08
The Wedding Diary #3
When I saw this stuck to my door when I came home, it dawned on me that my days as a bachelor are numbered.
龍鳳配
This is my last week of bachelorhood. Gasp.
Both of us had been kinda taking it easy for most of the time – but the weeks went by faster than expected. The wedding co-ordination would have been stressful if not for our friends who helped. For the past 17 weeks of preparation, we were only close to losing temper once. I guess it’s a pretty good record especially since both of us are juggling work and this ‘production’ at the same time. The Wedding is a show production – costumes, stage, lighting, music, catering, guest lists and other logistics.
So what were the milestones leading up to the coming Sunday?
MY PRECIOUSSSSSS……
Getting the wedding band was one. We went around different jewellers looking for something that we both liked.
The turquoise box
I hardly ever wear any fashion accessories in my life, and am not sure if I’ll get used to wearing a ring. But if I have to choose, I prefer it to look simple and classic. And bold.
Platinum
There weren’t any other options when we went around. I found myself liking the platinum rings from Tiffany’s. For most places, the rings are mostly made from white gold and didn’t come in the size (thickness) that I liked. What I liked about the rings is the weight – they feel massive. And, I always remember platinum being more precious from the days of pen-and-paper RPG…platinum pieces are worth more than gold pieces.
GOWN FITTINGS
It’s a sweet feeling seeing her dressed in her wedding gown. We got Ted Wu to design her wedding gown, evening dress and a tea dress (for solemnisation ceremony). I’ve also tailored a black suit that comes with three matching shirts to go with each of her costume.
Wedding Outfit Design Sketches
So there’s three transformations: ROYAL PURPLE (Power Mode), TURQUOISE BLUE (Speed Mode), and RED (Strength mode). I feel like one of those new schools Ultraman (Tiga/Dyna/Gaia/Cosmos) . The suit has a +10 to CHR.
WEDDING INVITATION
It felt surreal when we collected the invitation cards when we saw our names printed on it. We still couldn’t believe that we’re gonna get married soon. After seven years of seeing each other…
Both of us defied expectations when we chose the traditional Chinese red colour wedding cards. We like the way the traditional motifs, yet it’s simple and elegant.
Someone set us up the red bomb…
We want it to look like a red letter bomb. Wedding invitations are known as “Red Letter Bombs” (红炸弹) because they blow a hole in your pocket. That’s because guests are expected to give ‘ang pows’ (red packets stuffed with cash).
One of the most difficult part of the planning is the guest list and seating plan. Because of the way we wanted the banquet to be presented, there was a cap to the sitting capacity. The dinner will be a short event (we want the banquet to be as painless as possible; 5 course only) with no distractions in between (no dry ice march in, no cutting of wedding cake, no video presentation of childhood photos or ‘what you missed during the day’, no champagne fountain – NO KITSCH). In fact I’m looking forward to the post-dinner activities.
Floral Centrepiece (test concept)
Although it’s a Chinese menu (yes, with Halal and Vegan options), we wanted it to be individually plated and served. Since there’s no need for the common dish to be placed in the centre of the table, we could enhance the look of the ballroom with a floral and candle arrangement on all of the tables. [of course, that incurs additional cost...but heck, you only get to do it once]
The menu try-out for the banquet is another significant milestone because that was also the first time both our families sat down together at the dinner table. But that night was memorable because it did feel like one big family. There was laughter and both our Dads got along well. Her Dad even acknowledged my Mom as her Mom that evening. I suppose, I value family life.
PRE-WEDDING PHOTOSHOOT
One of the significant milestones leading up to the actual day, is the pre-wedding photoshoot. It’s like a rehearsal of sorts for the wedding because you’ll be dressed in all the different outfits for the day.
:D
No we didn’t do any cosplay other than that of our ‘official wear’. But we loved our ‘casual’ and candid shots the best. We didn’t expect the day-long photoshoot to be such an exhausting exercise. It took me the whole of next day to recover.
Train Coming!!!
And there was even a small drama while we were shooting at the train tracks just behind Wessex estate. We went down to the tracks just after a train passed. We didn’t think the next train would come so soon; the rattle in the tracks took us by surprise, and it didn’t take long when this hulk came charging down the rails. I was the one who heard the rattling of the tracks, while the rest of my friends were fussing over her hair and make-up and pose etc. I grabbed her and told everyone to run for their lives.
过大礼
There’s the ‘gifts’. It’s a Chinese custom for the groom to deliver a basket of goodies to the bride’s family, including the ‘dowry’. These days, such a practice is just a formality. However, this is a rather ’sensitive’ affair and in some cases soured relationships for some couples. As for the dowry – it wasn’t discussed much, because it wasn’t that important in our context. All the expenses for this wedding is self-financed by the both of us.
GETTING THE ROOM READY
But here’s the most daunting challenge….
My Room at Default Setting
…Getting my room ready for the big day. There’s no way for another person to share this room in its default state.
Desktop
And the dust layers on the shelves have hit unhealthy level. I didn’t even do spring cleaning for the Chinese New Year.
It was almost backbreaking removing the Ultraman figurines from the shelves and then dusting them one by one. In the end, I just dunked everything into the pail of detergent and then wiping dust off the visible ledges. Whatever the eye can’t see, I didn’t bother.
The Best I Could Do….
Although I’m gonna be staying at her place for most of the time, I have to clear some space so that she can also stay over at mine…till we find a place of our own. I’ve gotta clear out some clothes from my closet to make space for hers, as well as find space for her make-up kit. Maybe I can empty my plastic model tool box that I tuck underneath one of my shelf, and replace my thinner with her nail polish remover, surfacer for her foundation powder….Else she can put her cosmetic set next to the stack of unread manga on my desk where I’ve placed the green cutting mat.
But
The desk is only the beginning. I’ve still got the piles of plastic bags on the floor that I’ve gotta clear.
No end to the clutter
Orz….
End of Otaku life?
Will this be the end of my otaku life? Yes, I will be leaving behind all my comics and figurines when I move over to her place. There’s only room for me and my laptop (perhaps a few cases of DVD).
But that’s not going to stop me from my continuing my relationship with my first love my mania :)
Good thing that I got the car, I can store all the current reads in the boot.
おたケッコン (Ota-Marriage)
Does it matter that she isn’t an otaku like me? I guess so – and it’s good because she will keep me balanced.
I was a closeted otaku when I met her…but it was during our first overseas trip that released the unabashed otaku in me. That was in the summer of 2004 when we visited Tokyo together. Although she isn’t a big fan of manga and anime (she doesn’t hate it – in fact she does watch some on TVand read a little manga. She likes Slam Dunk and Ninja Rintaro), she’d followed me to all of THOSE places including Ultraman festival.
Mission: Ota-kon (from the Ota-Marriage manga anthology )
So is love the most essential thing for a marriage? Is it money? Is it compromise?
I’ve seen many happy otaku couples – just go over to Sunshine Plaza – you’ll see Jerry and Jasmine at Ani-Play. Or Keith and Sharon at KKnM. Both couples just became parents too.
Ota-kekkon
Here’s our re-enactment of the scene during our photoshoot…
SCHHUWATCHHHH!!!!
And here’s what Chris, my best buddy in Primary School and the creative director for our wedding productions think.
I suppose you need the essentials to get by if you want to live in Singapore. Not just for ourselves, but also for our offsprings
喜喜スライム
Are we gonna have kids? Hell yeah, we’re gonna try for one. Two or more if possible, inshyallah. To get us in the mood, I’m gonna wear this on my wedding night:
WHO’S YOUR GO-SHUUJIN SAMA!!!??????
(The t-shirt is from Keith who got it on his trip to the summer Comiket. The pair of sexy boxer shorts is from my collection…and brand new)
