About a month or two ago, the Straits Times ran an article expounding the demerits of the Chinese Wedding Dinner. Among the common complaints like the dinners starting late, there were some that warranted more reflection, such as the charge that increasingly, wedding dinners were becoming more the glamour show than the personal affair it's supposed to be.
Last night, my second cousin's wedding dinner was different.
It began late, and the run of childhood photos of the couple did not make things better. I felt like I was intruding into their personal life, seeing how the two of them grew up and got together.
Things didn't get better when the couple began to list all their thank-yous and popped champagne. It seemed to me that they were basically thanking this whole long list of faceless people, and with a little sigh I inwardly lamented that this was going to be another forgettable dinner.
Things radically changed when, after thanking both their parents, my second cousin said "Oh, I have one more person to thank!" just as his bride made to leave the podium. I was wondering, eh, who could be more important to warrant a thank-you after the parents were mentioned? And I still didn't get it as helpers rolled in a piano and barstool...
And he led her to the barstool, bathed in a silvery blue spotlight. He took his place at the piano, told us to bear with him, and began a little song for her... thanking her for being with him, thanking her for existing...
While the ballroom looked on in respectful admiration, I felt that hey, finally, here's a wedding dinner that got its priorities right. It isn't about showing off, it isn't about giving your relatives face by inviting them...
It's about making one night completely unforgettable and meaningful for the partner you've found.
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