Saturday night my friends Queenie and Jerry got married. Catherine and I were so happy to get a chance to celebrate with them. The party was a lot of fun. It also gave me a chance to see some folks from my old school...I miss them terribly. Queenie looked incredible, she is a beautiful woman. It was my first wedding here, so it was an opportunity to experience a wedding Taiwanese-style.
Jerry is my bosses brother and Queenie is a teacher at the Shulin school. Queenie has been teaching for Carol for quite a few years.
Unlike in the west, weddings are not formal occasions. Some folks were dressed to the hilt, others not so much.
The reception is, essentially, a dinner party. There isn't a DJ, band or dancing, just dinner music playing in the background. It is not the raucous affair that many western wedding receptions tend to be. There was alcohol, but not consumed at the level that I have seen folks drink at weddings in the U.S.
One aspect I found curious is the parade of dresses. The bride changes into different gowns 3 or 4 times throughout the evening. I guess it's an opportunity to take more photos.
My boss Carol and her cute-as-a-button daughter. I believe her daughter's name is Jeannie, but I'm not sure...I'm a guy, I forget those kinds of things!The food was top-notch. Sadly, most of it was seafood. I don't eat fish so I was left twiddling my chopsticks for a good portion of the dinner. I did really enjoy the Haagen Dazs ice cream for dessert!
I managed to spend some time with a bunch of the teachers from Shulin, they are a great group. It was awesome to see them. The women in the Shulin school helped me become the teacher I am, really boosted my self-confidence.
Carrie & Catherine after the big affair. These two ladies can light up a room. We were mulling around waiting for everyone to finish up so we could head over to the KTV joint (more on KTV in a future post).
Big John and Gavin. Gavin is one of the coolest guys on the planet. He is Carol's husband.
The bride and groom with their parents. This is the part of the celebration where they make the marriage official. The parents make the pact official and sign the relevant documents...I guess this description doesn't exactly reek of romance...sorry, I am tired...lol.
Here they are playing one of the silly games that's part of a typical wedding here. The groom is blindfolded and he must find his bride by only touching the hands of all the folks on the stage...Jerry didn't do so well, he thought my friend Sandy was Queenie...oops!
Another silly game. This one involved the groom slinging his "hammer" into the brides "tambourine". Pretty saucy!
Finally, I couldn't resist added this photo to the group. Check out the guy on the left dashing for the bouquet! I'm certain he is destined to make a lovely bride in the near future...The wedding proved to be another great cultural experience for me. It's really fun to get a chance to witness this stuff. I am a lucky guy...I love my work, have wonderful friends, live in a fascinating part of the world and have an extraordinary woman in my life. I am thankful every day for these things.
8 comments:
Hmm, what's that sound I hear in teh distance? Could it be your wedding bells cough cough ? :)
Mark: Yes, i hear them too!
David, this is a good week for you to learn about wedding culture in Taiwan!
some couples do the actual marriage together at the reception like in this case. other choose to get married at the courthouse (like ours) and then hold the reception for their friends later. one of the reasons for the difference may be (for example) the obvious lack of parents at the ceremony and the desire to not draw attention to that fact. as the marriage is civil and secular in nature, the marriage itself can take place virtually anywhere, so it's possible to get married at home too.
either way though, i personally don't like the risque games. also, when you stop and think about it, Jerry did well on the hands guessing game, and not the other way around ;).
hey Mark,
i think those bells are waaaay off in the distance...lol. we have been talking a little, it's complicated.
MJ, first off, congrats on the 6 month mark. Yes, this has been a week of wedding talk...makes me shudder...lol.
I am glad that you showed me an alternative to the ceremony that I witnessed Saturday. I figured that the way to do it wasn't written in stone. If and when I do that marriage thing, I probably will be in the same boat as you so your info is very useful.
I was really shocked at the games. I never thought that side of things would appear in such a formal ceremony. I suppose he did do well with the hands thing, now that I have stepped back and examined the scene...lol.
-david
Great photos as usual David. We had a terrific time. And no, there will not be any lending of money for Japan! Lol.
Thanks Carrie. The lighting in the room made for some strange coloring in the photos.
Perhaps I could start a fund-drive for a trip to Tokyo?...lol
-david
cool post. it reminded me of my own wedding.
Thanks Andres, it was a fun event.
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