it's a nice day for a white wedding

Friday was unfortunately a rainy one, so the solemnisation ceremony (is that what it's called?) had to take place indoors, but the sky cleared enough for us to have pictures taken outdoors with the happy couple.

I was a friend of the bride, whom I'd worked with and had become friends with.

This was one of the weddings where I knew more than one person attending, so it was nice to hang around with them. It was still about an hour before dinner to start but we found out that we could have beers while waiting so that kept us in a good mood.

Until the dreaded moment, where the single women had to go catch that damn bouquet.

You could tell how enthusiastic we all were, the way we huddled away from the stairs where the bouquet-tossing was to be. We had to be coaxed nearer.

She tossed.

I watched it make its little arc in the clear sky above, thanking the heavens that it was not heading in my direction. Only to see it drop on the grass in front of one of the bride's ex-classmates, flowers scattering. She picked it up reluctantly, protesting.

The bouquet-tossing was to make a second round. Damn.

Again, she threw it. I think I was holding my breath.

This time, it was headed a little more in my direction. So I did what any single girl would do. I took a step back.

The flowers landed in the arms of the groom's sister.

The rest of us cheered her on, a little more than relieved.

Now wasn't this little ritual supposed to be one where the women try to make a grab for the bouquet? That's how it seems to be in er... movies... and er... America's Funniest Home Videos, where the fat women trip over each other in their fight for the prize.

Here, it was avoided like the plague. It was a form of torture.

When I get married - maybe I should change it to 'if' since I didn't catch the bouquet - I wouldn't want to toss it.

Otherwise the dinner was all good. It wasn't the horrendously torturous typical Chinese sit-down dinners but a meal of western food, buffet-style. There was cold dishes, salads, sushi, and best of all, bbq - steak, lamb chops, stingray, fish. Although someone remarked - what's a bbq without sausages!

And the happy couple did look happy, I suppose that's all that matters.

After the wedding, we headed to Loof, which was packed, so we had to stand at the bar, which killed me cos I'd been in my heels since 3 and were my feet and legs aching! Walking around in those things for 9 or so hours is a killer! Fortunately, threw mej's stealthy moves, we squeezed and got a sitdown. But I didn't stay long, despite spying eps at another table who was with an interesting bunch of random strangers. I was pooped. I wanted to go home and sleep off the ache in my legs. And wear flats for the next week.