So let's keep going!
Well, we have just finished the ceremony, are officially husband and wife in the eyes of the world and now the
MOST IMPORTANT THING we have to do now, is to get into the reception area and tell everyone they can eat!
And, of course, Jo and I are hungry as well!
MOST IMPORTANT THING we have to do now, is to get into the reception area and tell everyone they can eat!
And, of course, Jo and I are hungry as well!
This is the main table, and as you can see, my parents are on the left and Jo's parents are on the right. The other spaces are for my sister Wendy and my other 'sister' Erin, as well as my good friend Clark Lin and his son, who helped communicate with Jo's mom, who mostly only speaks Taiwanese.Where was I? I was busy making the rounds to various tables....one in particular caught my eye....
This is The Gamer Table - a table made up my gamer buds (and their girlfriends) that meet up most Friday nights and get into and out of trouble...
Here is a long line of satisfied people waiting to get food - most likely seconds - (the bastards, seeing how Jo and I did not even have a adequate mouthful!). But - hey, that is ok, we got mouthfuls of other things...!
Yet, this steak sure looks good.....and was told it was the best steak that many have ever had....Way to go The Sun Resort and Spa!(damnit....now I will have to go to another wedding there to try it!)
Here is Jo chatting with my parents. Isn't that smile contagious?
Then, RIGHT WHEN I HAD SOME TIME TO REST, my mom happens to open her big mouth to try to teach people about one of our Western Rituals during a wedding: the Clinking of the Glasses.
To be honest, this is a good custom and I was happy that my mom got a chance to tell the group, since Jo's mom was very impressed with this and has become more accepting to let her daughter marry a foreigner. So I will say: "Thanx, mom (now just let us eat!)"
However, we egged the tables on when they tried to clink the glasses, since it was a lame attempt. Anyway, we upped the volume by pretending not to hear so well.
But all worked out in the end....
Oh, I should mention that while we were eating (well, the rest of you), we were looping pictures of Jo and I from infancy to current time through a slideshow.
Yes, that is me, already smart as a whip....and Jo is trying to figure out which is more important - the doll or the bear (she ended up with both...)
If you want to see more of the pictures, please check out our pics on DropShots under the Jan. 21st 2007 option (when we took digitals of the actual photos). There are more pics of Jo later on, showing dates as late as 2005 since she transferred them from her digital library when she was in Europe.
After the clinking of the glass and the kissing of the bride, our lovely hostess started the next part of the show. Blanca is and was one of the members of ALE and a long time student of mine - with a HUGE personality - confirming that small statured people definately compensate in personality!
Anyway, she quickly got everyone's attention and started the show by asking us to get up on the stage. We were ready for anything, since about 2 weeks before, when we were all planning the wedding, we discussed ideas about what things we could do.
"How about speeches?" Blanca asked.
"No, too boring!" we said.
"How about a big group activity?" Blanca asked.
"No, too complicated!" we said.
"How about hugging your parents and thanking them?" Blanca asked.
"No, too weird!" we said.
"Look," We said: "We want this to be fun and simple. You can do some quick activites where we have to do something to each other that will make other people have a good time. Don't mind us, we will not get embarrassed!"
Well, Blanca and her team did find some good activities and we were a bit shocked at some of them, but hey - we asked for it! Plus, everyone had a good time (including us), so that was the main point. What were the activities? Well, keep reading.....
Out comes Rex (another ALE member and student of mine) carrying a pot and a ladle. Now, I had to do lots of activities in ALE and I have been to many weddings before with goofy activities, but you can tell from my and Jo's face that we had no idea what we had to do.....
...So when Rex started to tie up the ladle and pot on us, in suggestive positions, we began to get a clearer idea...but we were still in the dark as to what the main point was...
Hmmmm, I wonder what we had to do?
It turns out that the number 9 is significant in Chinese (and in many other cultures) since the sound for "nine" and "a long time" or "forever" are almost the same.
So, Blanca instructed me to bang the ladle on Jo's pot nine times without using my hands.....Now, how can I do that (and still keep our dignity?)
I found it was harder than I thought and I needed a few practice "gongs" first....
But then I finally got nine in a row....what a relief!
And I thought my parents (or Jo's parents) might be a little shocked at this, but when I looked over, Dad turned out to be having a grand ol' time!
Next came the Egg Activity, in which Blanca kindly told us that "Hand Dexterity" is important in a relationship and that we needed to practice this useful skill. So she asked Jo to put the egg in my left pant leg and move it all the way around to my right pant leg so it would make a complete circle inside my pants - Yes, she had to keep the egg from breaking, since it was a RAW EGG!
As you can see, Jo is a little surprised and I am....well....praying.....
...Since this is another 'suggestive activity' that I am sure will stick in some people's minds for a LONG time....And no, I am not embarrassed AT ALL even though there was a little trouble in the middle section......!!
Finally, it was completed, albeit a little difficulty and we were spared any yolk on our face (or other regions)....
After this, my ALE members and students presented a picture they made for Jo and I. It was made at our house a few months back and we were so pleased with it, they thought it would be a good idea to present as a formal gift.
Thank you Blanca, Rita, Myra, Kevin, Emma, Louise, Laura, Venus & Joanna for a great picture!
Then, we also exchanged our own gifts. I got her a little bamboo plant to represent our relationship as a flexible, quickly growing event, one that will keep getting stronger and stronger (as well as bigger and bigger), plus a little chili plant to make sure we keep things 'spicy' in our relationship as well. Ok, it may not be the best of gifts, but hey I was told about this the day before the wedding by Blanca.
Jo got me a sweater and a shirt to represent she has good fashion sense and is practical. I mean, really....a Plant? What was I thinking???
After this, we started to do a traditional "Jing Jiu" or the toasting of the tables, where we go around to all the tables and toast each table as a sign of respect and thanks for joining us. Here we are doing the most important table - the Head Table, and then after that we went around to all the others.
When the last Jing Jiu is completed, usually guests know that that is the time to leave, say good bye and wish us a merry marriage....however, most people were having so much fun and talking with old friends that we ended up staying for much later than we thought - but this was great! A little time to chat again with old friends and relatives and catch up on each other's current lives. So again, we were surprised yet happy that so many people felt comfortable to stay on.
When they did leave, they took with them a little party favor that Jo and I made a few days before the wedding (Ok, Jo made most since her hands ARE dexterious enough...).
Then, as with all things, it had to end, but the main point is that we were able to share our special day with you all and start our marriage (for the second time) in style and surrounded by friends!
We are so happy that you joined us! We also look forward to seeing you again to meet up and chat more and compare marriage notes (since I have married later than most of my friends, this could be valuable!).
Love,
Jeff & Jo!
