The Reception: Agustin-Borja Nuptials
Well wishers started arriving at David’s Restaurant around 4:30 PM. The sun was still high in the sky; we have not hit the fall equinox yet and we were still enjoying the last few days of relatively warm weather.
It was calm; you cannot hear a pin drop but it was relatively quiet in the sense that if this wedding was being held in the Philippines, in Cavinti even, it would have been chaos before the guests started arriving with someone barking orders and helpers scurrying.
The professional staff at David’s Restaurant made sure that we did not see that, though chances are it was happening in the kitchen. And though we all appreciate the professionalism, somehow for the old timers, they were missing the hustle and bustle. After all, weddings are happy occasions and the flurries of activities add to that.
Of course, when the wedding entourage arrived, all the relative calm vanished. The bride and groom brought the fun with them. It was their day and they were sharing it with the people they cherish; that was what was important.
The ninongs and the ninangs entered first, followed by the secondary sponsors, the bridesmaids, the groomsmen, the maid of honor and the best man… a flurry of hellos drowning out the conversations.
Then Allyn and Nina arrived; everyone stood up, everyone was smiling and clapping their hands. The wedding party had begun.
There was the prayer before meal; it would take a long time to describe the menu but it is worth mentioning that there was lechon. This is a Filipino wedding and having lechon is a must!
Once again, traditions were observed: the toast to the bride and groom, the speeches, the cutting of the cake, the sharing of the wine, the throwing of the bouquet and the garter, then finally the wedding dance.
The usual suspects danced with the bride and groom and what made this very interesting is the “gala” (pronounced gah-lah) wherein guests pin money to the bride and groom while they are dancing. In Cavinti, that is usually what people do instead of buying wedding gifts. It was good to see this tradition being followed though we are thousands of miles away from the Philippines.
It felt as if the night would not end, but all good things do. Then it was time to say goodbye to Allyn and Nina before they left for their honeymoon.
A Renaissance woman, Mari Davis is the epitome of geek chic. She began her career as a software developer then by a twist of fate, she became a fashion editor. Mari is the Editor-in-Chief of FashionWindows.
