No West African Money Dance, Wedding Precision

8/1/2013

Camille doing Lezil's make up.

For a moment it looked like we wouldn’t be able to attend our friend Nikki’s wedding. The four days leading up to the grand day, Lezil had been struck down with a strong chest and throat infection which made Marge Simpson sound like an angelic chorister.

Lezil had been asked to sing and we were literally pulling every concoction out of the book to try and bring on a speedy recovery. Dinner with some friends on New Year’s Eve was cancelled to maximise rest time and on that New Year’s Day morning, still she was sounding hoarse as we rehearsed in our apartment.

The wedding was in few hours time and I dreaded the thought of putting in a call to the bride telling her, that her main entertainment for the evening was not happening.

This is where the support of good friends really makes or breaks a situation. Get-well texts came through from a number of people. Our Shanghainese mama, Miranda, dropped off a big bag of herbal remedies, a purple shawl and a beautiful dark mink fur coat she bought in Canada. Another friend, Camille, put her background in hair, beauty and well-being into action as she massaged Lezil and readied her by doing a fantastic job on her hair and make-up. Lezil looked every bit of a 1920s superstar during the height of the Shanghai jazz scene.

Swigging back a concentrated fresh lemon and honey mix to soothe her throat, it was late afternoon and time to head to the Hongqiao Gardens – a restaurant complex where the wedding was being held.

Hair and make up by Camille!

The taxi road over, Lezil the superstar in a stylish Canadian mink fur coat.

Patricia, Nikki’s MC and organiser, was waiting for us outside the entrance as our taxi pulled up. “Wow! Your coat is amazing, welcome to the wedding,” she greeted Lezil. This is where the artist manager-side of me kicked in as fired a number of questions at Patricia. I wanted to make sure that everything was in place so that my wife could enjoy her performance.

“So, the wedding will start at 6:18pm,” informed Patricia. Did I hear right? “6:18pm?” I asked her with a puzzled look. She went on to explain that the time reflects lucky Chinese numbers with the ‘six’ in Mandarin (liu) sounding like the word ‘fluid’ implying ease of business and the ‘eight’ (ba) connected with the word ‘prosper’. This sounds all good and well, but in reality, what wedding starts on time? I’ve attended my fair-share of big days, all of which started at varying degrees of lateness. The most patience-testing had to have been a lavish Nigerian wedding I went to in London (UK) which saw guests waiting over three hours until the bride finally appeared.

Whilst I doubted very much I’d be taking part in a West African money dance or eating some jollof rice, I already had in my mind a 7pm kick off. Inside, by some amazing coincidence the colour scheme was white and violet, matching Lezil’s deep purple ball gown. Nikki the bride and her groom Kong were, appropriately, the centre of attention as they welcomed their guests. It was like a red carpet arrival with poster-perfect airbrushed photos of the happy couple prominently displayed as people took turns to pose in the designated picture-taking area.

Guests picture-taking with Nikki the bride and Kong the groom.

Our two names are the only ones not in Chinese characters.

The evening was to start with the wedding ceremony followed by dinner. It was already 5:15pm as we glanced over the seating plan. It was clear that Lezil and I were the only two foreigners in attendance with our names being the only ones not in Chinese characters. Patricia showed us to our table. The hall was a medium sized, L-shaped room with a small stage at the bend of the ‘L’. By the stage stood a three-tiered cake which must have been over a metre tall. On the opposite end was a small champagne glass tower. We ran a quick microphone and track test before sitting.

I was very surprised to see practically all 130 guests already present, enjoying some drinks with still 30 minutes left to the start. The wedding was actually going to hit its intended bull’s eye timing. Lezil was busy downing warm water with lemon and Chinese green tea. Suddenly the Bridal Chorus played from a laptop out back and a line of indoor poppers were let off. I glanced at my mobile. Not a second late, it read “6:18pm”. This was some serious wedding precision. There were no religious elements involved. The short 20 minute ceremony started off with a Kong’s media company boss’ address.

6:18pm on the dot and the couple's wedding ceremony starts.

The bride’s parents went on stage and officially recognised the marital union. Then the couple did a number of ‘love’ acts which included the exchange of rings and the filling of the champagne glass tower. A brief group toast by the attendees and it was all over. The couple then left the room.

Dish, after, dish, after dish came. Seafood, meat, vegetables, congee, noodles and more. Patricia then beckoned Lezil backstage. It was time for her first of two numbers.

Lezil performs at the wedding.

A quick vocal warm up and Lezil was soon walking on stage as the audience applauded. Power ballads are overly popular in China and we thought we’d give them a classic – Vanessa William’s ‘Save The Best For Last’. As soon as the first chorus was sung, clapping had started in acknowledgment of Lezil’s masterful control of her notes and voice projection. It’s always a bit nerve-wracking for me to see my lovely wife up there but never for a moment did I doubt she’d be a hit. Petite, beautiful and clearly talented – she fits the perfect mould to an Asian perception of what a Pop singer should be like.

“Xie xie,” (thank you) said Lezil as she respectfully bowed to the crowd at the end of her song. She came backstage again and we just hugged silently for two minutes. No one at that wedding knew how close we came to cancelling.

The next set of speeches had already started as we settled back in our chairs. Throughout the evening, the couple kept coming and going, each time the bride in a new outfit. She looked stunning in all of them, but it was her third and final one – a traditional red Qipao – that was the most eye-catching. To satisfy Nikki’s request, Lezil’s second performance was a cover of the Carpenter’s ‘On Top of The World’ which got the guests clapping along.

In Western weddings, a highlight is the throwing of the bouquet. The same ideal was adopted but instead of lobbying it backwards over her head, the bride held the bouquet with eight strings (that lucky number again!) dangling below. Eight guests were invited on stage, each holding a string.

With Nikki in her stunning red 'Qipao'.

Counting down, all guests pulled their strings at the same time. The guest holding the one string attached to the bouquet wins. The wedding party then moved from table to table thanking and toasting.

Like the wedding had such a pinpoint start, the ending pretty much followed the same fashion. Barely two hours had gone by and guests were thanking the couple and leaving. It was even shorter than my Nigerian wedding waiting time in London. I did, however, miss – the music, the dancing, the Africanness in celebration and a strong spiritual theme. But as far as Shanghai weddings go, it was a friendly relaxed affair which was also every wedding planner’s dream – exactly on time.