Singapore Photos Series 6: Reception

This entry assumes you already caught up on Singapore Photo Series 5: Wedding Ceremony!  Also, this is the last in a series that began at Singapore Photo Series 1: Pre-Wedding Festivities!

Here is the final series of Singapore photos from Seiwei and Steph’s reception, held at Goodwood Park Hotel, sponsor of Durian Madness and home of durian puffs, durian crumbles, durian puddings, durian mousses, durian crepes, and the famous Durian Buffet.  Enjoy!

Here’s bridesmaid Corynne in hot pursuit of the McDonald’s delivery guy about two hours before the reception.  Apparently the wedding party didn’t get much food for breakfast nor lunch.  I tell you, this McDelivery Boy had more hungry fans chasing him than some rock stars.  What happened to those Chicken McNuggets once Corynne got a hold of them?  Just think about the chili crab picture from two posts ago…

I managed to tag along with the wedding party between the ceremony and reception.  Inside the bridal suite (hmm, I thought one ought never reveal the location of the bridal suite), these guys were definitely having a very enthusiastic pre-party.  Filet-o-Fish, anyone?

And here we go with the reception, with your MCs Brian and Kris!  Are they singing karaoke, or just hamming it up?

Enter the goofy and wacky wedding party for their introductions!  Corynne apparently didn’t have enough of the Chicken McNuggets.  Here she is stuffing her face with potato chips moments before the grand entrance.  Oh wait!  Silly Corynne, those aren’t chips… they’re yellow rose petals!

The bride and groom danced in for their introductions on a carpet of clouds.  I’m into it!

Brian and Ernie hosted The Newlywed Game.  Time and again, Steph and Seiwei’s answers agreed, and Brian and Ernie kept trying to come up with more challenging questions (even throwing in the ever-popular “Who is usually right?” question).  No luck stumping the newlyweds though.  Steph and Seiwei clearly dominated this game!

We had a lot of fun listening to Brian try to propose a number of toasts in various Chinese dialects.  I think even the older folks who couldn’t understand a thing Brian said in English were amused by Brian’s attempts.  Here was the big rousing “yaam sing” toast.  In Chinese culture, the louder and longer the call for a toast, the better!

As a fun multicultural treat, they put up a piñata!  Kris kept insisting there was money inside to hold our interest.  And there were at least a couple times that Brian faced mortal danger as participants went wild with the broomstick!

I couldn’t help asking Andrea to take a photo of this for me.  I had the hardest time finding the very stylishly camouflaged doors to the bathrooms at Goodwood.  I think the key is to wait until you spot someone mysteriously coming out of the “wall.”

Finally, probably my favorite photo of the evening, was Steph and Seiwei’s first dance.  Much thanks to Scott Robert for teaching me how to improve the lighting in a photo to enhance the mood.

What a fun, beautiful, and very memorable wedding!  Congratulations, Steph and Seiwei!  Thanks for reading, everyone!  For the super-fans, full photo coverage of my time in Singapore is at http://niftyken.stanford.edu/gallery/v/Weddings/wedding_steph_seiwei/

That’s the end of my Singapore photos.  Thanks for reading, everyone.  Please leave a comment!  =]

Singapore Photos Series 5: Ceremony

This entry assumes you already caught up on Singapore Photo Series 4: Chili Crab!

Okay, here are the pics from Seiwei and Steph’s wedding ceremony.  Enjoy!  And for those of you who were there and are wondering, yes, I did bleach the walls super-white, just the way I like them.  =]

The Groom and his men, standing attentively.  If only my camera was able to capture the pattern of their pinstripe suits…

Pay some honor to the Maid of Honor.  How many weddings have you been to where the MOH doesn’t walk by herself?  Just curious.

Cue Steven Curtis Chapman’s “I Will Be Here.”  Very interesting song selection for the bride’s entrance!

Proud dad, beautiful bride.  I don’t think this photo needs much more explanation.  =]

Alex L and Pri read aloud the “letter” to Seiwei and Steph by Alex VR and Susan as the main message.  How many weddings have you been where the words of encouragement were based on the Scripture passage about two blind men (Matt 20:29)?  Yeah, that’s what I thought.  This wedding was definitely very unique!

Both Seiwei and Steph had their vows memorized.  Awesome.  =]  Way to show you care!

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Ong Sei Wei.  Everyone break out your cameras / phones!

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as the relief of a wedding ceremony that went over beautifully.

Snapped the photo right before the main photographer got off the chair he was standing on and stepped on me.  =P

I already got in the way of the main photographer too many times today to dare to get a better shot of the wacky crew.  =8

Mini-Stanford reunion.  Sooo fun!  =]  This was a pretty amazing turnout for a destination wedding on the other side of the planet.

Everyone is madly filling out the “Predictionary” cards for Seiwei and Steph.  “How many kids do you think they will have in ten years?  What jobs and activities will they be pursuing then?  What previously-unknown secrets will they have discovered about each other by then?”

Brian’s going over his Best Man speech one more time with Miss “Manners” Andrea, to make sure his tongue-in-cheek jabs at the happy couple aren’t TOO inappropriate.  =]

Seiwei and Steph realized their photographers ran off to the reception site before getting a classic shot of the rings.  No problem!  Congratulations, you two!

Now, move on to Singapore Photo Series 6: Wedding Reception!

Singapore Photos Series 4: Chili Crab!

This entry assumes you’ve already caught up on Singapore Photo Series 3: Tea Ceremony!

“KENNETH!!” some of my readers have responded.  “WHERE are the ceremony and reception pics from the S&S wedding?”  Patience, friends, patience.  I’m getting there!  I mean, how many other things could possibly happen between the tea ceremony and the church ceremony, right?

Well, first, there’s The Chili Crab Experience.  After this, I PROMISE that I’ll post up some of the ceremony pics.  Really.

WARNING: The following post contains scenes of graphic violence.  Crabs-as-pets lovers beware.  You have been warned.

So here I was, on my last day in Singapore, wondering how it was possible that I’ve been to this fair country twice now, and still managed to miss trying the famous chili crab, the national dish of Singapore.  I mean, really, is there such an abundance of good food here that I can’t even find time in my schedule to fit in ONE chili crab meal?

My excellent hosts Waiyan and Larissa finally heard my desperate cries for help and decided to take me to the crabs before I left Singapore again emptyhanded.  Yay!  Here we are at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant right after church.  In Hong Kong, Jumbo Seafood is actually a floating restaurant on the water, but this Singaporean one is a landlubber’s version.  We went to the early service to beat the lunch rush.  Don’t let the calm background in this photo fool you.  It was a total madhouse merely minutes after this.

As soon as the food landed, I got right to work.  I don’t actually eat crab very much, so I knew I would have quite a tasty challenge ahead of me.  Here, I am using all of my (super)human strength to wrench off the bottom pincer, which seemed like the most logical thing to do when faced with a set of menacing pincers.  Larissa let me struggle with it for a while as she laughed and took photos, and then Waiyan showed me afterward why this struggle was utterly unnecessary.  I’m just grateful that my ultra-stain-magnet of a shirt didn’t get a taste of the chili crab’s succulent juices.  Where’s a bib when you need one?

Okay, yeah… I don’t know what they put in the chili sauce that would throw me into such a blind fit of ravenous rage, but that crab just didn’t stand a chance.  For those of you who are prone to be haunted by disturbing images of food, sorry, you were warned.  Now, who’s ready for some wedding photos?  =]

Now, move on to Singapore Photo Series 5: Wedding Ceremony!

Singapore Photos Series 3: Tea Ceremony

This entry assumes you’ve already caught up on Singapore Photo Series 2: Bartering for the Bride!

When we last left off, it was still unclear whether Seiwei would actually win Steph’s heart by his valiant efforts through the tests of courage.  Finally, we enter the inner chamber…

Success!  Here Seiwei and Steph apparently perform an Irish (or Singaporean) Jig to celebrate.  Either that or Steph is tossing the bouquet already.  I’m not sure.

Wait, it’s not over yet!  Unexpectedly, Seiwei whipped out a few sheets of paper and started reading aloud something he called, “A Public Letter to Steph.”  It touchingly recalled the struggles and the joys that the two of them went through in the past 5+ years, and served as a final and personal statement of Seiwei’s desire to be married to his true love.  Not a dry eye was left in the room.

And, no, it was still not over.  Yes, this may seem like Seiwei is skipping all of the formalities and going right to the garter toss, but he’s actually washing Steph’s feet as a symbol of his devotion to her as a servant-leader, following the example of Christ himself.  In addition to the lack of dry eyes in the room, there were lots of sniffly noses, no doubt.

Next up, the Tea Ceremony!  In this event, Steph and Seiwei serve tea to all of their relatives.  In exchange, the relatives will give them lucky money in a red envelope as a sign of their blessing.  Rumors have it that one of the envelopes given to Seiwei didn’t contain money — only a note that said, “From now on, you’ll have to ask Steph for your spending money”!

Best Man Brian was stationed as the keeper of the red envelopes.  As you can see, he had to stay on his toes to fend off his raving fans.  (But you know they were just after his money.)

We have evidence that this tendency to grab for red things starts at an early age…

Andrea faithfully wipes the sweat off of Brian’s brow after all his work guarding the booty.

Lunch had barely started when Brian resumed planning the next event of the wedding with the guys.  Friends, Brian is a PRO at this stuff.  He just never quits!

However, I think Galen is about ready to quit after that last bite.  Try blowing on it first next time!

Baby can’t figure out why Blackberries have to be so COMPLICATED.  She just wants to send out an email!

Okay, this is wedding reporter Kenneth signing off.  Almost forgot to mention how the guys wanted a “God of Gamblers” hairstyle for me.  At first, they wanted all the “brothers” to spike their hair UP like a faux hawk.  However, after 5 seconds of torturing the gel, they quickly concluded that was NOT an option.  =]  Anyway, what do you think?  Yea or nay?

Now, move on to Singapore Photo Series 4: Chili Crab!!

Singapore Photos Series 2: Bartering for the Bride

This entry assumes you’ve already caught up on Singapore Photo Series 1: Pre-Wedding Festivities!

Okay, now here’s some coverage of the Steph and Seiwei Wedding, Day 1.  Yes, I believe this is the first wedding I’ve attended that spanned over 24 hours.  =]  First event: Bartering for the Bride.  In Singaporean culture, it is traditional for the groom to carefully select a band of “brothers” who accompany him to the house of bride, only be be stopped at the door by the bride’s own posse of “sisters.”

Here we are at the entrance to Steph’s place early in the morning.  Once arrived, the brothers then have to do everything possible to gain entry into the house, which usually involves performing a variety of embarrassing or challenging stunts, swallowing horribly spicy/sour/bitter concoctions, offering wads of money, and generally groveling a lot to appease the sisters.

Strangely, this band of brothers had some ideas of its own and tried to convince Seiwei to insist that the sisters should pay US to take away the bride.  Hmm… Here’s Brian trying to lay down the “new rules” to head mistress, Kristina.

Okay, that did not work so well.  We were promptly punished with some sit-ups and synchronized jumping jacks while we had to yell “I love Stephanie!” in Cantonese at the top of our lungs.

“So, that’s it, right?  We can go in now, right?” brother Tee-Sing and Galen reasoned.  Um, no.  Next, the sisters told us through the locked grating that we boys needed to experience what it really took for the ladies to upkeep their silky smooth skin… by each guy having to de-hair a patch on their leg with a Veet wax strip.  Wow, you should’ve seen the terror in each man’s eyes at the thought of it.  “They can’t be SERIOUS, right?” we reasoned…  For minutes we hemmed and hawed, hanging on to the small hope that maybe the girls would return to the door and say it was all a big joke and we didn’t REALLY have to do it…

“Hey, do you want to come in here or NOT?” sneered the guardian of the door.  Nobody had applied the terrible wax strip yet.  All the brothers were still in disbelief and we hemmed and hawed some more… After the door slammed in our faces a few more times, and the ladies taunted us mercilessly, brave brother Vitali finally applied the first wax strip, allowed it to harden around the leg hairs for just a moment, and then ripped it off with all of his might.  Wow.  The hair.  Oh, the hair.  Well, the deed was started, and now it had to be completed.  Each brother in turn decided which leg he valued less, applied the wax strip with much trembling, and then ripped it off like he’d never ripped before.  Much screaming and yelling ensued, and I have no photos because I was… busy.  A sister later confided in me that she was quite astounded during the inspection which followed.  “I really didn’t think THAT much hair would come off!”

[Photos removed here to protect the innocent]

To our shock, after the inspection, we were still not granted entry into the house!  The sisters said we had to pay up.  $13,888 to be exact.  WHAT!?  The groom was furious and refused to pay up!   So they slammed the door in our face.  When they returned, we answered some challenge questions, which allowed us to pick another bride price from a set of sealed envelopes.  Inside was the number $1,388.  “You better empty your pockets and pay up or you’re not coming in,” the guardian of the door announced firmly before slamming the door.  So did we start emptying our pockets?

No, we tried to break in instead.  It turns out Brian had a spare key to the place from helping out with some errands the other day.  Outside, the brothers pushed the door inward, pressing in for the victory.  Inside, sisters and spectators screamed and scrambled to reinforce the door.  We were deadlocked in a stalemate, with Brian’s arm thrust precariously in the doorway.  Not willing to lose his Best Man’s arm, Seiwei called for a truce and both sides began to calm down.

“Was this seriously supposed to impress us?” the guardian of the door said with disappointment as the other sisters gathered around to block further entry into the house.  Okay, I must admit, I don’t know how breaking in was supposed to help us either.  Whoops, so now what?

“Okay, guys, help me pay up…”  We emptied our pockets, and reluctantly came up with the final asking price, $888.88.  We’re in!  But what challenges lay ahead?

The first challenge was called Suan-Tian-Ku-La, basically involving something from each of the four food groups, Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy, which were to represent various characteristics of marriage.  Here, we all watched Galen to see if he would explode after swallowing the red hot chili pepper.  I think he needed a moment to decide for himself whether or not his tongue wanted to go back to America.  The nasty surprise I got was that I mistook the BITTER melon for a slice of SWEET fruit.  Spitting it across the room was not an option…

The rest of the indoor challenges were not too bad, including the brothers needing to sing and dance to “I’m Too Sexy” and Jeff acting out the part of the pussy cat.  The challenges ended with Seiwei being required to yell out the 10 things he loved about Steph so that she could hear him from her secured chamber at the other end of the apartment.  “STEPH, I LOVE THE WAY YOU LOVE ME!!!!” he finally proclaimed as #10 with a resounding shout.

So, does Seiwei get the girl, after all this?  Find out next time!  Thanks for reading!  =]

Now, move on to Singapore Photo Series 3: Tea Ceremony!