(no longer) LOST IN JAPAN: Wedding Bells Ring, Are You Listening?

2006-03-12

Wedding Bells Ring, Are You Listening?

Sunday was Uesugi-sensei's wedding reception and what a wonderful party it turned out to be. Saturday morning I went to Laura's for advice on dresses. Then I went shopping for accessories... (weddings are expensive...) Then I spent the afternoon at the Moritanis practicing and perfecting my speech (although it wasn't as perfect as I would have liked it to be...) . Kimiyo had picked up the money envelope for me and showed me the proper form for handing it it to the receptionist at the reception. When I got home, I got everything ready for the wedding, got my clothes out, put everything in my purse, checked my train ticket for the departure time from Yagi (15:25) and then watched Lost: Season 1 DVD disk 1 (again) then went to bed.

Sunday morning I wake up. Watch Disk 2. Have shower. Then I check my ticket again. !?!?!?!?!?!?! CRAP!!! The departure time is 14:39 from Yagi and the ARRIVAL is 15:25 in KYOTO!!!! What time is it now?! 13:50!?!?!?! Crap Crap Crap CRAP!!! I get dressed in five minutes, throw all my make up in my handbag (I'll do it on the train like any other good Japanese girl), grap my umbrella (because of course it was raining) and run out of the house with my hair in a clip still dripping wet... I made the train with time to spare though.^^

The reception was held in THE SODOH HIGASHIYAMA near Yasaka Shrine. We could even see the 5-storey pagoda from the door of the reception hall. It was a really nice, very Japanese, setting. Uesugi-sensei looked beautiful, the food was fantastic, and although I was really nervous, I still had a great time. My speech was one of the last on the programme so it was dessert by the time my turn came around. I was feeling a little bit better by that time because after the "KANPAI", people had stopped listening to the other speeches... However, being the only foreigner in the room, when I stood up to make my speech, obviously the entire room goes silent. Yay. The speech went well I think. I made a few mistakes but everyone laughed at the right parts so I guess they understood my delivery.

After my speech, the MC tells Otsuka (nee Sakai) sensei to sit down. I follow but the MC says "Samansa-sama, sonomama de itte kudasai"... Samantha, stay where you are. Then she says that the bride and groom have a present for me. Uesugi sensei stands up and says (in English): "Thank you for coming to our wedding. Your birthday was last week so I have a present for you." And then she hands me her bouquet and whispers,"You're the next bride!" I was so completely and totally surprised. I hadn't expected anything like that. Anyway, apparently in Japan, the bride doesn't usually throw the bouquet. She gives it to the person whom she wants to see married next... So although being given the bouquet may not count in Canada... it certainly has meaning here... I don't know whether to be thankful or terrified. The flowers are really pretty though.

At the end of the wedding, everyone got parting gifts. I got a really nice Mikimoto lip brush with a pearl and a box of what I thought was gourmet cream cheese but turned out to be cheesecake. REAL CHEESECAKE. Not the Japanese immitation cheesecake. The box said "Special Cream Cheese" but the ribbon was hiding the part that said "CAKE" so I didn't realize until I opened it. I was pleasantly surprised. And with that, my first (and probably only) experience at a Japanese wedding came to an end. I leave you with pictures.

The reception hall.

The Yasaka Shrine pagoda seen from the entrance.

Sakai-sensei, Ougino-sensei, me and Wagatsuma-sensei standing in the cold rain.

The wooden wedding welcome board (how's that for alliteration). Hand-made by Uesugi-sensei's parents.

The newlyweds.

Cutting the wedding cake (really tasty wedding cake by the way...)

The newlyweds with the KSHS teachers.

The newlyweds with KSHS principal and vice-principal (and teachers). Halfway through the reception they changed from western style into traditional Japanese dress.