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My eldest sister was getting married. The wedding date was set for June, just
six months away. It was going to be a romantic wedding by the seaside. There
seemed to be a thousand and one things to do. First, they had to choose a
seaside hotel that could host an outdoor wedding. Then, the wedding lunch menu
had to be drawn up. Next, came the most exciting part of the wedding for the
bride - choosing the perfect wedding gown. I accompanied my sister to almost
every bridal shop in town before she found her dream gown. The wedding
invitation cards had to be designed and mailed out. I spent hours writing
addresses and sticking stamps on the envelopes. There was also the wedding car,
the wedding cake, the wedding bouquet, photographers and a million other details
to arrange. People seemed to be rushing in and out of the house all day.
Finally, on the eve of the wedding day, there was calm. Everything was set and
ready.
Early on the wedding day, the bride put on all her
finery. She was transformed into the most beautiful woman in the
world and I felt so proud of her. The shiny beribboned
wedding car took her and my parents to the hotel. The hotel had a garden by the
beach. It looked like a fairyland now decorated with pink and red flowers and
shiny streamers. The guests were seated and waiting. The bridegroom looked
dashing in his suit. The music played and
the bride glided down the aisle towards her groom. A priest conducted the
Western style ceremony. It did not seem long before the priest said, `You may
now kiss the bride.' Then the newlyweds walked down the aisle, beaming with joy.
The next part of the program took some people by surprise. Even though we are
not a traditional family, there are some customs we still observe. One of them
is the tea ceremony. The parents of the couple followed by the elders in the
family took turns to sit down and accept cups of tea from the bride and the
groom who knelt down as a sign of respect. The elders gave the couple either red
packets filled with money or gold jewelry. Then came the photography session.
After the wedding lunch, the guests took their leave. The wedding was officially
over.
A wedding is undoubtedly one of the most important events in life. It is the
beginning of a new life for two people. This wedding in my family went like
clockwork thanks to all the preparation work done over the past six months.
Seeing the happiness of my sister and brother-in-law, was worth every minute of
hard work. |
