Jason and Iris Wedding - 6 Jan 2008

Finally, my old friend has gotten married.

Finally, I manage to find the time to blog it down.

Actually, I was held up with the sudden inability to use the Multiply Java Uploader, which I just found out worked completely well at home (no thanks to my corporate firewall, no doubt). Enough about my woes, this post is dedicated to my old time buddy, Jason and his wife, Iris.


As usually, I was contracted as the unofficial cameraman for the day, working in tandem with two of Jason's friends, Wendy and Jessica. With all 3 of us covering the event with DSLR's and a video camera even, there was excellent media coverage between us, so to speak....


I arrived at ~8.30am. Thought I was late. Turns out, I WAS late. However, that wasn't so bad, considering everyone else was MORE late that me! Since the original plan was for us to leave at 9.00am, it was around 8.50am that we decided it was time to start panicking.

Ah, it was not so bad, actually. Iris' house was just 10 minutes away (depending on traffic conditions). We arrived, and after sitting down for awhile, we then proceeded with the customary ritual of "get into the room where the bride is waiting". I don't know what it's actually called, but the basic idea is that the bride and her "sisters" are locked away in a room somewhere. In order to gain access, the Groom, backed by his "brothers" will be issued challenges ranging from mildly amusing to feats that required a deus ex machina.


Today must have been a good day for Jason, as I believe he managed to get in easy, after a passable rendition of "twinkle, twinkle, little star". Next up, the tea ceremony. This is where the bride and groom serve tea to the elders / VIP's of the bride's family. Appears to be some form of introduction / orientation, IMHO.

Well, we left at around 10.45am or so. The paparazzi crew (me, Jessica and Wendy) all rushed back to Jason's house (we had to be in place to catch the couple as they alighted from the wedding car). Luckily, the wedding car "give me chance" and drove along really, really slowly. We managed to get a few passing shots out the window as we overtook them (don't try this yourself, kids. We're professional....)


Back at Jason's house, upon the arrival of the couple, there was a tea ceremony there as well, followed by some excellent catered buffet lunch. There is a part where the Groom will remove the pins from the Bride's veil - which symbolizes something that I need to research soon and possibly write a blog entry about (coming soon - Chinese Wedding Photography Tips 101).


After that, I went back home to recharge my batteries (me and my camera, to be exact), and to clear my memory cards for the next photoshooting session during the dinner. Slept awhile, but was soon up again. Wanted to get there early, to secure a good parking spot. In spite of the majority of guests coming early, ultimately, the dinner began at, um, 8 something (which is perfectly normal for a Chinese Wedding). Typical sequence of events:-

1. Bride and Groom march in and are seated at the main table
2. Food presentation by restaurant
   
3. Halfway through dinner, go onto stage and cut wedding cake
   
4. Pop bottle of champaign
   
5. Drink newly opened champaign
   
6. Toast (99.5% of the time, it's Yaaaam Seeennng X 3 )
7. Come down again and go around table to table (usually, more Yaaaam Seeeennng.)
8. Bride and Groom standby at exit to thank departing guests

The sequence above more or less describes what happened that night. Of course, we had a surprise solo performance from Jason's mother, who could sing quite well up on the stage. There was a minor letdown in the form of the oversensitive microphone (frequently squealing due to positive feedback loop), Jason's speech.

For me, it was a good opportunity to see a couple of old friends, namely, Kevin, Mae and Ivan, who I have not see for nearly half a lifetime. Kevin has posted some photos here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kwong2/JasonSWedding06Jan2008
So, at least there are some photos with me inside!

Meanwhile, my own Multiply Galleries: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV

Well, I guess that's all there is to it.

Here's wishing all the best to my good friend, Jason and wife. May they live happily ever after!