Men enjoy weddings too, as hard it is to believe that. Amidst all the mushiness and cheesiness, there’s food galore, oh and pretty girls too (heck if any of them is single). But seriously, yes, we men love weddings as well. Let’s face it, deep inside of us; we still have that soft spot that makes us want to cry whenever we see how beautiful the bride is as she walks down the aisle to meet the man of her dreams. And that look on the groom’s face, that triumphant and teary-eyed facial expression as the girl he had always longed for approaches him to give herself only to him, it’s the look that although we don’t want to admit just yet, one that we somehow dream would come into our faces as well… when the right time comes. I have been to three weddings already (which kind of make me feel so old): two of which are from my cousins; one from my mom’s side of the family, the other from my dad’s; and the last from one of my best-friends in high-school. All of which made me feel the longing to have my own celebration as well (own wedding still gives me the shivers). These weddings, the couples’ stories of how they met give me hope: hope that love exists. To witness how two different people are willing to take the risk of the risks just to be with that very person that they love the most, is one of the greatest joys in life.
However, weddings aren’t all about the cheesiness and lovey-doves of the couples as we also have the funny part: the traditions (sorta). Back in the old days, the bride would throw her bouquet of flowers and the person who catches it is said to be the next to marry… same goes with the guy who catches the garter that the groom throws after retrieving it from her bride. Nowadays, they’ve tweaked the tradition a little bit to make it more interesting, and I was a victim of these certain changes, not just once, but TWICE!
The first instance happened at my cousin JV’s wedding. All bachelors were told to line up for the garter thingy. I was kinda hoping for a traditional garter throwing so I wouldn’t have to fight my way and catch it because I am the very least interested as I’ve seen no one to my liking, and I also hate the attention. But to my horror, we were made to eat one hefty banana and who finishes last is gonna be the one to be executed, I mean, to be THE guy. Guess who the UN-lucky one was? To make things worse, they don’t just pick the girl, but they made the picking a little bit more attention-grabbing! They had me seated on a chair and have the set of bachelorettes walk around me as if they’re playing a revised version of trip-to-Jerusalem. The thing is, they don’t sit on my lap. A banana, yes, a banana is placed in between the victim’s, errrr, my legs, and the girls should hold on to it after the song goes like they’re holding on to dear life. It’s a process of elimination. The one who’s able to grab my banana, I mean, the banana is eliminated from the game. And boy, it was one hell of a game, I’m telling you! The next part was even more dreadful since I have to dance my way from a distance towards the unlucky girl. Goodness gracious, I don’t and I can’t dance! Have a stick dragged beside me and one wouldn’t be able to tell the difference! I was screaming inside to have them people just kill me that instant! The wearing of the garter wasn’t so much a bad thing since I had to just insert it below the girl’s knee and she was also eager to have it finished fast.
The next tragedy, errr, instance, happened on another of my cousins wedding, Ate Dyan’s. I thought I would once again die when the bachelors are called to line up for the very exciting garter throwing game! If I could just peacefully eat my meal on the table, I would have been the happiest person in that wedding, next to the bride and groom. I was exultant to know that it would indeed be a game of just throwing off the garter and a bachelor catches it and the game ends. To my shock, it was yet again tweaked and the guy who catches it first gets eliminated from the death sentence, I mean game! Seeing as most of the other bachelors are way taller and bigger than I am, some shorter but evidently more athletic and fast, guess who the loser is who didn’t have the chance to catch the most sought after garter in the world? Yes… moi! It seems though as if all the guys wanted to be eliminated like they’re gonna be meeting Mrs. Shrek if they don’t. I expected the trip-to-Jerusalem –like amusement again for the girls since they had me seated on a lone chair in the middle of all the chaos, sans the banana. This time, the girls would really have to sit on my lap and it was an experience to remember! I was afraid that my legs would snap into two but luckily, they didn’t. The next part was even more outrageous even without the dancing! I was to use my teeth in holding the garter! Again, it wasn’t all that bad except the attention from the crowd is killing me! One can only imagine how I feel! Hehe. Whew!
Despite all the horrors that these weddings bring, I still do want to get married someday (so that I could get back on those bastards and throw my garter to the next unlucky man, bwahaha). My mom was reliving earlier with me of how she and my dad got married. It was really funny of how she got tricked into marrying him the first time, and the second time (yes they were married twice)! On a more serious note, I have been a witness as to how things aren’t as simple as having a wedding and things would be great for two people for the rest of their lives after being wedded. These people would still and are still going through difficulties; some married couples end up breaking apart, and some end up hating each other. But in spite of everything and all the negativity that a married life entails, I still wish of having a wedding and being married to the person I love someday… because there is more to it than just plain negativity, there’s magic! I have so much love to give and these weddings and stories of love and marriages ignite my longing to one day be able to tell the world and show them how proud a groom and a husband I can be. It may still be a very far away episode from my story as I still have to look for my bride, but when the time comes for it to finally happen, for me to finally meet her, for us to share our vows and promises of a life together, forever, I’d be the happiest man on the planet.


