Hitched Wihout a Hitch

so the wedding has finally come and gone, and it went very well. i arrived at the hair salon at about 10.30 to help takami get into her dress. she had a whole team of hairdressers and photographers and makeup artists there. one girl was simply holding the can of hairspray and passing it to the hairdresser as required.

then on to the venue, where there was a drive by pick up of the bouquet from another 'team' on the side of the road on the way there. it was so good to have the old crew together, erik louis and peter. the ceremony was very cute, i think it was a little held up because takami was crying, her and michael both cried and made me wanna cry. she read him a poem, and of course tried her best but she was crying a little and couldnt focus on her language skills, but she still did a brilliant job.

the ceremony was very short, they didnt have a celebrant or anything, they had an MC, and they didnt exchange rings, just read their vows to each other and then kissed. after that they signed the certificate and had it witnessed. all done!

after the ceremony, they had photos and then takami had her hairstyle changed, and some more photos, then they started the reception. there were speeches and a champagne tower and i read a poem that made michael and many of the other english speakers cry (i was fighting the tears myself!). it was an apache wedding prayer:

Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.

Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two persons, but there are three lives before you. His life , her life, and the life you make together.
May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years,
May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth.

Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together.
Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your love deserves.
When frustration, difficulties and fear assail your relationship - as they threaten all relationships at one time or another - remember to focus on what is right between you, not only the part which seems wrong.
In this way, you can ride out the storms when clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives - remembering that even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is always there.
And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

michael said he was looking at me, but he had to stare at my watch, not my face or he was going to lose it. bless him.

i got to dance with takamis gorgeous brother, koji. so yummy, he has the same pouty lips that takami has that just look sooo kissable. and then at the party that night i sat next to him. so gorgeous, and he tries so hard with his english, i hope i get to hang out with him again (he has a girlfriend, so no go there -but maybe cute friends???).

on another note, patricias latest friend she had to visit, shelly, was awesome. we got along really well (shes canadian not american...), so i cant wait to see her again. she just left this morning. we had an excellent night of extreme karaoke last night, my throat is soo sore today, i belted out evanescence -going under, and i totally rocked, but today i am paying for it, i also got in there with some rage against the machine, which was the nail in the coffin i think. and we did some great piri-kura (the crazy photo booths) love it, and so cheap, i will have to do more more more before i leave.

anyway, today is a leisurely day of recovering from a biiig week....