wedding as a stranger

this afternoon went as pi's date to a friend's wedding at the meralco development center. i found the anonymity of everyone around me comforting, and it was surprising to realize that i had enjoyed going to this wedding as a stranger a lot more than past weddings i have been to of friends and relatives. perhaps it was because today there was no pressure on me to begin thinking about weddings myself. perhaps it was because there were no relatives to cluck at me and talk about me approaching spinsterhood. or perhaps it was just because the love of the two people getting married was so great that you couldn't help but be happy for them. i think, though all the reasons were true, the last one is the most true of all. i did not know them, but i took pictures like a crazed relative, wanting to document the lovely afternoon i had spent celebrating the joining of their lives in front of God and everyone.

this particular ceremony had special relevance to me because:

first, it was my first non-catholic wedding ceremony, and my first one actually done outside a church. i knew from books and magazine and tv shows how garden weddings can be so lovely, but sitting in one for real was way better than anything you could ever imagine. the greens, along with the tulle hangings, the lovely flower strewn pathwalk, and the entourage glowing in various shades of pink really set the mood for a perfect ceremony.



the second reason was because my date had a significant role in the wedding: she was the actual person who had introduced the groom to the bride years ago in a leader's conference in baguio. in the couple's own words, she had been intstrumental in their coming together. what was even more lovely about it was her name, which was almost serendipitous. as the groom told the guests, "it was faith (her name) that brought them together, and faith (their religion, both devout christians) that has kept together still.




the ceremony was short and sweet. the wedding itself was very intimate, and i doubt if there were more than a hundred people present, but you could really feel the love and happiness of everyone around them. as pi said, the groom kept on repeating how excited he was to get married to the girl who has kept him so enamored. lovely. my cheeks literally hurt from smiling so much.








pi and i were talking about how nice it was to go to a wedding with someone who wasn't cynical about love and marriage and everything that had to do with it, and i was surprised to realize that i had stopped being cynical without me even realizing it. when had i stopped? i really don't know. what's good is that i am able to be happy for people who have found love again. and that's what's important.