2nd Wedding!

Things have been a whirlwind. 2 days after we got in, we had our 2nd wedding. It turned out to be a really exhausting but fun day. My family did a marvelous job organizing this event and we could not have done it without them, from so far away.

In the morning, there was the customary 'bride snatching' event. Because Kristin's family is from the US, the bride was based in the suite of the hotel. My groomsmen and I had to cross some obstacles before they would let us in to see her, so there was the usual eat-the-wasabe-sandwiches, sing some songs, say I Love You in 10 languages etc.

I thought they let me off the hook pretty easily; after all I didn't have to eat some bug that was injected full of wasabe (yes, dear readers from out of Malaysia, they sometimes do that)(and yes, the girls were planning to do that until my wife put a stop to it).

Animals, these people!

We did the tea ceremony in both the hotel and then again at my parents' home; Kristin's family enjoyed going through it for the first time. The dinner banquet was a blast- 380 friends and family, coming from as far as US, UK, Australia, Canada. Some people I had not seen in 6-7 years; dear friends from medical school, highschool, distant relatives. Though we had fun, it was terribly busy for us so much so that I was only able to eat 3 of the 8 courses. I felt pretty guilty about not being able to spend more time with my friends coming from everywhere (so if you're reading this, sorry!). I guess I hadn't anticipated the amount of hosting I would have to do.

Nonetheless it was great fun. We did a fair deal of dancing too, late into the night after most had left. My older brother was pushing around a bottle of whisky, so we all (including the inlaws) were pretty 'merry' on the dancefloor!
A special bonus was getting to meet some celebrity bloggers for the first time, Suanie and Fireangel drove all the way from KL to attend (thanks, guys!).
It turned out to be a great day. Such a contrast of cultures and traditions compared to our US wedding, but still just as fun. The Olsen family enjoyed it as much as we did. And it was particularly special having fun with our two families, in the presence of dear friends I don't get to see often.
We leave for Singapore in a few hours, then it's off to beautiful Redang island for some R & R. In the meantime, have a good week, folks!