Monday, October 25, 2010

The Reluctant Wedding Crashers

The three of us weaved our way through the empty spaces between tables and chairs tied with gold ribbon to a table for eight in a far corner of the restaurant, sat down next to each other and burst out laughing.

*Wendy and Kenny decided to have their wedding dinner the very same night a couple of friends and I had decided to have dinner together as we exchanged stories of our lives for the past three months since we were all located in different countries!

So there we were, way before the simultaneous laughter, standing outside the restaurant in our tops and jeans, looking a bit out of place among folks who were dressed in nicely pressed shirts or dresses with shawls draped over their shoulders making their way in. Contrary to our initial assumption that all the tables would have been taken, the hostess informed us otherwise and led us to a table among the six that were not booked by Wendy and Kenny.

Good food and conversation aside, none of us could really keep our eyes away from what was going on in the dinner itself, from the slide show of the pre-wedding photoshoot - we wondered why the bride was dressed in a gown while the groom was in a white shirt and jeans rolled up to somewhere between his ankle and his knee, laughed at the video of the traditional Chinese ceremony held at the house - it wasn't exactly funny, just a bit cheesy, but probably all videos are- because lets face it, we're not professional actors, right down to assuming that the man who belted 3 songs during the karaoke session, with some dance moves was the bride's favourite uncle. RTG offered to sing at ES's future wedding dinner (if and when it happens) karaoke session, to which ES replied that even if she did have a wedding dinner, there wouldn't be a karaoke session (apparently, it's popular, but not a requirement), but she'd get the MC to announce that there would be a special performance from RTG!

In the end, the three of us came to the conclusion that:
a) If you're having a wedding dinner at a restaurant (as opposed to a privately booked hall), just book all the tables so that strangers (especially those like us) will not be able to intrude into one of your most important moments.
b) The loudest table that cheers are most probably the colleagues
c) Wedding dinners are curiously similar to company annual dinners

* These people were total strangers to us. Their names were on the board behind the cake (although ES insists that the 'wedding cake' is not really a whole cake, but just a slice of cake fitted into a mold that resembles the tiered cake!)

15 comments:

  1. usually people will book the whole room right?

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  2. perhaps they were exhibitionists who like to overshare....

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  3. I like weddings - they are often a little strange and almost always entertaining.

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  4. faisal: Well, that's the most logical thing to do... but
    a) We don't know what was the restaurant's policy in booking
    b) Maybe they did do not have enough family members and friends to fill up the extra tables...

    nurse: LOL... who knows?

    SAW: It was entertaining indeed... and for the strangest reason, my friends and I felt as though we knew these people!

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  5. WEDDINGS ........don't you just love them ??? ;)

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  6. With the right crowd, yes...

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  7. Finding myself in the middle of someone else's wedding would be SO embarrassing. I would feel like the pauper at the banquet. You're right, they should have booked the whole restaurant so nobody else could wander in.

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  8. I always thought people getting married booked the entire place. But I guess maybe they got a discount or something :D

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  9. I can see having a rehearsal dinner at a restaurant like that, but not your wedding reception dinner.

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  10. I could have jumped in there and helped you with acting.

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  11. Well, what better way to be entertained on a night out, huh?

    I've always wondered if (let's say a 3-tier) wedding cake, is all cake, or just a little section of it is edible.

    Weddings seem to get more cheesy by the day and way over the top, often hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on one night - I'd rather use the money towards a house or something. But then again, I'm just old fashioned.

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  12. nick: I actually felt embarrassed on behalf of the couple because we witnessed something pretty important to them. By the way, this was a Chinese wedding, and the video they happily displayed to all and sundry had some very embarrassing moments (in Chinese culture, the groom and his mates get harassed as they try to enter the bride's house, and have to end up doing some very silly stunts) ;)

    Nick Philips: My thoughts too... I don't know why this was different

    Travis: Exactly... oh well, at least some of us were entertained that night at someone else's expense ;)

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  13. Ricardo: LOL...

    LMC: Funny thing really, I always thought it was all cake... and there's a blogger friend here among those on my blogroll who actually baked the cake as a wedding present for her friend's wedding - so that was all cake. (She's from Ireland, though)

    Probably, the small slice of cake is more common in Malaysian Chinese weddings - only for symbolic purposes(?)

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  15. I have to/must solve this mystery of the wedding cake!

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