holy matrimony
Thursday, October 25, 2012 @ 8:24 PM | 0 notes

On October 20th, 2012, I attended my first wedding.

It was every bit as beautiful as I imagined it to be and more.

It was a great day to be married; the sun was shining high in the sky, a light breeze was present, and the temperature was just right. I woke up relatively early, and sat around with the Ates while constantly checking the clock to see if it's time to get ready yet. As we drove through DC, I looked at the pedestrians, feeling giddy because I knew something they didn't. Someone's getting married today. And it wasn't just anyone; it was the cutest couple I know, and they're getting married today.

The venue was lovely, too. The place was big, with a high ceiling and several balconies. The canopy was a simple and made of a few branches and vines with little flowers scattered about, but it looked amazing and went with the theme of the couple's engagement photos. On the plaza below, a Jewish wedding was taking place. It was surprisingly touching. They were complete strangers, but I felt something as I watched the bride, clutching her (maybe) father's arm and smiling nervously, gingerly made her way to her groom. Somehow, the first wedding I attended wasn't the one I was invited to.

The actual wedding was solemn, of course. If I remember correctly, the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked to How He Loves, which I think was fitting. Then the bride came in and the congregation stood. I wanted to see the look on Kuya E's face (blame it on my 8th viewing of 27 Dresses) but alas, the taller people in front made that impossible so I turned to the bride instead. Ate Angie was absolutely gorgeous. I've always thought she was pretty, but on that day she was glowing. The ceremony proceeded, the message was great, and then it was time for the wedding vows. I was almost moved to tears as they said their vows and said I do, but I think the most emotional moment for me was when they kissed, while the violinists were playing A Thousand Years. Seriously, they couldn't have picked a more appropriate song for it.

I have died everyday, waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Then we had to wait for the reception area to be prepared, and we took pictures at the photobooth and drank apple cider and non-alcoholic cocktails in fancy wine glasses while following the servers with trays of hors d'oeuvres and amuse-bouches around.

The reception area was breath-taking; it somewhat felt like an enchanted forest in there. The lights were dimmed, and the tables had centerpieces of little candles hung from tall branches and clusters of purple roses,  hydrangeas, and there were bow-shaped napkins and lots of utensils. Very fancy, the whole thing was.

I was absolutely in love with the wedding playlist. I already had most of the songs on it, weirdly enough. Wait, you know what, I take back what I said before; the first dance was my favorite part. I'm actually going to make a separate post for it just because. Anyway, yeah. Kuya Jeremy's toast was hilarious HAHAHA. I wasn't quite sure how he was going to handle it at first because he told me he wasn't really sure what to say; he just kind of showed me his notes and stuff. It turned out to be brilliant, so that was great.

The food was great too. That was the first time I actually had a full course meal, I think?? The appetizer I didn't like so much because it was salad, and I depend on meat to live. The main course was great, though. The chicken was really juicy, the mashed potato was creamy, and the mushrooms were just..ugh, the best. They were buttery and were practically melting on my tongue. The dessert was something too. The brownie thing oozing with toffee, the dark chocolate sorbet (which was really rich but amazing), and the warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream....okay I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. I didn't finish any of my meals but it was so freaking satisfying. Also I was quite happy to have coffee after the dessert. Heh.

(Also, I had to go to the bathroom, so I went. When I came back, one of the servers standing nearby picked up my napkin from the seat and pulled my chair out for me. I mean, I know they're paid to do that, but no one has ever done that for me before so it was a nice surprise.)

Then of course, Kuya E and Ate Angie had the money dance. Yo I didn't even know that was an actual Filipino tradition. I was really surprised to see people pinning money on the newlyweds' clothes. It's a really cool concept though.

The catching the bouquet part was pretty fun to watch; I didn't participate even though other people insisted that I go because 1) I'm too young; and 2) I might as well never go home because my parents would (probably) ground me forever because of what the bouquet implies. I was really happy Ate Myrrh caught it though HE..HE...HEHEHEHEHE. Another part that I really liked was the dancing. I didn't really want to dance at first because I can't dance yo. But then I didn't want to be a wet blanket, and I figured that I might as well have a good time, yeah? So I danced. I was so tired, but dang I enjoyed it a lot. I  would have never imagined that I would learn three line dances in one night. It was a great feeling, you know, to just enjoy and stuff.

I could get used to weddings.