090609 ... the ninth of June 2009 ... a day most special it was. On this day, she gladly took my name. On this day, I blissfully made her mine. On this day, we joyously signed a contract of lifetime commitment and fidelity witnessed by law as well as our immediate families.
The day began early enough. At 6:30am, my Blackberry’s alarm blared prompting me to excitedly jump outta bed. Every single tooth was polished gleaming clean, the face thoroughly washed and shaven neat, the body fragrantly soaped and the hair tediously gelled.
I slipped into my crisp black G2000 shirt followed by the fitting grey Zara suit and did a once over in front of the mirror. Satisfied with what I saw, I drove over to her place.
The image of her walking gracefully down from the spiral staircase of her home was one of wholesome beauty. She looked utterly gorgeous in her grey and black knee length dress and our attires complimented each other wonderfully well indeed if I may say so myself.
We took a slow drive to the Registration Ministry at Putrajaya with her family tailing behind. Just as I was slotting my car into the parking lot, my family called to inform that they’ve already arrived.
All of us met up in front of the Marriage Department and exchanged pleasant greetings. Also present was Edwin, the photographer I hired for the ceremony. Because my dad knew the Deputy Director of the department, we didn’t have to wait long in the queue. Soon we surrendered our identity cards for verification and an administrative fee of RM30.00.
Before being ushered into the ceremonial room, SY realised she had forgotten to bring along the engagement ring. (We decided to reserve the wedding ring for the church ceremony). So lo and behold, we ‘borrowed’ my mom’s wedding band and you know what, it fitted SY’s finger perfectly. Furthermore, with my parents celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, it’s said to be an excellent omen and we shall continue the tradition of settling into a long lasting blissful marriage.
We took our seats in front of the registrar and our dads also doubling as our respective witnesses flanked our sides while the rest of the family took their places on the audience seatings.
The entire ceremony lasted a good 10 minutes or so with us saying a few ‘I Do’s and ‘I Will’s before putting our name to paper on the marriage certificate. Rings were exchanged and we sealed the ‘deal’ with a beautiful kiss while Edwin flashed his magic all over. Our families cheerfully applauded and we had some time soon after for more portrait shots in and out of the building.
So there you go, that was our register of marriage, a simple procedure with a profound meaning and implication when two becomes one. We carry a responsibility for each other as man and wife ... for better or worse, till death do us part.
Our first meal as legal husband and wife was egg on toast, fried mee hoon and ‘cham’ ice. It tasted divine. :)
After breakfast, my family went over to SY's place for the traditional handing over of the dowry and all its accompanying items. We brought over liquor, roasted pork, fruits, some old wives tale essentials, ang pows and of course the dowry moolah just to name a few. Almost everyting including yours truly were draped in red signifying a celebratory occasion as well as ushering in good luck and prosperity.
We adjourned for lunch at Imperial Palace soon after before SY, our brothers and I went for an impromtu karaoke session. We had tonnes of fun and it was a wonderful way to celebrate our ROM.
Note : Actually we have better photos to post up but the sizes are simply too large. *grumble grumble* >:(
