wedding dinners
i wonder who the hey established 10-course dinners as a tradition for chinese weddings in singapore...
wedding dinners are such a chore. need to make small talk for more than 3 hours with people who may be your long-lost ex-classmates (not so bad unless you really disliked them in school), colleagues (bearable), bosses (urgh), or strangers (tough luck! unless they are single and cute).
to rub salt to injury, you have to pay a hefty sum for the pleasure of that 3 hours. it's tradition to give an ang pow to the happy couple according to market rate of at least S$80. most of this goes to paying the hotel for the lavish dinner of shark's fin soup, abalone, steamed grouper, fresh prawns, peking duck... you wish that they would serve them all at one go so you can stuff yourself silly with all that good food.
but good things come to those who wait and boy, do they make you wait...
here's the typical formula for a wedding dinner:
guests arrive and mingle around at the holding area outside the ballroom. served with flat coke, sprite or beer. register at reception manned by pretty ladies. submit ang pow to them.
look at beautiful, studio shots of 'made-over' bride and groom in 3-4 different gowns/suits, in various lovey-dovey poses in a big, hard-cover photo album.
waiters go around pestering guests to please go into the ballroom and take a seat at their pre-assigned table.
guests sit down and wait and wait.
emcee (usually the bride or groom's friend) who is sometimes not funny but tries to be, announces that the bride and groom will be doing the wedding march and can all guests please stand up and welcome them.
sweet love song is played and waiters create dry ice smoke.
bride and groom walk in slowly with happiness written all over their faces.
they go on stage and 'cut' a fake cake (which the guests don't get to eat). guests clap.
emcee makes some wisecracks.
dramatic music played and waiters march in proudly with huge dish balanced precariously on one shoulder.
finally we get to eat... starters is cold dish of peking duck, jellyfish, octopus and some fried stuff.
shark's fin soup
watch presentation of pictures of bride and groom from baby to growing up to meeting each other and getting together.
abalone on bed of spinach
bride and groom's second walk-in.
bride has changed to different gown.
walk up stage.
pop champagne
3 yum-seng toasts
groom gives speech
thank father and mother and in-laws
present flowers to them
surprise item - maybe groom sings to bride
prawns
bride and groom go from table to table to take group photos.
steamed grouper
crispy chicken
e-fu noodles
ah... finally dessert. sweet yam paste with ginko nuts and coconut milk
guests leave and shake hands with bride, groom and their family members who have lined up outside the ballroom.
*yawn*... yes it's finally done.
happily married.
note: post is not targetted at any particular person. author is really really very happy to share the joy of all married couples.
wedding dinners are such a chore. need to make small talk for more than 3 hours with people who may be your long-lost ex-classmates (not so bad unless you really disliked them in school), colleagues (bearable), bosses (urgh), or strangers (tough luck! unless they are single and cute).
to rub salt to injury, you have to pay a hefty sum for the pleasure of that 3 hours. it's tradition to give an ang pow to the happy couple according to market rate of at least S$80. most of this goes to paying the hotel for the lavish dinner of shark's fin soup, abalone, steamed grouper, fresh prawns, peking duck... you wish that they would serve them all at one go so you can stuff yourself silly with all that good food.
but good things come to those who wait and boy, do they make you wait...
here's the typical formula for a wedding dinner:
guests arrive and mingle around at the holding area outside the ballroom. served with flat coke, sprite or beer. register at reception manned by pretty ladies. submit ang pow to them.
look at beautiful, studio shots of 'made-over' bride and groom in 3-4 different gowns/suits, in various lovey-dovey poses in a big, hard-cover photo album.
waiters go around pestering guests to please go into the ballroom and take a seat at their pre-assigned table.
guests sit down and wait and wait.
emcee (usually the bride or groom's friend) who is sometimes not funny but tries to be, announces that the bride and groom will be doing the wedding march and can all guests please stand up and welcome them.
sweet love song is played and waiters create dry ice smoke.
bride and groom walk in slowly with happiness written all over their faces.
they go on stage and 'cut' a fake cake (which the guests don't get to eat). guests clap.
emcee makes some wisecracks.
dramatic music played and waiters march in proudly with huge dish balanced precariously on one shoulder.
finally we get to eat... starters is cold dish of peking duck, jellyfish, octopus and some fried stuff.
shark's fin soup
watch presentation of pictures of bride and groom from baby to growing up to meeting each other and getting together.
abalone on bed of spinach
bride and groom's second walk-in.
bride has changed to different gown.
walk up stage.
pop champagne
3 yum-seng toasts
groom gives speech
thank father and mother and in-laws
present flowers to them
surprise item - maybe groom sings to bride
prawns
bride and groom go from table to table to take group photos.
steamed grouper
crispy chicken
e-fu noodles
ah... finally dessert. sweet yam paste with ginko nuts and coconut milk
guests leave and shake hands with bride, groom and their family members who have lined up outside the ballroom.
*yawn*... yes it's finally done.
happily married.
note: post is not targetted at any particular person. author is really really very happy to share the joy of all married couples.
posted by nan at 11:41 PM
7 Comments:
fwah, you sure sound cynical about the whole wedding dinner thing. heheh, but i do agree it can be a waste of time, money and resources.
this is called wedding fatigue... result of attending too many weddings....
wish wedding dinners can be a little more scandalous, provocative. like sensational photographer, araki nobuyoshi's wedding, where he showed nude pictures of his wife, shocking relatives and friends.
you want to have that kind of husband right? LC
me? i ll probably be the one displaying nude pictures of my husband.... hahahaa
ooi, how about my Spanish Wedding Fiesta? i hope you werent that bored......
can't wait for your wedding, man! i dunno what's worse, formulaic wedding dinners, or ABC Industrial Company's Customer Nite. Had to sit through a looong dinner with a table full of men and with sexist chauvinstic ge-tai style entertainment interrupting the food. i think wedding dinners are better. you know what you are going to get and you don't have to do a chicken dance with your dinner companions just to earn points for your table.
how can a wedding with a hot, salsa-dancing duo be boring?....
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