Wedding wits

The saying “weddings are made in heaven” may be true though some receptions can be one helluva experience. One such affair unfolded a couple of years back at a wedding reception.

A beautiful lawn along the school premises was all set to welcome the bride, groom and the guests. The evening’s cool soothing breeze along with the soft music set a perfect mood for the invitees. The lights all around the dais were at their sparkling best. The elegant floral décor added to the heavenly look. The wooden podium was balancing huge pieces of timber, lined with flowers, enormous boards bearing the names of the couple and the two royal chairs, left a tiny path for the cake and visitors to flow through. As the evening progressed, the winds picked up… the precariously balanced planks bearing the names on the two corners, began to shiver. After calming and placing them down, the floral panels began to wobble unevenly. Fearing the safety of his equipment, the DJ quickly fastened them with some cables and cords.

Meanwhile, the friends and family, waiting for the newlyweds were done discussing the extended family, friends, maids, weather, politics and even tourism.

A few minutes later, the eager crowd sighting the wedded couple from afar at once rose to congratulate, bless and savour the delights respectively but were at once put back in their places and the priest was summoned for the prayer and blessing.

Before even a fragment of the preacher’s speech flowed through the microphone, the bunch rose once again and stood still on either side of the stage leaving a handful of children to listen and acknowledge the sermon. Later, when the reverend turned around, he was puzzled to find no way back as folks and bestowals blocked the way now. A group of early birds lined on either side of the stage, and a sea of people behind were struggling to get at least a foothold on the step.

The lone photographer, bending and balancing himself on a small stool tried several attempts to capture the couple tete-a-tete but was unsuccessful and waved desperately at the extra members who promptly poured onto the already overloaded steps. Unable to bear the weight, the first step cracked. The adjustment was quick as all members on the following steps balanced well on one foot. With a major wave climbing onto the summit, the others hurriedly rattled behind finding their ground on the last two uneven steps. With two big families ahead of us exiting, we finally made it to the top.

Though marriage is a significant step for a couple beginning their journey together, this wedding reception enlightened me a little about the strengths of other steps as well.

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