Wedding Reception
The other day, I was invited to the wedding reception of a friend’s daughter.
I wonder how many years it had been since I was last invited to a wedding.
The venue was Happo-en in Shirokane, where my friend and his wife had also held their wedding ceremony.
It had been more than twenty years since I last visited Happo-en for their reception.
How lovely for parent and child to use the same venue.
We were seated with a Singaporean family who are mutual friends of ours.
I do not know what wedding receptions are like these days, but theirs was grand, cheerful, and wonderful.
Many of the bride’s friends wore kimono, giving the entire venue an especially elegant, colorful atmosphere.
Our friends from Singapore were amazed by it as well.
The food was prepared by the executive chef himself in the kitchen right next to the reception hall and brought straight out.
So everything was delicious!!
In particular, the fifth-generation owner’s favorite, Beef Wellington, was exquisite.
Our Singaporean friend Alec also runs a bistro there and is quite discerning about food, but even he was full of praise for Happo-en’s cuisine.
Alec and his family said they wanted to offer a Singapore-style toast in celebration of the bride and groom, so the fifth-generation owner acted as their interpreter? and joined them in the toast.
In Singapore, people toast on happy occasions by saying “Yum Seng.”
Incidentally, “yum” is said to mean “drink,” as in yum cha, while “seng” means success or victory.
It is done with a distinctive call, and everyone joined in enthusiastically.
During the reception, I also had the great honor of speaking with actress Tao Tsuchiya, a friend of the bride’s.
It is a secret that I was moved to tears as if it were my own family when the bride and groom offered words to their parents at the end.
The celebration began in the evening and did not conclude until after 9:00 p.m.
It was a wedding reception filled with happiness for the two of them.
May this happiness last forever.
Congratulations.
