Memorable Weddings
Whether or not a bride and a groom live happily ever after, a wedding is always a beautiful occasion—well, almost always
he theme of this issue makes moi recall the beautiful weddings I have attended through the years. But naturellement, some are more memorable than others. The following weddings instantly come to my mind as being the most unforgettable.
Like the wedding of the greatly admired Miguel Zubiri and the beautiful Audrey Tan. They held two grand receptions: one in Manila, the other in Victoria, the Zubiri estate in Bukidnon, which was an authentic Manobo ceremony attended by the whole town in full force.
The bride sat daintily on a mat on the stage while the groom joined the male dancers in the tribal dance.
Then came the moment that moi can never forget. A chicken’s head was chopped off in front of the guests. The blood was dripped into a brass bowl then offered to the bride and groom. This was the tradition.
The city-bred Audrey started to turn pale. Miguel began comforting her, at the same time coaching her to drink from the bowl. Audrey did. But soon after sipping, she turned as white as a sheet that the older women rushed to her side and started fanning her!
Then there was the wedding of one of my cousins. As the whole entourage and guests waited at San Antonio church, the bridal car arrived, then drove off, then came back again. This happened several times.
Inside, the bride was with her father, who didn’t approve of the groom and was trying to convince his daughter not to go on with the wedding. The bride almost followed her father, until she saw her mother almost in tears the fifth time the car drove up the entrance of the church. She decided to go ahead with the wedding. Two years later, the couple separated—and the bride never looked happier in her life.
Then we have this wedding of a lady friend to a dashing foreigner, A grand wedding took place here in Manille, the highlight of which was the dancing till the break of dawn. Après the honeymoon, the couple settled down in his home country.
But alas! Our friend couldn’t take life in a foreign land for long. She came home while he stayed in Europe to attend to his business. But he would fly here once a month to be with her.
But my lady friend loves to party much too much that her husband started to worry that he might lose her to a third party. He packed his bags, sold his business, and came to live in Manille permanently.
Because of this groom’s selfless decision, this union is still going strong! Win some, lose some! N’est-ce pas, dahlins?