Gary & Christine Wedding Journal

we (actually me) plan to custom made our ang pow packets to give out on our wedding day and also… the chinese new year since they’re only about 28 days apart. so, i’m still thinking of some designs…. but i really don’t know yet. i would like something that i could use even after that in order not to waste the printed ang pow packets. our friend, sandy has given me the name of the printer, address and contact number. will probably drop by when we collect our invitation cards since it’s somewhere around there too.

my parents went to purchase the jewelleries that i’ve chosen last thursday. the jewelleries include a bracelet, pendant with chain and earrings.

the bracelet will be given to me by my dad while my mom gives me the earrings. and the pendant with chain by my maternal grandmother.

my paternal grandmother will be giving me a gold chain with jade which belongs to her.

i’ll talk about the straight bends after this….

yesterday evening, my mom and i went to ss2 to look at jewellery for my wedding. by the end of our shopping, we’ve decided on a pendant with chain, earrings and bracelet. all of them very beautiful. my mom has paid a down payment for them and now, my dad has to go to approve of the jewellery.

okay, back to the straight bends. this morning, while driving to work, the road has changed again. well, the road has been changing for the past god-knows-how-many months. where there used to be bends, will suddenly be changed to a straight road. where there used to be a straight road, will suddenly changed to curving bends. and there were mornings when i was caught daydreaming while driving on this road. suddenly, you’ll shock yourself to make a bend or to a massive jam because everyone is also caught in this automatic pilot driving. i just hope the road will one day be permanent… after the construction of the road.

hence, the title, “straight bends”.

last night, i took a long while to sleep… and so i got into thinking of teasers for my girl friends to play on the guys on the wedding day. hahaha!

but, i can’t put it down here because i know Himself reads the blog and also, maybe his friends. however, if you guys are reading this… no worries… nothing really disgusting, difficult and etc. i’m a kind person… but a fun one!

In Chinese culture, wedding is considered a joining of two families, thus once the bride and groom decide to get married, both families get involved.

On the day of the betrothal, “grand gift”* is presented by the groom’s family to the bride’s family. This is a formal occasion where where the two families officially acknowledge the marriage and give their blessing. The proposal gifts usually include token money wrapped in red envelope and items such as tea, “double happiness cake”, pair of male and female poultry, sweetmeats and sugar, wine and tobacco. The token money is usually $99 or $999 as the number NINE represents “forever” in Chinese culture. Tea is included as an important part of the gift because the two families wish the new couple to have as many descendants as the tea leaves. The total items of gifts should be even number.

The bride’s family will distribute the “double happiness cake” to relatives and friends as a form of announcement. Nowadays, both families send “double happiness cakes” along with wedding invitations. At this point, the two families will proceed to prepare for the wedding.

The Grand Gift

1. Li Shi Money. The amount is determined by the groom’s family, usually contains the number 9, such as $99, $999, etc.
2. Jewelries, such as gold dragon-phoenix bangle. Two families discuss the design and cost before purchase.
3. Two pairs of dragon-phoenix cakes, and certain amount of Chinese and western cakes.
4. Dried seafood and mushroom and Fat Cai. Fat Cai is a must as it symbolize fortune and prosperity. Seafood to be presented in four, six or eight items, which include sea cucumber, clam, shrimp, squid, shark fins, etc.
5. Three poultries. Two pair of raw chicken, two males and two females; 2 to 4 kilograms of pork, shoulder-cut, meaning “double fly”.
6. Fish. Two pair of fish to bring “fish smell”, same pronunciation as “lively air.”
7. Coconut. Two pair of coconut, which pronounced as “ye zi”, same as “grandfather and son.”
8. Wine or liquor, four bottles together.
9. Four Peking Dried Fruits, dragon eyes, leechy, chestnuts, shelled peanuts, contained in a red, wooden decorated box named Tie Box. Other items in the Tie Box include lotus seeds, lily, cypress leaf, sesame, red beans, green beans, red dates, and red string, Li Shi money, dragon-phoenix candles a pair, and red banners one set.
10. Raw fruit, certain amount, to indicate “sheng”, a word to express liveliness.
11. Bin Lang, two pairs.
12. Tea, two cans. Tea is planted with seeds. Tea as a gift implies that the family will have more seeds after the wedding.