Mazel Tov!

UPDATE: here's a pic, AFTER the wedding. hehe! hanep sa pose ano, pang billboard kami ni mister. mwehehehe! =P
we attended a Jewish wedding last Sunday, it was fun, and very interesting. but before i go on, don't kill me for not having any pics taken, we forgot the camera coz we were running late. =P

before we entered the temple (looks like a regular auditorium/church to me), the guys were made to wear a yarmulke or a skull cap. je asked if it was necessary. i think if it wasn't, he would pass on that one. but out of respect for their tradition, he wore one. the bridal march was the same as with the traditional Catholic wedding, but as soon as the bride reached the "altar", she circled the groom several times.

the ceremony went on. most of the time, the cantor was chanting some prayers, which we believe are probably Yiddish, Hebrew or Aramaic. i have no way of knowing, i'm just guessing based on the most widely spoken and written Jewish languages. hehe! their marriage certificate was HUUUGE! as in really huge, about the size of the regular cartolina in Pinas. after the ceremonies, the groom stepped on a napkin-wrapped glass and shattered it. after that, we headed to the reception at a beach resort. =)

after almost an hour of sun-bathing in the grotto area for cocktails, we were finally seated at a table, near the speakers. hehehe! we can barely hear each other, so i only opted to talk to je and leah (wife of eric, je's business partner and friend). but you know americans, they are a friendly bunch, so the 3 other couples at the table cooked up introduction and short talks.

one of the guys turned out to be 3/4 Pinoy (as he claimed). when the other guests asked him about Pinas, he commented something like "the culture stinks, little kids running around naked, stuff like that". i would've opened my mouth to rebutt him, but i wasn't sure of what to say. i could've told him Manila is not the only place in the Philippines, there are other places to go that can even surpass the beauty of places here in the US. i could've told him to visit palawan, we've been there and we haven't seen a more beautiful place than that. but it was too late, the food was being served, and i feel like bringing up the topic would only sound defensive. for all i know he must've meant it as a joke. still, something hurts. i figured, none of the americans seem to buy his comments anyways, one couple even offered to go with him (and his gf) if he would visit. he later on "blamed" that he was raised in the US that's why he only knows what he's being told about Pinas.

anyways, back to the reception, the food was great. we wondered if it was kosher, but we don't really care, as long as everything's tasty and fresh. =) after the dinner, there were dancing and stuff. i discovered one sure way of making people dance: the emcee announced "all men who brought a beautiful date should be on the dancefloor. if you think your date is not beautiful enough, stay seated." hehehe! and sure enough, almost everybody was on the dancefloor. hehehe! je and i were on the dancefloor too, otherwise, you know where he'll be sleeping that night. =P it was the first time we danced as a couple, other than during our wedding day itself.

there was a game, all couples were to slowdance. then they asked couples married 5 years or less to get seated. we got eliminated right away, and this went on until it was 57 years or less. there was one couple left after that call. they have been married for 62(?) years! the woman's advise to the new bride was "listen to what he says". well, all men cheered expectedly. =P

then, they observed a tradition where they have the couple sit on chairs, and the guests will carry them high up in the air. i thought it was a disaster waiting to happen, the kind of stuff you only see on America's Funniest Videos. thank goodness the couple held on as they were hoisted up in the air! it was fun to watch, and when they were on solid ground again, there was a lot of dancing in circles and other traditional "moves".

sitting near the speakers wasn't that bad at all. if you won't be able to dance, the next best thing is to hear the songs in full volume. =)