盛大的中西合壁婚礼

 

中秋节，当天的主题不只有团圆，还有爱！因为我是朋友M的伴娘，全程直击了这个盛大的中西合壁的婚礼。

早5点摸黑起床，6：30至M家。化妆师抵家为M的众家人及我化妆。间隙中，M的姐姐已准备好为长辈敬茶所需的材料，红枣、花生、桂圆、莲子、百合，取其“百年好合，早生贵子”的好意头。而我也在准备折磨新郎的"Taste of life（生活五味）"——将代表酸甜苦辣咸的柠檬、糖、咖啡、芥末和盐掺杂一起泡水。

新郎L携伴郎团近9点才到，迟到半小时，为不错过吉时，原本预留了一小时的挑战新郎项目只有缩减。因不晓得有怎样的难关待闯，L一行居然戴了安全头盔全束武装的出现于门口。一伴娘大乐，说：原本还只想让他们做push-up就好了，既然如此装扮，不让他们做倒立都对不住众人了。L颇为配合，与伴郎团合作证明了自己的健康。

第二关，便是“生活五味”。其实我还是仁慈的，下调料时并未下重手，以至于L一行喝完后还一副意尤未尽的模样，大呼“tasty”。

第三关，“Declaration of Love(爱的宣言) ”。我拿出预先写好的肉麻情书，要L大声朗读，必须能让在二楼等候的M听到，并且还要找6个见证人签名。当然，不能是在场的亲朋好友，必须是邻居或是路人。情书内容当然是有益于新娘的，例如“如果你累了，我将包揽所有家务。”：）想象一下，周日早晨，生活区路上难见路人，于是最难的考验到了。L只好穿梭于小区内，狂敲邻居的门，很兴奋地告诉他们结婚喜讯，之后请他们当见证人签字。

怕误吉时，所以L勇闯三关后，众伴娘放行。接着便是上楼接穿着龙凤呈祥裙褂的新娘，双双跪下给长辈敬茶。看着子女成家，两位长辈自是百感交集，两泪涟涟。现场气氛一度很煽情。

其后，M在红伞的庇护下上了车。中式礼仪宣告结束，转战湖边的西式wedding ceremony。我陪M进小木屋里换衣，由中式裙褂改为西式婚纱。装点完毕后，在悠扬的钢琴声中，花童、伴娘伴随着新娘缓缓入场。此刻新郎L及伴郎团已经在前台的右侧就位。行至前台，伴娘们于左侧一字排开，面对宾客。而新郎新娘则双双背对宾客，面对前台中央的牧师。之后便是电视里常见的镜头，宣誓交换婚戒。不过不同的是，所有的言论都是英文和粤语双译，以确保宾客都能听懂。

双方长辈发言，新郎新娘发言。对于这个环节，此时我还一直心怀内疚。因为料到新娘在母亲发言时有可能会哭，准备了纸巾在包里。可进场时，身着礼服双手持花却忘了带纸巾。眼看着M抹泪，却无计可施，实在失职。幸亏台下，M的姐姐悄悄递上了纸巾。

宣誓仪式结束后，便是众人拍照。接着，便是Lunch buffet。其间，新郎新娘及亲朋好友会发表speech。谈及一些新郎及新娘的故事。因为L是法裔，所以除了中英文，主持人有时还调侃一下法语。之后的Slide show，展示新郎新娘小时候的照片及成长历程。

然后，作为Matron of Honour的我，也得发言。和best man一起toast。此刻正是“酒酣时”，而从未发表过toast的我，却偏偏准备了一篇结构完整、颇有speech之风的toast。真是惭愧，当霹哩啪啦说完英文，还想翻译成中文时，众人已经开始举杯cheers!惟有作罢。

所以说，为什么老外有很强的演讲能力？这就是原因，因为他们无论任何场合都需要说上几句。比如学校的作业，做完了需要上台presentation；哪怕是结婚，也需要面对几百号宾客滔滔不绝。所以，倘若中国人也遵循如此程序，那么便不再羞于presentation。

另外，Lunch间隙还是才艺大展示的时间。L和几个朋友又弹又唱又吹，有的宾客跟随节拍起舞，甚是热闹。这和中式婚礼上的敬酒、劝酒、灌酒截然不同。

下午5时左右，M再换回中式裙褂，送客。这便代表着wedding ceremony的结束。

婚礼之后，我发现，也许我会忘了婚礼的进程、宾客的服装、菜色的味道、湖边的景致……但那些点点滴滴的speech里的小故事，却印象深刻。这些小故事无论是发生新郎新娘小时候，或是发生他们与父母朋友之间，或是发生于新郎新娘之间，你都可以体会到说故事的人与故事主角间那浓浓的爱——无论是亲情、友情、或是爱情。因为那些故事记载了他们共同度过的瞬间~~而且他们依旧记忆犹新……

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隆重推荐，尚未结婚的朋友们，可以借鉴一下婚礼上speech的方式。那么你可以感受到那种浓浓的、满满的、被化不开的爱包围的滋味~~

另外，以下是准备多日，但大部分并未派上用场的——整新郎、闹洞房的tips。仅供参考~~

Open-door Game
> (1) Sing a love song to the bride loudly and all the groomsmen dancing with the song.
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> (2) Taste of life: Acid, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty---put Lemon, honey, wasabi, coffee and salt together, let the groom drink it!
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> (3) Test of Memory: first time meet, first time kiss, the day to proposal….remind the groom to celebrate these important days with the bride in their lives.
>
> (4) The declaration of Love: prepare a special paper which is filled with the declaration of Love. The groom has to read them loudly to Bride and then find 9 people to sign it as the witness.
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> (5) Test of Health: The goomsman laying on the ground, and the groom has to finish 20 push-ups above him. Also, we will put one potato chip on the goomsman’s lip. After the groom done, he has to eat the potato chip. Hahahaaaa….
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> (6) Hiding one of the bride’s shoes, after the groom come into the house, he has to find the shoe and put it on the bride’s foot with one-leg kneeling.

Lunch game

1) Trivia Test
Have some questions about the bride and or groom ready to be asked and see how well they know each other.
 (Questions can include
1.       What's your favorite food?
2.       What’s your favorite movie?
3.       If the groom were a superhero, who would he be?
4.       What was the date of your first kiss, date?
5.       Where did you go on your first date?
6.       What animal would the groom/bride compare you to?
 For every answer the bride or groom correctly gets, give him/her a Hershey's kiss, for everyone wrong give him/her a stick of chewing gum.)
 
2) Blindfold the groom and hide candies on the bride's body. The groom has to find the candy with his mouth. : p
3) Guess the Bride - Blindfold the groom and present him with 5 barefooted persons. He must guess which feet belong to the bride. Choose anyone but the bride to be among the 5 persons. In fact, this is really funny if they are all men.
4) Guess the Groom - Blindfold the bride and ask her to feel 5 men's faces to guess which belongs to the groom. Choose anyone but the groom to be among the 5 persons.
5) The Shoe Game - The bride and groom sit back-to-back at the front of the room. Each takes off one shoe. The emcee asks a series of questions, like "Who is the better cook" and "Who will end up taking the garbage out all the time?" and the bride and groom respond when appropriate with a raising of their shoe. It's especially funny when both of them raise their shoes.