… just the way you look tonight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPUAHTWQ6Ps

The second reception went really well on the 10th of January. Yani and I had the chance to re-experience all of the hecticness and the emotional jitters to ensure that everything went according to the plans. Yani’s parents and relatives came a day earlier and because they chose to stay in a different hotel, we were also presented with additional logistical issues to handle. Just to make things a wee bit interesting, I suppose! Haha. 🙂

Because we were advised that we should not make the celebration as a wedding party and that Yani should not wear a wedding gown, we insisted that the event organiser and everybody involved to call it a ‘thanksgiving reception’. Prior to the reception we had another service in the smaller room adjacent to the main ballroom. The pastor from Adelaide, Ps. John Toming delivered the sermon with Novi, our friend from Adelaide, leading the worship. Because we were so busy arranging last-minute arrangements, we had to appoint Lydia, my niece to read deliver the Bible reading at the last minute. The service went well, and because of the well-arranged schedule by the Event Organiser, we had some time to have an early dinner before the reception started.

The reception started fashionably late at 6.30pm with the band playing an instrumental version of When I Fall in Love. Prior to that some big-band era music was played in the hall, just to get the 40’s flavour throughout the ballroom. 🙂 The ballroom was adorned with roses throughout (not fresh ones, to save cost, I suppose … haha), with some old-style street lamps and benches located around the room. I specifically requested the room not to be too brightly lit so that the light from the lamps can be better noticed. The lamps and the benches did make the room almost garden-like. I did request to have the reception to have a retro feel – from the invitation, to the decoration and the songs to be played in the party. The event organisers and the musicians really delivered – I was one satisfied chappie! 🙂

The band played on the stage where traditionally the bride and the groom sit – there was a grand piano, a contra-bass player, a violinist, and a saxophonist. They played the standards, as requested and the singer did sing really well as well. Well, before they sang and serenaded the guests, I opened the procession by singing Jerome Kern’s old favourite of mine The Way You Look Tonight. I did have some last minute jitters as I sat on the bench next to Johannes, the piano player. We only had one rehearsal before I sang as I wanted to make this a surprise for Yani and for my siblings. 🙂 I held my cheatsheet around the bouquet that I held on my left hand, to be delivered to Yani who sat on the bench towards the back of the ballroom. I sang and walked my way slowly across the room, surrounded by my guests and friends. Some of them commented afterwards that they didn’t expect me to be the one who was singing. A neighbour of my parents joked that I sounded like Mario Lanza … hahahaha.

After I fetched Yani, we walked back towards the middle of the ballroom where we did a short slow dance together before we continued with the rest of the processions – the wedding kiss, welcome speech, and the delivery of two large framed photos of our wedding to the parents. Kornelius and Hubert, two of our friends whom we know from Adelaide, delivered their speech – they did so eloquently. Even Hubert who stutters from time to time, delivered his speech really well – he confided afterwards that he had rehearsed his speech beforehand but still had to improvise on the day. Hehehe.

The rest of the evening was a blur to us – a series of photo shoots with friends and relatives, bazillion handshakes and smiles, and just waves of love coming from our friends and relatives towards us. I was and still am honoured and touched that so many of my friends came all the way from Jakarta and other parts of the country to attend the reception. One of my old friend Daniel, even came all the way from Sorong, in West Papua province! I even got the chance to meet my old friends from highschool and even from elementary school. All in all, it was a great evening of smiles, endless congratulations, and friendship. What more can I/we ask? 🙂

We didn’t have the chance to taste the rest of the food and we had to rely on the reports coming from our rellies who said that the food was excellent. 😛 Yani, who had to ensure another long evening wearing 12-cm heels, were very tired at the end of the night. So we retired not long after so she could change into comfortable clothing, in preparation for the ‘Counting of the Angpaos (Money Envelopes)’ procession. 🙂 After every event, our family love to gather together and count the angpaos and found out the amount that the guests gave. 🙂 We had some dodgy strangers who came and only gave Rp 1,000 (around AUD 0.12) or even a train ticket stub for an evening full of great food and entertainment.

We went to bed at about 1.00am after Yani had to wash her hair repeatedly to get rid of the gazillion hair product that was plastered on her head. Unfortunately we had to get up early at 6.00am to take Yani’s relatives to the airport.

Thank God that the reception went well – all of the parties have been done, it’s time that life begins …