A Wedding In The Family

It's been awhile since my mother's maternal side of the family has had a wedding dinner. A long, long, long time. So long that the couple that got married last has already popped two kids and both kids are now already all grown up! Including their dad! HAHA! (Inside joke. =p)

But this post isn't really about the happily wedded couple. Nope, it's about US. HAHA. (Narcissism 4eva!! =p) But rightfully so also lah. I mean, just look at how amazing our clothes looked together!!

Camera sitting on a car, working on a 10s timer.

I swear we didn't plan this.

Close up. Us in green, pink, blue and yellow. =D

Man, we're goooood.

And so wedding-appropriate, too!
No all-blacks or all-whites amongst us!

*pats all four backs*

 Mee and I in the car on the way to the wedding venue.

Met up with The Godfather who didn't bother

showering after his badminton match. -_-'''

One more family pic!

 

Mee and Dee giving ang pow. *generous*

Me receiving ang pow. *gila masuk*

After the cam cha session, there was a bit of waiting around for the dinner to officially start. So we started taking pictures of the hall and camwhoring away. =p

The stage area.

Door gifts.

Mee and I with our door gifts.

Dee pulled a face, I didn't. -_-'''

 

I pulled a face, he didn't. -_-'''

Finally. A proper picture of father and daughter. =)

(It's obvious Dee and I need to work on

our face-pulling synchronisation. :-/)

 And then... the bride and groom walked in. =D

The bride and groom walking toward the main table.

Thank goodness the first dish arrived soon after or we would have all died of hunger. Haha. But overall? Well, the food was good, the portions were a little small, the music was waaaay too loud, the stand-up comedian was inappropriate, and I was still hungry after. Still, it was good meeting up with old neighbours and distant family. That's always the nicest part about weddings. =)

Big Hair, Fat Face

Puffy cheeks on a chubby face plus big hair with lots of volume. Ahhh, if only I could look like this without having to look down and let gravity take over. :-/

Vivian Maier – Street Photographer Extraordinaire

 Vivian Maier's self portrait

"Chicago nanny Vivian Maier died in 2009, leaving behind 100,000 negatives that no one but she had ever seen. Her work was discovered by chance, and now the photographs she took on her days off are being hailed as 'ranking up there' with the best in 20th-century street photography."

– Hermione Hoby in Vivian Maier's extraordinary photographs
of Chicago and New York, article featured in guardian.co.uk

This may take awhile to watch (9 minutes and 40 seconds, to be exact) but, if you're into street photography – or any other kind of photography, for that matter – I promise you this will be worth your time.

via Yvonne

Amazing, huh? Anyway, here are some

of Vivian Maier's work that took my breath away.

1954, New York, NY 

March 18, 1955, New York, NY 

 Untitled, Undated

 Untitled, Undated

 1959, Cochin, India

April 7, 1960, Florida

  Undated, Canada 

  Sept. 24, 1959, New York, NY

  January, 1953, New York, NY 

Untitled, April 20, 1956 

  Untitled, 1956

 Untitled, Undated

  Untitled, Self Portrait

All photographs used in this post were taken by Vivian Maier, American (amateur) Street Photographer (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009). All pictures sourced from www.vivianmaier.com

What Is A Honeymoon?

"Originally "honeymoon" simply described the period just after the wedding when things are at their sweetest;..." [Source]

"The Merriam-Webster dictionary reports the etymology as from 'the idea that the first month of marriage is the sweetest' (1546)." [Source]

"It is a time when a newlywed couple can escape for a few days and simply enjoy each other's company before settling down as a couple." [Source]

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I believe in immediate (if not almost immediate) honeymoons. That means jet-setting off into the sunset and journeying toward your coveted time-off together as soon as you possibly can after the wedding ceremony / dinner / day is over and done with. A day after, 2 days, 3 days, or a week or two after. Max.

Why?

Well, think about it. If you aren't going on that romantic getaway while you're still feeling over the moon with your newly married honey, it can't exactly be called a "honeymoon." Right? Any time after and it's just another "holiday." It doesn't even carry enough significance to borrow the term "honeymoon."


To me, a honeymoon is a necessary time of quiet reflection after the grand hype of the wedding. It is a time when the glitz and the glamour fades, and the cheers and the yam sengs die down... only to make way for the eternal gratefulness of being blessed with this season of celebration in life, and deep thankfulness for having found the perfect 1 for you, out of the 6.92 billion people out there.


The honeymoon is a time when the newly-weds go away together to catch their breath after the wedding, and to spend some quality time. Alone. Just the two of them. To focus on no one else but the two of them. It is a time for them to discover one another on a different. And a time for them to enjoy each other's company and presence before the newly-wed glow dims, and most definitely before the humdrum of everyday life quells the climax of overwhelming love and emotion you feel for this one person you can finally call your own.


The honeymoon is also a time for the two to learn about what being with this one person for the rest of their lives will be like. A time to learn to adjust to one another's quirks, preferences and habits. And to learn about what marriage can really be like, minus the white gown, pretty flowers and classical music playing in the background.

To put it simply, the honeymoon is a time

when the marriage is real... before it begins

feeling like just another everyday reality.

Because... honestly, how often do couples rediscover that special time again months or even a year after the excitement of the wedding is over? Hardly ever and almost never. Cos let's be real. Once the holiday ends, the work starts, and the everyday responsibilities of everyday life come back into the picture, there goes the flames of passion and romance. Sad but true.


So, yes. I believe in immediate (if not almost immediate) honeymoons. Or I know I'll always look back in regret and wish I had taken that extra time off after the wedding to really savour and appreciate that first step I took into marriage life with my soul mate. That's why I'm glad (over the moon, really) that The Fiancé and I will be leaving for our HONEYMOON the Monday after our wedding!! =D

Outward Bound

The Fiancé's wedding invitations, I mean.

Last night, over Skype, we finally consolidated most of his guest invite list, save for the handful who haven't yet provided him their mailing addresses. So this morning, I had the cards prepared, the envelopes printed, and the invitations sent out ASAP. (Gotta work fast cos the RSVP deadline is 19 June 2011. That's in a mere 3 weeks!! @_@)

Today's work pile.

 Invitations for "International" guests.

Invitations for Malaysian guests.

You know, snail mail is really getting so expensive to send these days. Back when The Fiancé and I were in college, courting and still communicating via snail mail, I distinctly remember it only cost us 30sen per letter. Today? The price has doubled! A basic letter now costs 60sen! Any heavier, and you pay even more! -_-''' And don't even get me started on international air mail, man. All in all, with our Save The Date cards and the current wedding invitations, a small fortune (!!) has already been donated to POS Malaysia. Mad. Now I know why so many people go with Facebook wedding invites these days. -_-'''

Artificial Light

A portion of the front porch.

Snapped this picture on my way out for dinner last Sunday night. I thought the way the light weaved its way through the shadows looked kinda cool then. But in hindsight, artificial light from a nearby lamppost just doesn't cut it no more. Not after having witnessed this spectacular display of light by Nature herself.

The Perfect Ending To The Weekend

Last Sunday evening, I happened to chance upon the sun going down behind the hills and rooftops from the balcony of the new house. And I must say... it was a breathtaking sight. In just 8 minutes, the sky went from amazing... to abso-fabulous-ly amazing. Having said that, I'm thankful I had my GF2 on hand to capture it all on film JPEG. =)

7.36PM

7.36PM

7.37PM

7.38PM

Amazing, huh? But that's not the end of it. Although I didn't know it then cos I got distracted by a passing aeroplane so I started shooting that instead. =p

The plane passed and before I knew it, dusk had settled. And as if by magic, the sky turned even more brilliant than it was just 3 minutes before! I wouldn't have believed my camera if I hadn't witnessed it myself with my own two eyes! Look!

7.41PM

7.41PM

7.41PM

Isn't that sky something???

Ahhh, if that is the view I am to expect from my bedroom's balcony at the end of every rough and tough working day, I'm thinking life could be pretty sweet after the wedding. Provided The Fiancé is there to enjoy the breathtaking brilliance of our tropical sunset with me, of course. =)

Sai Lang Semua!

It's weird but getting engaged and planning a wedding is like... getting into a club. An exclusive pre-wedding club. One that all brides-to-be are automatically subscribed to. And even if you've never been the closest of friends, you suddenly find yourselves confiding in one another and talking to each other like you've been BFFs forever! It's weird, but true. There is just some kind of bond that is created between brides-to-be. One that I never really understood. Till now.

FB status update of my latest Wedding Inspirations post.

And that bond? It's all over the place nowadays! Cos every girl I know seems to be getting married. So many girlfriends, all going from Miss to Missus in the coming days, months or year. Come one, come all. It's crazy! Off-hand, I can already think of nine brides-to-be that I personally know. NINE! That's a LOT of brides, don't you think? But I'm not complaining. Cos this bride-to-be loves weddings! =D

Wedding Inspirations

A little too late for me, but not too late

for all you other brides-to-be! Enjoy!

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1. SKIRTS WITH LAYERS UPON LAYERS UPON LAYERS!

Gah, I simply love, love, love the layering on this gown's skirt!!! So dreamy! And the pink! Gosh, it's pretty and girly without being Barbie Doll-ish. I love!

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2. VINTAGE DRESSES

Isn't the top part of that dress simply to die for?? I think the puff-topped long sleeves are so regal. But offset with that soft, drapey fabric, the whole dress suddenly becomes so feminine!

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3. FLOWERS ONLY FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS

Lots more expensive to decorate an entire ballroom in this style considering all free space is filled with blooms (expensive) instead of foliage (cheap) but... so much more pleasing to the eye, too! Definitely worth the extra (few thousand) bucks you pay. =)

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4. SIMPLISTIC AND MINIMALIST CAKES

When it comes to cakes, fuss-free, classy, minimalist designs win my heart over every time. I love the simple lines and uncluttered sides of this one and every other fondant-topped cake dressed in this style.

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Eh... if you end up using any of these wedding inspirations in your wedding I WANT TO BE INVITED!!! Don't get me wrong though. I'll hate you for getting what I want. But I'll still go. =p

p/s: All pictures illegally taken at MPH, Gurney. =p