HASSLES OF WEDDING PREPARATION

HASSLES OF A WEDDING PREPARAT ION
May 7, 1997 – 10:25 p.m.

Man and woman fall in love then get married. A wedding is always a big celebration. Everybody gets excited and so many people are involved. There are opinions, suggestions and comments all intending to attain a good result.

During the period of preparation there are so many interesting hassles that are generally unnoticed or totally disregarded. These hassles are all so real and almost unavoidable. My experience happened only recently when my eldest daughter, Belle, was married to the only son of Congressman Roilo Golez, last May 4, 1997. I felt that our family needed to prepare ourselves knowing that we were dealing with the family of a very popular Congressman.

While other members of the family were doing their own individual preparation I started buying a book about weddings. From the book I learned much. I read something that says the bride’s father was supposed to propose a toast during the reception. So, I bought another book on public speaking jut to look for guidelines on how to prepare a toast.

It must be short, it must be humorous, it must have a lingering effect on the guests. For several days I tried to compose a toast that I thought followed all the requirements suggested in the book. But just when I felt ready enough to propose a toast, my marrying daughter showed me a tentative program prepared by her wedding coordinator where I saw my name as the one expected to say the invocation prayer. In the beginning I wasn’t at all bothered as I have been reciting invocation prayers before and it was not difficult to do. Until I saw the next number which was a welcome address by the groom’s father, no less than Congressman Golez himself.

It was not easy to do or say anything before or after him if one was a virtually unknown like me, much more so a wedding invocation where my daughter was the bride. So, I started scouting for a book on invocations and I wasn’t lucky enough to find one. The next best thing to do was to compose one myself which was what I did after referring to a compilation of prayers. It took me many days and a total of eleven revisions before I felt satisfied with what I composed.

As I was reading it over and over everyday I made several improvements. I recited it at bedtime, on waking up, while walking or while taking a bath, until I felt ready to recite with my family as audience for feed backs. With the help of another book on public speaking I felt confident that I could recite my prayer clearly and effectively, but not until several friends have heard it.

My daughter Brinna thought that my prayer was touching enough and would only be a waste if only heard once. She suggested that Xerox copies be distributed to the guests. Later a friend suggested that instead of just
Xerox copies why not have it printed and give a copy with the take home souvenir to the guests. I followed the suggestion and even framed one of the enlarged copies to be my gift to the newly weds. At last my part in the program was solved but not until after all the tensions, anxieties and apprehensions.

When I was finally clothed with confidence and enthusiasm, three days before the wedding I was badly scalded on my right hand while opening the cover of a boiling kettle, added to that my seasonal mouth sore started appearing like tiny mushrooms threatening my composure when I recite the invocation. I bombarded myself with the necessary medications and mouthwashes.

But my allergic rhinitis was not to be left behind. I started sneezing 4 to 7 at a times o I have to purchase my favorite but expensive nasal spray.. I was not only tense and anxious, I turned paranoid, just the right time for my butterflies in the stomach to make formations.

Anyway on the morning of he wedding day we checked in at Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel so we wouldn’t be pressured so much in anticipation. In the afternoon I did my reliable dead pose relaxation under Alpha while invoking the Holy Spirit for guidance. When I opened my eyes a few minutes later everyone seemed to be hurrying. After a while somebody suggested that we start dressing up for picture-taking. So all of a sudden it was 4:00 p.m.

Jonathan’s pair of pants couldn’t be located and he was wearing short trousers. To send the driver to Alabang to get the pair of pants, which fell from the hanger earlier wouldn’t be possible considering the heavy traffic. My wife was doubly tensed. I’ve got to think past to the point of even borrowing from a waiter.

I quickly thought of a friend who also checked-in for the occasion. Good he had an extra pair though it was colored brown. For the preliminary picture-taking it was good enough. I was al ready opening the bridal car for the trip to the church when another guest whom my other son, Paul earlier requested to pick Jonathan’s pants from Alabang came rushing with the pants. It was a thrilling photo finish. What a relief at last.

Inside the Church, about to march to give away my daughter my butterflies started flying in all directions but I tried to put on a good smile, except that my eyeglasses were covered with mist due to the car’s air-con. I needed to remove my eyeglasses for wiping with my hunky but not without disturbing the sideburns of my toupee. I just hoped that no one was looking and no camera was clicking while I was fixing “my crowning glory”.

While sitting side by-side with Congressman Golez, my 'balae', inside the Church, my confidence was suddenly regained when the Congressman admitted that he himself was having butterflies in the stomach.

After that wedding I can consider myself an Authority on wedding plans. What with two books on wedding, two on public speaking, two on etiquette, one compilation of different prayers and several months of prayerful preparation