A Wedding To Remember

Last Thursday, we skipped out of town for the weekend for the the sunny island of Ko Samui.
It was a lovely break, and one that was much needed, but that was not why we went. It was to attend the wedding of someone dear -- DD's sis and the kids' Aunty Sarah.

Banyan Tree Ko Samui was picture perfect.

We were excited guests.

Excited to see the bride, yes, but also to see Noey play his little part in the wedding. First a little pep talk from Ah Kong...

… and our page boy was good to go.

He was given the honour of holding the ring pillow and he did a great job getting those rings where they needed to go. Much better than the last time!

In the setting sun, we watched as a lovely couple stood before man and God, and took the vows that would join them forever.

And celebrated with them as they walked out man and wife.

To be honest, beautiful as the wedding was, there were times when the bridezilla in me reared its head - when it got unbearably hot and during those moments when no one seemed to know what was happening. I got impatient, wanting to set things straight.

But when I saw the bride, I saw not a frown on her face that things weren't going to plan but just the most radiant smile of one truly enjoying her moment. At that point, I knew that she truly appreciated what mattered on this day.

Here's to a lifetime to love and joy, dear Sarah & Mike!

Nursing Glam Does Exist

When my sister first fixed her wedding date, I must admit that one of the biggest concerns I had was how I would be able to lose the postpartum weight and get back in shape quick enough to look good for the occasion. Add to that the fact that my dress also had to be nursing friendly, I was understandably nervous.

Going shopping in the couple of weeks leading up to the wedding made me feel even worse. When I stepped into the usual chain stores, the sales assistants sized me up (so to speak) and promptly handed me the clothes I wanted to try in what they deemed the appropriate size: LARGE. Having always worn "S" or size 8 clothing, this was very damaging to my ego. The worst part was that they were right -- I was indeed an "L"! The bigger problem was that I am currently rather disproportionate for the size, so nothing really fit me well.

Thank goodness for Maternity Exchange.

This shop has been one of my go-to stores since I became pregnant with Noey more than 3 years ago, and they have not failed me since. I like the fact that they carry an extensive range of maternity and nursing wear which are not only available for sale, but for rent as well. You can buy a rental package which provides you with credits which you can apply to rentals, or you can rent pieces on an individual basis.

And if you think maternity and nursing wear is dowdy and unfashionable, you'll be surprised. They carry a good mix of international and local brands, including some of my favourites, like Japanese Weekend, Dote, Mothers en Vogue and Maternalove. These folks know how to make maternity and nursing wear look good.

I popped down to their store on one of my limited shopping trips after they kindly extended a voucher to me to shop for an appropriate outfit. Pearlyn, the sales assistant in store for the day helped me pick out some outfits to try while I methodically worked my way down the racks. My prime objective was to get something for the wedding dinner and I was so relieved to find that they had a good selection of occasion wear.

I enjoyed a good 45 minutes trying on dresses before I finally decided to rent the Tiffany Rose Acacia dress. While not strictly a nursing dress, the low v-shaped neckline and the stretchy material suited my purposes while looking dressy enough for the dinner occasion.

To top it off, it was a size 2. Hah.

I got plenty of compliments on my dress, which was a bonus!

You can check them out at Marina Square, #03-108. They also have an online store so you can shop from the comfort of your own home, if you’re so inclined.

Our Wedding of the Year

Wedding weekend for my family is finally over. My sister is officially married!

With the beautiful bride. I really shouldn't stoop when I'm already SO SHORT.

The wedding went really well, cos while my sister was a rather bo chup bride, everyone around her really wasn't! If you know my sister, you'll know that she's an incredibly lovely person with a really fun side, and I think that shone through and made the whole occasion special and truly "her".

As for Noey, I was first of all relieved that he consented to putting his suit on with minimal fuss. I was on tenterhooks about this because I hadn’t actually managed to get him to wear it at home prior to the day itself. I had been psyching him up about the big day in the week leading up to the wedding, and thankfully after seeing Papa put on his suit, Noey was quite willing to wear his “office clothes”, as he called them!

I just love how he looks like a real little man in a suit

As to his all-important role in the wedding, Noey did make it down the aisle safe and sound, though not without some missteps. He was tasked to walk down the aisle with a Bible in hand because we decided it would not be wise to let him hold the rings. That was a good move on our part, seeing as how he started off well, then got distracted mid-way by the hymnals and bibles at the back of the pews and decided to shove HIS bible into the back of the pews as well. Oops. He then promptly turned around and tried to return to the start, before someone caught him and pointed him the right direction. Fortunately this all happened in the part of the L-shaped aisle that was not as visible to the guests so most of them did not realise what had happened. My parents though were wondering how Noey ended up third in the procession when he was supposed to be right in front!

Walking down the aisle -- this is how you do it. Oh yeah.
(I actually hemmed up his pants, but couldn't do anything about the sleeves of his jacket!)

Duty done, the boy was a good sport throughout most of the wedding, save for the moments when I went up to read the Bible passages and he had a slight “why-is-Mummy-over-there-and-not-beside-me” panic attack. This boy has me on a tight leash!

Crunching dem leaves.

Strangling his 姑妈 who woke up early to come to the wedding to see him.

All ready for the bouquet toss!

And Naomi? She slept through the whole service like the dream baby that she is!

"Wake up Mei-Mei!"
A girl gets no peace with Noey around.

So our family has expanded once more. Welcome to the family Francis!

(Isn't my sister's cheongsam just stunning? My mum was super pleased with the Prada-seque lace that she had found for this dress. Another incentive to lose weight -- so that I can borrow it!)

Altogether now, Smile!

Since we were all dressed for the wedding, we made several attempts to grab a good shot of our family of 4.

Several attempts, I say, because it's just impossible to get both kids awake and looking at the camera. Looking cute is a plus. These are the best we got.

I think we'll have to try again tomorrow during the dinner.

Today's the day, to say I Do

While the eyes of the world have been trained on the Royal Wedding, it is another wedding that we have been eagerly anticipating this weekend.

Today, my dearest sister is getting married.

The siblings 3, Dec 2010

My family home has been in a frenzy over the preparations over the last month, with my Mum in particular stressing out about packing the house, getting the nitty-gritties sorted out, and getting her wedding finery ready.

I haven't been in the thick of things, what with 2 kids running underfoot. But all the same, I've been looking forward to this day for some time.

My sister is one of my best friends. Though in recent years, life has gotten in the way and we haven't been able to spend as much time together as I like, I believe we have remained close. Now that she is officially leaving the roost, I am so happy for her, but wistful at the same time that she and Francis would be starting their new life together, without us. We will always be family of course, but from today, they will be a family too. Having one of my own, I know what a blessing it is and I can wish no better for her.

Anyway, today's the wedding, and we've got to get the show on the road! Noey's one of the pageboys and the wild card in the procession -- I'll let you know if he makes it successfully down the aisle!

No Regrets

I was a guest at the wedding of an ex-colleague-turned-dear-friend over the weekend. It was a lovely affair that I had very much wanted to be a part of -- full of warmth and reflecting the genuine affection the couple had for each other and which their friends and family had for them.

(And I'm not just saying it cos you might read this, A!)

It was a relationship that I had seen grow from before its official inception and I'm very glad for to see it come to fruition in marriage.

This post is not about the wedding per se though.

As was to be expected, I met many of my ex-colleagues at the wedding lunch. Some whom I have met periodically over the years since I left my previous firm, some which I have not met at all since then. While it was good to exchange a laugh or two, sitting among them reminded me oh-so-clearly why I left. There was that level of testosterone which you had to be of a certain mindset to accept and feel at home with. There were the bawdy comments and sexist arguments that had faded somewhat in my memory. All those I handled and can handle still. But more than that, I was also reminded how much lawyers are such a cynical, dissatisfied, negative bunch.

Maybe I'm generalising too much, or maybe it's just the people I used to work with! But I've gradually met up less and less with my colleagues -- those who were my peers at least -- because the bulk of the conversation centred around how their bosses made them miserable, how useless their assosciates were, and how unreasonable their clients are. It was certainly entertaining to some extent. Some of their stories were real classics. But I always found myself a silent spectator to all that griping. I cannot deny that I was interested in the goss. But the truth is, I'm not negative person. And all that complaining? It gets to me. When I meet to catch up, I want to know what's going on in your life. Unfortunately it felt like the only thing going on in their lives was misery.

It isn't perfect where I am now. Hey, I still work with lawyers after all! But my colleagues now are mostly mummies. We share stories about our children and other parenting tips and activities and celebrate milestones. Sure, we gripe as well about nonsense we face at work but it is, at least, not as drawn out. My colleagues and I share the mentality that we're here just to do our job so that we can go home to more important things, like our family. I like it this way.

It's been 3.5 years since I left practice and I will still make that decision now, even with the benefit of hindsight, and even if I was still working full-time. Of course it's all the better that I only work part-time!

I like to live life with no regrets and I can say that, for now, I am happy. And it's a good place to be.

Edmund & Sue

We kicked off our Wedding season this month -- (we have 4 weddings to attend in 4 weeks!) -- with Edumund and Sue Ern's church wedding on Saturday afternoon. The lovely bride sang at my wedding almost 4 years back, lending her beautiful voice to my march-in at the church and I was so glad to be able to be there witness her union as well.

It was quite possibly the largest church wedding I've ever attended -- I think there were close to a thousand pple present!

A section of the crowd from where we were

The couple both work and serve actively in their respective churches so the huge turnout wasn't surprising. And despite the size, the wedding lost none of its warmth and intimacy. It was clear from all that was said and shared that the couple were very well loved by all and that of course made for a wonderful and joyous occasion. It's been a while since we've attended a wedding service and every time we do, it always serves as a wonderful reminder of the vows that we have made and our committment to each other.

The couple on stage for the all-important moment.

It also helped that Noey was unusually cooperative during the entire service and did not make a squeak so I didn't have to step out at all. Of course he didn't sit still the enitre time and still found the opportunity to pull some stunts.



But by and large he was a good boy -- much better than he usually is at service! Probably helped that he was pretty tired by the middle of the service and also that the 2 teenage girls behind me were really taken with him and entertained him for some time. As a result, we were able to enjoy the wedding without too much stress.

"Hurray, Auntie Sue Ern is married!"

"Now can we go eat?"

It was a lovely Saturday afternoon and I especially loved the video interview of the couple. The short recount of the proposal really reminded me of our own proposal story, where I was upset with DD and kept asking him if we were having problems with our relationship cos he was acting so WEIRD. Haha. Alls well that ends well!

Sue Ern and Edmund -- wishing you guys all the very best and may the Lord continue to uphold you both as you walk together in Him.

Michelle and Jon Wed

We journeyed to the East on Saturday morning with Noah (after his morning bath) to attend Mich and Jon's wedding.

It was a lovely affair, and not only because of the many pretty details that they had worked into the decorations, but also because of the obvious joy many of their friends and relatives shared in coming together for the event, in particular the youths of their church fellowship that both Michelle and Jon are close to. The flood of photos on Facebook taken at their wedding by their many friends and relatives bear testament to this!

It's been a while since I've attended a church wedding and it's so lovely to see a couple come together to commit their lives to each other in the presence of the Lord. I nearly missed the most important exchange of vows when Noah decided it was time for a feed but fortunately the cryroom came to the rescue.

It was also great to catch up with Yvonne, Amanda, Ruth and Carrie who also came down to witness the ceremony. We've truly come a long way from just being online friends. I didn't get a good shot of or with the couple unfortunately so we'll have to wait for the official pic of the shot we took "for the Internet!" as Mich happily declared. I'm pretty sure I heard Jon groan. Heh.

Instead, Yvonne and I took some pics with our bubs.

Nat giving a sweet big brotherly kiss to Noah

Nat: There I've done it. Now can I go?
Noah: Can I give you a big slobbery one back?

Not satisfied with a kiss, Noah wants Nat's shirt as well.

Congratulations Mich (and Jon)! Now don't wait too long to join the Mummy club yah? Haha.

Baby Goes Wedding Again

So we brought Noah for another wedding.

Yes, even after our last experience wore both him and us out. We were apprehensive, but this was DD's cousin Weng's wedding and we weren't really given the option not to bring him so the 3 of us just had to survive!

Fortunately this time neither of us had any duties so we could concentrate on the parenting. And, after the last experience where Noey was really too cold, we dressed him much warmer this time, in a long sleeved shirt and overalls with a onesie underneath, and layered blankets on him when necessary. With the requisite milk breaks and walks outside, I think he did pretty well. Daddy even had the opportunity to take some time to run on stage to join the yam seng party. And towards the end, Noah managed to sleep for about half an hour in the stroller and allow both his parents to eat at the same time with both their hands. Ah, the little joys.

And he woke up in time for us to snap some pictures!

With Mummy...

... and Daddy!
Pity the "I'm a little monster" slogan and graphic on his tee (a present from his Yiyi En) has been covered up by the overalls and can't be seen! My Mum would have been pleased -- she disapproved of the shirt. Calling her grandson a monster! Tsk tsk.

Feeding in progress -- do not disturb!

He had shoes on for the occasion (courtesy of Lilsnooze and family)

It was also easier this time cos we had family around to help with the barang barang, and take him off our hands for a bit occasionally. And we enjoyed the opportunity to catch up, and of course, to be there to welcome another member into the family.

Anyway, thankfully we're done with weddings (which Noah has to attend at least) for the year!

Baby Goes Wedding

Against all good advice, we brought Noah for his first wedding yesterday night -- solemnisation and dinner.

We got back in one piece, with all our belongings (one hopes! I've yet to do a proper check to be honest), an exhausted baby and 2 worn out parents.

My poor little tired baby

Noah with Mummy in her bridesmaid finery

Credit to DD for taking care of the rocking, feeding and cuddling duties while I ran around completing my bridesmaid duties, delivering a speech, and moving all our many bags - and the stroller - around. I hate to say this but yes, my mother was right -- it was doubly difficult bringing Noah along when one of us was actively involved in the proceedings. He isn't a difficult baby, but he just can't fall asleep or stay asleep for long when we're outdoors with hustle and bustle about him. So the poor thing was overtired before the evening was over.

But hey, it was his Godma Auntie Daphne's wedding and none of the 3 of us would have missed it for the world. And it was a lovely wedding. Without slideshows and other gimmicks, the evening was ruled by surprise song items and heartfelt speeches. Alas since I was busy running around and DD more than had his hands full, we didn't manage to take any photos of the events and will have to wait for the official snaps.

Today poor Noey's obviously still recovering -- he's more manja than usual and has just been completely knocked out for most of the day while his guilty mummy committed to provided him a quiet and soothing environment at home (and didn't even turn on the TV!). Hope he will be himself soon.

3 Weddings

I thought I was done with weddings for a while after the bumper crop over the last 2 year, but suddenly over the late June and into early July, I ended up attending 3 weddings in 3 weeks!

Wedding #1 - Jess & SY's - on 21 June was an involved affair, since both the bride and the groom were individually friends of ours before they became a couple. And in case you are wondering, NO, we didn't set them up -- another mutual friend of theirs did the honours and shall live with their eternal gratitude. I, on the other hand, will have to live with my dear husband smugly reminding me that he had on previously suggested the match but I had rejected the idea. Well, all I can say is thank goodness they have other friends who are more perceptive than I am!

The wedding was a whole day affair with us being on either side of the fence (literally) for the morning session, helping out here and there during the tea ceremony, and being the emcees for the dinner. This was the first time I've ever emceed together with DD, not to mention the first time I'd ever emceed for a wedding, but I think it - thankfully - went off without a hitch. I'd only agreed to do this after double (and triple confirming) that we were NOT required to speak in Mandarin, so at least we didn't have to contend with that. Now I just have to avoid watching the video so I can remain oblivious to the errors that have been recorded for posterity...

The happy couple

With our lovely bride at the church reception

Trying to pop the champagne...

...while we, the emcees, look on in interest

Wedding #2 - Shuenn Yann & Wei Ming's - on 28 June the following weekend didn't require as much from us since we were merely guests, but it was equally rewarding seeing yet another old friend - one I've known from childhood - get hitched.



It was also great returning to my old church and meeting all the familiar faces. The same yet older. I ended up hanging around till quite late to catch up with everyone - old friends, aunties, uncles, all asking me how I was doing, and me answering questions on the little bub in the making who was hanging out and plain for all the see! And of course, caught up with Lilsnooze and the very cute lil Nat, whom I realise I haven't seen in person since his first few days in the hospital. Mummy and baby were both colour coordinated btw, and looking very good!

Wedding #3 of dear Olimomok and Foops on 6 July (060708!) made it 3 weddings in 3 weeks for me. I guess it's a good thing I love wedding dinner food!

The dinner celebration itself was lovely - a radiant bride with a happy groom is what a wedding should be! And the touching surprise video from the groom which brought tears to the eyes of our bride was really sweet.

The company was great too and at the end of the night, even DD told me he enjoyed himself, which was something of an accomplishment since I generally have to drag his ass persuade him to attend gatherings/weddings with me. I think it helped that most of the babes brought their partners he didn't feel out-numbered, but instead had others to talk nonsense with.

And, yes, others to share his discomfiture of having a whole bunch of girls know a lot more about him than he knew about them! Haha. "What did you write??", he kept asking me, since he's been too busy to read recently. Oops!

But even with us keeping up with each other online, there was still plenty to talk about! And of course, photos to take - we were the bloggers table after all! Everyone whipped out their cameras and the guys very obligingly made themselves handy, even if some were bemoaning their photo taking skills *wink*. We were so prepared we were in position and ready to take our own shots even before the couple arrived at our table! And the pics continued thereafter as well.

The gals at our table, Table 2

With the lovely bride, who was stunning in red!

So. We've got a break from the weddings this weekend before we have another one - a wedding lunch of one of DD's ex-colleagues (yes, another wedding, can you believe it?) - next week. Ironically this weekend I'm going with Daph to her bridal salon to figure out her dress so the wedding theme continues! Haha. Now to try to squeeze in some baby shopping in the midst of the birthday party-home repairs-baby shopping and the like we've got this weekend...