but the bride was still not ready yet, and we had to hang around in the nearby car park for like 30 minutes, chit chatting & taking photos.
When the bride was finally ready, it was time to "gate crash" & "collect" the bride~! But before that, the cars went parading a few rounds around the car park below the flat, stomping their horns away & sounding their car alarms off, alerting everyone that we are here to "collect" the bride. Every nosey neighbour soon had their heads sticking out from their flats to see what was going on... haha.
The cute young boy, Sam, playing the role of the "lucky boy", arrived downstairs to open the door to the bridal car & handed the two oranges over to the groom. Immediately out of the car, the relatives & the 姐妹团 from the bride's side had their heads over the parapet of the corridor to welcome our groom. And soon our gate crashing games began...
As concluded by us, the 兄弟团, we all agreed that this is one of the "better standard", challenging (or worst, depending on your point of view) wedding gate crashes, considering other weddings we've been to. Here's why:
1. The Stairway to Heaven
First of all, the task was to carry the groom (my brother, easily weighing 80 - 90kg) up 13 flight of stairs to the bride's home without having any of his body come into contact with the floor or the staircase railing and without using any form of piggy-back or fireman lift. Lucky we had the numbers & the strength to carry him up, since all of us if not strong, were bulky in size. The girls even had a digital camera lent to one of us, to video the whole process and ensure
2. Bunch of Sweet Nothings
After the test of our strength, it was time to test our literary skills. We were to write mushy, romantic, sweet nothings on 100 pieces of post-it notes in a matter of minutes. And no, we can't write convectional phrases like "I Love You", "You are my everything"... We had to come out with more creative phrases. So each of us took up a topic we were familiar with & set off to work. I of course ended up with dragonboating as my topic... while others ended up with food, desserts, characters etc. It was really mind-draining... Hahaa
3. Sing along, Singapore Idol
Next it was time to work our vocal cords as we had to compose, dance and sing aloud a Chinese/Dialect love song to the bride in her room, while donning skimpy female outfits which they bought at the Pasa Malam for 3 at $10 sale.
4. 酸，甜，苦，辣 (Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy)
Last but definitely not least, my personal favourite although I never want to see it nor do it again. First up on the menu, 酸 was represented by some sort of big sour limes with the white sour flesh under the skin purposely left behind. Second, 甜 was bite-sized Mars chocolate bars coated with those fizzy ENO powder mixed in water. I'm telling you it didn't taste sweet at all. Next, the worst of the worst - 苦 was the worst tasting ever bitter gourd with a layer of those bitter solution you apply onto the children's fingernails to stop them from biting them. I'm telling you the bitter taste from the solution was made to linger in your taste buds for days~! Finally, 辣 was a slice of ginger with a layer of chilli padi and wasabi on top. These are the ever-lasting impressions of 酸，甜，苦，辣 that will stay with me for a long time...
Check out the mouthful of food *gulp* & the disgusted look on everyone's face...
5. Ang Pow Bargain & "Pegs on the Face" Torture
Next up is the must-have for any Chinese wedding - bargaining of the ang pow money... which ended in the punishment for one of the 兄弟团 and the groom - having clothes pegs secured onto your face & pulled off in a split second! All I can say is that the 姐妹团 may look like fairies but they are actually sadistic devils in disguise who seemed to have vowed to take revenge on the male population... haha =P
After passing the 姐妹团, we were stalled again by the bride's little cousins this time. But no fear, they were easily bought over as they "sold" the bride for $10 each. Once entering the bride's room & asking for her hand in marriage, the groom unveiled the bride & kissed the bride lovingly. In meantime, the 兄弟团 were running about the house, complaining & searching for ways to get rid of the bitterness that still lingered on... We successfully "collected" the bride & headed back to the groom's home for the traditional tea ceremony.
Get on your knees & ask for her hand, seeking approval from the Parents...
We finally 'snatched' the bride over... Time for Photoshots! Together with the relatives & the 兄弟姐妹...
Off we go to the next destination - Potong Pasir
Ah ma 喝茶，Mother 喝茶, 姑姑 喝茶...
结婚成功~!!!
More photo taking in our smart uniforms & beautiful dresses...
Signing on the Certificate of Marriage...
Walking down the aisle... under the blessing of everyone & the Sword Party
大哥, 大嫂 喝茶... (Welcome to the Lin Family, Vania)
Onward to Orchid Country Club~ Grand Ballroom!
At the end of the church wedding, all the guests went back. Everyone then headed towards Orchid Country Club to get ready for the wedding banquet at night. There was a lovely cocktail reception outside the Grand Ballroom. But Charmaine & I didn't get to enjoy it... as we were helping out with the reception & registrations. After the guests were finally seated, I started to standby for the March-in. We did the march-in & raised our swords, tip touching tip, in welcome of the newly wedded couple, but the couple took so long to walk down the aisle that my partner's & my arm soon began to tire & tremble, that we had to raise down our swords towards the end. Haha. When the couple got up onto the stage, it was our cue to march out of the Ballroom, change up & join back at our respective seats for the rest of the dinner.
The Sword Party & the March-in~!
Charmaine & I went to the couple's hotel suite to change into my black suit. During so, we missed the 2nd entrance of the couple riding in, on the hotel's jeep down the aisle of the Grand Ballroom, and also the Yum Sheng session on stage... Grrr, what a waste!
Beep Beep! Here comes the couple on their Jeep...
Pop~ Champagne Time... Yummmmmm Sheng~!!!
An Award Winning Pipa Performance by a Good Friend~ =)
Later on, there was even a performance by one of the bride's family's good friends - an award winning Pipa performer in Singapore (though I didn't know him but he was really good). However, as soon as he started his performance, the relatives' small children started to go onto the stage & started dancing. Soon everyone was laughing at the kids, obviously shifting their attention from the performance to the kids, which I felt was doing injustice to the performer & his goodwill. However the newly weds soon did asked the parents of the kids to get them off-stage & apologised to their good friend. Lucky the friend was easy-going & everything ended with a good note... =)
Photo taking with the 50 Tables~!!! starting with the VIP tables...
More photo taking with the Sword Party... & relatives...
After that, I believe comes the most tedious segment for the night - the newly wed's photo-taking session with each & every table. Following, finally, the time came for the guests to make their exit. All the family members of the newly wed, including myself, line up along the Ballroom main exit to thank each & everyone who took their precious time to come down & grace this holy matrimony between the newly wed couple. With that, the night finally came to an end...
Time for the guests to leave... Thanks for coming!
More photo taking with the Groom & Bride...
(I wonder when my turn will come... hehe)
