ISpyShanghai

My workmate Steven got married at the weekend.

Having been to a Chinese wedding, I now realise that my brother’s nuptials at Christmas were great and all, but missed a whole bunch of things that a real wedding (like Steven’s) has:

• a bubble machine
• fireworks on the tables
• menu including fried snake and jellyfish in chili oil
• small ornamental tree covered in good wishes from your friends and family
• three changes of wedding outfits culminating in a karaoke performance from the bride and groom
• a trivia quiz with questions about the happy couple (”What year did they first meet?” etc)

Tradition dictates that the bride and groom drink a toast with each of the 20 tables (200 guests, it was a big do) and since Steven is a bit of a lightweight in the booze department, he had asked me along to help him out with this drinking in the official role of King Drinker.
I was a bit nervous as I had images of burly northern Chinese fellas forcing me to neck huge glasses of rice wine, but it turned out I wasn’t needed. Steven cleverly prepared a red wine bottle filled with Blackcurrant juice which he used as a decoy- (it really is a different world isn’t it?).

Emma chats to the parents of the bride as fireworks in the center of the tables take out children’s eyes

It was a lot of fun and I went home with a beanbag frog (don’t ask). Totally different from a western wedding though as everything happens in a restaurant (religion not being as popular as food here), the whole wedding certificate and photos were already finished weeks before the big day, so the remainder was a mish-mash of old Chinese traditions (red clothes, packets of festive cigarettes provided on the tables), and things they’d seen on “Friends” (a champagne fountain, ring ceremony performed by a friend of the couple).

It was lots of fun, and if you’re reading this Steven- enjoy a long and happy life together with your lovely new missus!