Bevlyn’s thoughts: All I Ask of You
We were introduced to Elise because my primary school friends, Jane and Huimin, recommended us to her. Elise (local Singaporean girl) met Guillaume (French), through work in 2001. Their wedding celebration was a memorable one for me because it was another of those occasions when I can test my French and put it to good use.
Guillaume first gave a moving speech in French, thanking his family members and friends, especially his brother, for being present at his wedding. Then to everyone’s surprise, he faced the other direction of the hall and spoke in Mandarin to Elise’s friends and family. It was totally comprehensible – he thanked the family for welcoming him into the family, and what left the biggest impression on me was him thanking the mother “谢谢你不介意把婚礼摆在七月” (Thank you for allowing us to have the wedding in the 7th month)..
Elise also gave a very heartfelt speech to her family, all the while trying her very best not to let the tears flow. She thanked especially her two sisters for helping and being with her all through the years. She also thanked her mother for instilling positivity among the three sisters, and even paralleled their positivity and bonding amongst themselves to the Powerpuff girls. Elise said to her mother that even though Guillaume couldn’t speak Mandarin, he had nevertheless helped her win the 4D 1st price when she combined Elise and Guillaume’s age for the number!
To her new family, Elise turned to them and spoke in French, thanking them for welcoming her into the family. She promised to improve on her French so that she could talk to Guillaume’s mother one day.
The speeches are always what gives a wedding the real touch. Guillaume’s good friend also gave a very interesting speech, paralleling Elise and Guillaume with Singapore and French culture (food and language in particular), drawing good laughs from the guests. It dawned on me that for the many weddings that I’ve done for couples with a Caucasian spouse, the sisters never fail to think of durians as an obstacle during gatecrashing. For Guillaume’s case, they actually had to open durians with, guess what, chopsticks!
Elise’s good friends also gathered courage to bring joy to the occasion by offering to perform a few songs for the couple. Leo and Joanne, with their crystal-clear voices, duet on a tough but crowd-pleasing song “All I ask of you”, to thunderous applause. They then followed up with a more light-hearted number “Grow Old With You”. Another friend, Sam, delivered with his smooth vocals the mandarin classic “月亮代表我的心” (The moon represents my heart), and kudos to Sam, he even changed the lyrics to English in the second half of the song just so that the non-Chinese among the audience could appreciate the meaning of the song. He finished his performance with the popular hit “童话” (Fairytale).
It was certainly a night filled with fun, music and great food! Even the cake-cutting ceremony was different – it was a fountain of ice-cream balls lookalike with firelight sticks sticking onto them. Everyone was wondering about the French significance behind this special cake, but the emcee joked that he could find no one (not even a French) in the room who could help explain! (Elise told me later on that it’s called croquembouche.
During my chat with Jane and Huimin, I was astonished to find out that Guillaume is a mahjong expert, and even butchered everyone with his winnings during the Chinese New Year mahjong sessions! LOL.
Thank you Elise and Guillaume for having us at your wedding, we are truly honoured to be a part of the celebration. Félicitation!
Band: Belvyn, James, Shou-jie
Repertoire:
Kiss Me, Somebody, Wonderful Tonight, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Stand By Me, Wishin’ and Hopin’, Besame Mucho, Dream A Little Dream, Girl From Ipanema, My Baby Just Cares For Me, Sway, The Way You Look Tonight, What A Wonderful World, Quando Quando Quando, C’est Si Bon, La Vie En Rose, 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), Grow Old With You, All I Ask Of You, 童话 (Fairytale), Lovin’ You, Kiss Me Honey Honey Kiss Me
Compliments from Couple:
Hi Bev,
Thanks for attending our wedding! Apologies if not everything went according as planned. I hope u and your band had fun still. Din have a chance to thank u in person, the day just flashed by in a blur. Just wanna let u know u guys were great!
Our guests really enjoyed your performances and were especially thrilled to hear classic French songs 🙂 Sam cannot stop singing praises of your pianist, he must be really talented. Thanks so much for adding joy to our wedding! I really really appreciate it! I am sure I will see u again perhaps at Jane or Huimin’s wedding!
Cheers to happy weddings!
Elise
