I am personally invited, for the first time, to the wedding of someone I actually know. Kuya Arvin is set to wed his lovely girlfriend of 7 years, Mayet. They are both doctors. Kuya Arnel, also my cousin, tells me to go to New World Renaissance Hotel at 8am so I can ride the van with them to the wedding venue, Santuario de San Antonio church in Forbes Park. I miraculously get up early and don my carefully chosen outfit and a little makeup before hailing a taxi to take me there.
Moments later, I find myself in Auntie Zenaida’s (my mom’s first cousin, mother of the groom) room, watching as she is being made up. This is the first time I meet her, and most of my other relatives attending the wedding. My relatives from my Mom’s side all live in Bukidnon or Cagayan, far away from Zamboanga, where I grew up. The hairdresser is done with my cousins, and asks if I want to have my hair done. Auntie tells me to go ahead, and she does a fine job of taming my wild mane.
A couple of hours later, we are all seated in the Church, watching the lime-green-and-butter-yellow-clad entourage walk down the carpeted aisle. Finally, the doors are flung open for the entrance of the bride. Instead of the usual “Here Comes The Bride” piano piece to welcome her, the groom sings “How Did You Know.” Tears unexpectedly spring to my eyes, but I hold them back. When the bride reaches the front, Kuya can no longer sing the last two lines of the song; his throat choked up with tears. His bestman and only brother Marlow looks like he wants to cry too. The tears spill over my cheeks and I sheepishly wipe them away with tissue. Then I notice that I am not the only one doing so. What an emotional wedding.
After the usual ceremony and vows and pictorial and showering of confetti, we head back to the hotel for the reception. I share a table with my newfound cousins. We have our fill of a buffet lunch. I love hotel buffet lunches, because the food is actually labelled so you’d know what high class food you are eating so that the next time somebody asks you if you liked the filet mignon, you can say, “Yeah, and the creme broule was divine!” instead of, “Um..which one was that?” The desserts disappointed me, though. Waterfront Hotel’s Cafe Uno will still be number one in my stomach, especially when it comes to desserts. Yum!
After eating, there was a program. And unlike American wedding receptions that has everyone dancing to a live band, this one had the newlyweds and five other couples engaged in a kissing game, after which, the groom serenaded his bride with his rendition of “Ikaw.” For the grand finale, they danced for the crowd.
I want my wedding to be like theirs. Emotionally-wise, anyway.