Wedding Day - Part II

I promised I would write more on the Big Day. So here it is.

I remembered having a pretty decent sleep, though it did take me a while to actually fall asleep. The day started at 7am for me, with a relaxing quiet start, breakfast, a chat with Mum, and waiting for my bridesmaids. Everyone was pretty punctual, including the hair and make up ladies. I won't bore you with details, but suffice to say everything went according to schedule.

I started getting a little nervous in the car on the way to the church, however, as it was a fairly decent drive, about 20 to 30 minutes, I managed to just chat with Dad and relax. One of my flowers in my bouquet broke off, to my amusement.

Getting to the church was exciting, I couldn't wait to get in there and see everyone, and also assure Ben that I am there, because we were running about 15 minutes late, and he is a stickler for being on time! We had encountered roadworks on the way and had to take a little diversion. Still, despite being fashionably late, there were some guests that were only just arriving! Usually I would be annoyed, but I was determined that nothing was going to ruin my day that day!

One of my bridesmaids, G, reminded me to keep my eyes on B as I walked down the aisle, and so that was where my focus was. Which was a good thing as flashbulbs were going off all around me, and I just saw hundreds of faces. I got to the end of the aisle, and knew with one look that B was nervous! It was so cute, he looked so cute, I just wanted to hug him and say it's ok, I'm here!

The ceremony went off without a hitch, and we were married within 45 minutes! All the months of preparation, and that was all it took!

It was also a 40 degrees Celsius day.... and did we feel the heat after exiting the church! Location photos were lots of fun, despite the heat. After a while you just have to accept it and get used to being a little sweaty and a little hot. We had ice-cold drinks at a cafe for a break, and then took more fun photos.

The dinner reception was fantastic. When the first course was served, which was the lovely peking duck, I was so hungry I thought I was going to faint (perhaps slightly melodramatic here), but all I really wanted to do was just eat, and people (and I love them all) kept coming up to the bridal table to say hi and offer their well-wishes. Finally a good friend E, came up, and I said to her, I'm so sorry but do you mind if I eat while we chat?

We did our little bridal dance, and went around to visit as many tables as we could, and generated a "yum seng" competition amongst the tables. It was a cultural experience for some of my non-Chinese friends. The speeches made by our fathers, and bridal party were fabulous, G said a few words that brought a tear to my eye. I cannot actually remember what it was, but it was along the lines of how blessed I am to have found B, who loves me so much. I must watch that dvd when we get it.

When the night was finally over, we could not believe how quickly the day had gone by. However, we were completely exhausted, which was compounded by the fact that it was such a hot day. And we recognise that we just could not have pulled the day off with all our family and friends who helped with big as well as little things.

Apart from the whole wedding as an "event", it is indeed a significant event. (This is the serious part). When I said my vows, I think it really hit me, that here I am, making a promise in front of almost 300 people, that I am going to stick by B, no matter what, richer, poorer, better, worse, sickness, health. And he made the same promise to me. No matter what, we had pledged to love each other for the rest of our lives. And that is exactly it. A promise. Even when you don't feel like it, even when the other person really annoys the crap out of you, you have promised them that you will love them unconditionally, and anything that life throws at the both of you, you will work through it together. And that is the beauty of marriage. That both can feel secure knowing that they have the person with them. And that is why it makes me so sad when marriages fail, especially when one decides to walk away. It is almost like that person had never truly understood the vows that they had made.

Anyway, I don't want to end on such a sombre note. I want to say that married life is great! I am really enjoying it, though I think B is missing his bachelorhood as I am a neat freak! But I would like to think that I am starting to relax a little when it comes to housework and am willing to compromise so that poor B doesn't have to put up with my fussiness! I love spending all my time with my new hubby, and never have to say good bye or see you tomorrow, like we did when we were going out.

So here is to being married! I highly recommend it, if you have found the one you want to be with the rest of your life.