Weddings

I went to my 2nd wedding last weekend and it followed the same pattern as the first so I guess this is pretty standard.

First, one is really only invited to the reception banquet. The wedding has taken place at some other time. In this case, on December 30 and the couple had already been to Australia on their honeymoon. My department chairman is currently on his honeymoon in Europe but the wedding reception is not until February 11. Apparently scheuling is the cause of the abitrary chronology because it seems to be accepted as a matter of course.

Anyway, this was a fellow teacher and she had arranged for a bus to take us to Tainan, where I was going that weekend anyway, so I decided to go. Actually, deciding to go is another odd thing. Everyone gives 1,ooo NT (about $30) whether they go or not. In some schools, they deduct it from your pay(!) then availability is the only issue.

We took the bus to a "marriage hall", very common here, big rooms with catering facilities that aren't used for much else. In this week's case it was a little odd because it was a very big room divided down the middle but not with a partition, just an openwork, decorative screen. On the other side was another wedding, another bride -- a little confusing.

Our bride looked lovely. She is a really beautiful girl and just looked gorgeous in her dresses. The bride changes her clothes several times during the party into different colored formals. Sometimes the last one is a traditional Chinese dress but not this time, just beautiful western styles. She looked great in all of them. These dresses are rented for the occasion so nothing is spared.

We were about 200 guests sitting at tables for 10 and there was entertainment, a singer/mc kind of person. He sang popular songs that were well known by the table of 9th grade girls, students' of the groom, who had been invited. They knew all the words, sang loudly and shrieked and squealed their delight at the whole event. Our two tables who are with this kind of student every day were not amused.

The big deal is the food. About 10 courses, usually about the same as other banquets I have been to, but all fancy and pricey -- served to impress. During the eating, and between wardrobe changes, the bride, groom and both sets of their parents come around and toast all of the guests.

When the eating is done, that is the end. No sitting around gabbing here, the purpose is the food, food finished, everyone stands up to leave. The bride and the groom stand at the door and hand out candy and cigarettes and accept kisses and best wishes and that is the end. In this case, one and one-half hours.

They will both be back at their respective schools tomorrow.