The Perfect Wedding
2 December 2006 - Hong Kong
The perfect wedding – that’s a strong statement to make, but in my eyes – pardon me, in OUR eyes, it definitely was. Weeks and months of planning culminated in a superb day – in every aspect.
The biggest – and in fact only – worrying factor was the weather. It had been cold, dark and rainy in the weeks leading up to the big day and given that a large part of the wedding took place outdoors I had been following the Observatory's website closer than the progress of the Hang Seng index. On Thursday morning the “sun with clouds” picture for Saturday was suddenly removed with a “sun only” picture. Yes, things were looking good and indeed, Saturday December 2nd turned out to be the best day in many weeks. Not a cloud on the horizon.
I started the day with breakfast with my brother Andre who flew in the night before from Munich – just for the wedding. We ate fresh Brezen from Munich and mused about the day ahead. “Are you nervous?” Andre asked me and frankly, no, I wasn’t. 'Excited' was the right word as I had gone through the rundown of the wedding a million times in my head. With the skies blue, there was nothing stopping this day from being an absolute blast.
Next stop was the tailor to pick up the tux for Andre, for my dad, Jimmy, my best man, Martin and Mei’s father and brother. The lady at the tailor complemented Jimmy on his green hair, which went really well with the black tuxedo.
After a quick haircut and short lunch, it was time to move to Repulse Bay. The crew of the Liechtenstein Princely Navy would assemble at 1400hrs to prepare for the journey by dragon boat to deliver the groom at the Repulse Bay pier. Meanwhile, Best Man Martin was on the way to pick up all the overseas family by bus. At 1500hrs the Navy crew united with a contingent of Sailors from AIA Southside Massive Urban Gorillaz (SMUGs) to fully man the 44 capacity “big dragon”. The Liechtenstein Princely Navy had never paddled on a big dragon before and it was quite an experience. The drumming Admiral almost fell into the water upon the initial take-off – such was the awesome power of this vessel. We cruised up and down Repulse Bay a number of times before rushing the dragon onshore three times – an old tradition. CTA Charlie, commanding the boat from the stern was very worried about hitting the rocks, but we stayed well clear.
Back on the lawn of the Repulse Bay, groom and guests were getting excited about the upcoming ceremony. But where was the Navy? Were they lost or returned to the ice-cold Foster’s? And suddenly, out of nowhere, the entire crew appeared out of nowhere in complete formal white Navy uniforms, including hats, gloves and full regalia, marching down the isle. Short of the appearance of the bride herself, it was the most beautiful and moving moment of the day. Something like “Top Gun meets Four Weddings and a Funeral” (without the funeral part, of course). Absolutely fantastic! It turned what was already a perfect day into the absolutely most memorable experience ever. The boys in white looked very sharp and the single ladies in the audience were clearly getting very excited!!!
As the sun set on the horizon and to the tune of the String Quintet In E Op. 13 No. 5: Minuet, Nicole, the flower girl and Oliver, the page boy, walked down the aisle followed by a stunningly beautiful bride in a simple, yet magnificent dress and veil. It was a fantastic moment and it was followed by a simple yet sincere and touching ceremony conducted by Geoff Booth. We exchanged our vows, put the rings on the proper fingers (well rehearsed) and the groom kissed the bride as our band man, Fast Frank, started to play “Better Man” by Robbie Williams. Time to sign the marriage certificate and off to start the 5-hour drinking package! I certainly needed a drink (another one!) by now!
We took plenty of pictures with everybody during the cocktail, but it was of course the Navy that caught all the attention. It was hard to resist the boys in white.
Then it was time for Mei and I to do the traditional tea ceremony, whereby we had to kneel down in front of various parents and family members to serve them tea and receive lai see packets in return. Jimmy very much enjoyed being served tea twice!!
Having been properly humbled by the experience, it was now time start the dinner at the Verandah as the guests settled on their tables – named in accordance with the naval theme of the day, such as HMS Wanchai and HMS Distressed.
The main entertainment of the night – other than the music and dancing – was of course the speeches. They covered anything from childhood episodes to dramatic tales of empire building to a couple of Welsh speeches that sounded great but nobody understood to many short, funny, sweet, sincere and highly appreciated comments from different quarters. Well done, everybody!
After the traditional cake cutting – and man, that was a cake, it must have contained at least a million calories – it was time for the first dance. We had requested Fast Frank to play “Angels” by Robbie Williams because it was the song that played when I proposed to Mei in Boracay last Chinese New Year. He did a fantastic job and soon the crowd joined in.
From there, the dancing got wilder and wilder and Frank and the band kept the party going for a long time. He announced the “last song” many times but was easily swayed to put in another one. “Celebrations” was finally top off with another rendition of “In the Navy” as the bells rang midnight and a great long day was coming to an end.
As the Navy and guests took off in the party bus to Wanchai, the Admiral and Commander headed home by Bentley Continental R, which is a sublime experience in itself. Having carried the bride through the doorway, I then had to first clear the corridor of many cups of soil that were placed there in a very artistic manner. Remember to change your locks before you get married!
Meanwhile, the Navy partied on in Wanchai where apparently the boys were more popular then ever – thanks to their pristine uniforms. And given that Mei and I first met in a bar in Lan Kwai Fong late one night, who knows, maybe one of the single Sailors may have found his future wife that night (or maybe not…)
Go Back