Of Love, Alcohol and Food

The Wedding

December 6

Down the street, car honks blared. The entourage has returned with the bride. Down the car came James and Mark, who experienced the Malaysian chinese wedding for the first time. James was holding the gift basket, and Mark was clucthing on to a bright red umbrella. It was a priceless sight :P

Howie, Anthony's younger brother was both the driver and the one that opened the car door for the couple as the rest of the family members lined both sides of the porch cheering them on, and clicking away on digital cameras.

Paying respect to the deities and ancestors was the first thing the couple did after they entered the house. My grandma, the matriach did the same, and prayed for blessings for the newly weds. After serving tea to the ancestors, the couple served tea to the rest of the family members according to their rankings in the family hierarchy, beginning with grandma, followed by khaw foo and khum mou, Anthony's parents. from them, Mei Yee (Yuki) received jewellery and ang pows (red packets) as gifts. The rest of aunts, uncles and cousins gave ang pows. Tea ceremony, a must in a chinese wedding, signifies the acceptance and the welcoming of a new member into the family, and to inform all members of the new addition, giving due recognition and status to the bride and/ groom.

Grandma in prayers

Words of wisdom from the matriach

Gifts from parents-in-law

Family portraits

When the tea ceremony was over, the couple proceeded to their room. Anthony carried Mei Yee into the room. Mei Yee's nephews were brought into the room, and they started jumping on the couple's new bed. The older of the two nephews broke the seal covering the new red potty, filled with gold packets and oranges for auspice. Both acts symbolise blessings of offsprings for the couple The potty was an item in the set of bright red bath items for the couple.

I will carry you for life, even when my bones become rickety...

Mei Yee's nephews jumping on the couple's new bed

Breaking the seal

The session ended with Anthony removing the veil from Mei Yee's head, an act symbolic of eternal union, and she removed his jacket.

Gently removing the pins before removing the veil

The whole afternoon thereafter was a light and easy session for the rest of the family members, feasting on good food, endless supply of alcohol, and tonnes of sinful chocolates brought back from Australia by cousin, Maggie who touched down in KLIA international airport half past five in the morning, and came straight for the auspicious occassion.

yay, the beer girls :P

The Luncheon Reception@ Renaissance Malacca

December 7

Preping up the senior Mooi with a corsage

Nicholas wearing the hand corsage on his co-emcee, Peggy

Guests getting registered and checking their sittings

Mr and Mrs Anthony Mooi getting ready to enter the ballroom

Popped the champage and getting the glasses filled for the big toast

Nicholas and Lulu started the dance floor with a short waltz

More portraits for the album

The cousins, all cheers and noisy!

Maggie and Kenny, Lulu and Peggy, Maggie and me

Mark, Nicholas and James; Kenix, Mark, Nicholas and James; Mark gotcha'!

Law Tiah

December 5

It began on Friday the moment we got ready to pick my tai yee and yee cheong from their home in Ulu Kelang and head down to my khaw foo's house in Seri Kembangan. My mum, grandma and other aunts, uncles and cousins were already there, having arrived from Taiping, Singapore, and Australia. My sister, Wendee and hubby, Kenny were to arrive later in the evening from Penang. My other cousin, Maggie to return from a working trip in Brisbane early saturday morning, whilst her brother Nicholas and wife, Lulu were due to touch down in KLIA from Tokyo in the evening the same day. Only my two other yee cheongs and two cousins, Frances and Geraldine were unable to make it for this auspicious family affair.The entire family had locked the dates a year ago when cousin Anthony announced his wedding plans with Yuki.

Since the dishes for the pre-wedding dinner were catered for, we did not have to prepare much for food. Instead, the few of us helped out by putting up the chillie red cloth at the front of the house, above the main entrance. The tables and chairs were laid out and lined with red table cloths. Four coolers were prepared - one filled with cans of beer, another with bottles of mineral water, one with packet drinks and one with plain ice cubes.

Three additional items were ordered to complement the other catered buffet items. Famous grilled otak otak in coconut leaves, crispy curry puffs and chewy kau chi (minced meat and shrimps with shredded mushrooms and chinese turnips wrapped in the semi-translucent sticky glutinous rice sheets. A whole roast pig was ordered and it was a gala!

Siew yuk (roast pork) and siew pau (baked buns with pork)

Bread pudding

Anthony's parents, my khaw foo and khum mou prepared the new bed with my grandma uttering well wishes as they went about dressing it with new bedsheets. A plate with mixture of lin chi (lotus seeds), hung zhou (red dates), and pak hup (lily buds) accompanied by a pair of oranges, a pair of calamansi, two ang pows (red packets) and peen pak (fir leaves) for good fortune and more offsprings for the new couple.

Tong yuen (glutinous rice balls) were being prepared for the midnight ceremonial ritual for the groom.

It was almost midnight. We called it a day, in preparation for the bigger day the next; the entourage would leave six in the morning to Bentong to pick the bride, and serve tea to the bride's elders before returning to Seri Kembangan before 11am. Day one was over.