(Updated on March 26, 2009)

Being curious of the definition of the term ‘wedding’, I virtually entered to Wikipedia to access for some information on the term and found some interesting information about it.

“A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage.” – Defined in Wikipedia.com

It has been an amazing year for me as I get to experienced 5 types of weddings within a short period of 6 months. First, it was Cousin John’s wedding, followed by another cousin from my Dad’s side, then to my Aunt’s, next was my Uncle’s, and lastly, it was Cousin Benedict’s. As the wedding progresses, I get to experience the wonderful feeling of being in love and the true meaning of marriage. I also get to have a better understanding towards the metaphor of ‘Wedding is the best celebration for women’ and the feeling of why weddings is a one-time only experience for all couples. The happiness was hard to describe for the married couple but relatives and friends just could not stop watching and envying how perfect the couple are, while blessing them with wishes of eternity and happiness.

Starting off with Cousin John’s Wedding (Guess it’s during March…). When the news of the wedding spread to the other relatives of the family tree, the first impression was a big shock in our faces and the next thing we said was “Are you sure that he’s getting married?” This looks a bit weird by reading the texts over here but just a bit of history, Cousin John was getting married once in the past but a small conflict resulted to the separation of his sweetheart that he met during his secondary school years. Many years of relationship ended in an instance but this gal he met and married with just took place less than a year. They met during a camp and few months later, they were holding a wedding. Wow… The wedding goes on and it was my first time getting to know the bride. Not much introduction was made during the morning as everyone is busy but during the dinner, I got to know more information of how they met each other and many more. The wedding was a grand one, which was paid by my cousin-in-law’s family. COOL! Like what Mum had said before, “嫁个有钱人”, means marrying a rich person. LOL! Now I got what she meant. Anyway, I got to know my Cousin-in-law much better when we get to chat during a visit. A caring personality, she is really understanding and tolerant to Cousin John’s personality. What a lucky person he is to have such a wonderful wife. =]

Next up was a cousin from my Father’s side. I was not closed to my Dad’s relatives as we seldom visit each other and every time when we gather together, I would be hiding in the room. They tend to have the habit of smoking in the living room, which I hate this. You know me! Smoking is a no in my life. Well, unlike the grand wedding I experienced earlier, this wedding (during April) was much like a Chinese wedding, a typical wedding dinner where being grand is not a priority but getting lots of friends and relatives to witness the event is more important. Well, my reflection of the wedding was… the food was not as good as the previous wedding and the celebration was very ordinary. However, I guess that the best part of the entire wedding is on the video clip which how both gets to meet each other. I like such stories but think again, considering my relationship story with Auntie Emily, gosh… guess some editing must be done in the story plot. =X Yet, it is still a good wedding at the end of the day. Happy couple with a happy wedding and lasting marriage, I guess. =]

Third marriage for the year was after a few months later. It was Aunt’s (again, my Dad’s side but it was my Dad’s Godmother’s daughter) wedding and this time round, it was another grand wedding dinner. The marriage was a planned one, especially since my Aunt is like 6 months pregnant during the wedding. It was quite a story for this marriage. She gets to meet this guy after her broken marriage a few years back. Knowing that she’s married and had a child who is mentally disabled, the guy was still as loving as before, will take care of her and her child. To me, he is the right man of her life and he is the right man for all men to learn from; respecting your wife for her past and taking care of her from now till to the future. Back to the wedding dinner, this time round, unlike many crowds, there were only 8 tables in the dinner area. It was a small wedding dinner with close relatives and friends were invited. The dishes were nice but the serving was limited. How I wish I could eat more that night but too bad, I must control my urge for food. Haha… This is something that I fail to experience in many weddings I attended with such a small crowd for celebration. It’s a quiet yet joyous marriage for the couple.

Then, a month later, it was my Uncle’s wedding, which is from my Mum’s side for this time round. Their love story was a unique one, which reminds me of something called ‘love at first sight’. It started when my Uncle saw the gal, who stays the block across his and… yeah, the gal saw him and soon… Ta-da!! They fall in love!!! ~.~” What a world man! Alright, I have no objections for the marriage but I guess, such a story makes one think that he or she is creating it all up. Well, the wedding was a simple one but I don’t like the way the couple arranged the entire wedding. Their attitude to the rest of the relatives of my Mum’s side was like treating them like nobody. No respect and worst of all, treating us like maids, asking my Mum to cook food for the rest while they had buffet across the block. What luck! Dinner was as usual, the Chinese wedding with lots of people attending. Nothing interesting but I guess, it is one wedding that I hope I should not turn up. I felt that my Grandmother (姨婆) is really pity to have the 2 together. She’s always being bullied by them but I guess, I can’t do much but to take care of her in the future when she’s not feeling well or what. She’s the one who seen me grow up from a toddler and seriously, it’s time for me to do something for her. =]

Lastly, the last wedding that was held in 3rd January 2009, it was Cousin Benedict’s wedding. Cousin Benedict, who is Cousin John’s younger brother, got married after his elder brother had a good celebration of his marriage after more than 6 months earlier. Well, in truth, Cousin Benedict’s wedding was also very grand too. Held in the M Hotel (heard it’s gonna be demolished soon), I get to witness the marriage vowing ceremony, which is my first. Seeing the bride and groom exchanging their vows of love for each other, sliding the ring into each other’s hand, ending with a small kiss that will remind their everlasting love that is a rare sight for me throughout my 20 years of life, except from the television? LOL! Soon, it was the wedding dinner and all I can say that the room is a little small to fit all the guests but at the end of the day, everyone still enjoyed themselves. My 7th Uncle, Cousin Ping Hua and I were snapping pictures all day long with the cameras. What an exhausting wedding dinner for us!

Well, I still feel that weddings is a memorable part of a couple’s life and no matter how big or small it is, how grand is it, how many guests attended, the only important part of the marriage is to have a healthy relationship with each other. What is the true meaning of love? Different people have their different interpretations but to me, love is something that I could not describe but it’s a kind of feeling that makes both people meets. Where’s your loved one? Cherish them. =]