A wedding ceremony is a symbol of two souls joining together as one. The committed couple will live together under the same roof and share life fully. Marriage is more than a wedding ceremony and rings. Love, respect, and kindness are the ingredients to a happy marriage. It’s about committing to a life of loving faithfulness to one another.
Life is a journey filled with lessons, hardships, heartaches, joys, celebrations, the people we meet, and special moments that will ultimately lead us to our destination—our purpose in life.
I used to think that Hannah would never be able to love someone else after being so deeply in love with John, but I was wrong. Even though she had left John for good, he had a special place in her heart. But it didn’t stop her from giving her heart wholly to Chandler.
Her past relationship with John was nothing more than just a memory. She had moved on and fell in love with Chandler, and that was all that mattered.
Their wedding was an unforgettable one.
One fine day she would look back at their wedding day with no regrets.
The palanquin stopped in front of Chandler’s house, which was situated in the suburbs. It was a detached house with a red main door, and there was classic wedding decor on the exterior. Chandler’s parents were already waiting by the gate to welcome the bride.
They came forward and greeted everyone with twinkles in their eyes and a joyous smile on their faces.
The guests and the master of ceremonies spread out and stood on both sides of the gate. With a loud voice, the emcee announced the official start of the wedding ceremony.
It was followed by the loud sound of gongs before the master of ceremonies went on to extend wedding wishes to the couple.
Next, the matchmaker guided the groom to help the bride to get off the palanquin. As the bride and groom held hands, they both crossed over a fire plate. As I took in the novelty of the wedding ceremony, I turned to Ashton and said, “I didn’t know that there are so many etiquettes at a wedding.”
He chuckled and leaned closer to me to explain, “Crossing over the fire plate signifies getting rid of the unhappiness of the past, and it’s supposed to bring good luck to the bride.”
I smiled and teased him, “How do you know that?”
Instead of answering my question, he asked, “Then what kind of wedding would you like?”
I answered with a smile, “When it’s Summer’s turn to get married, I’ll have to think hard about the perfect kind of wedding to arrange for her.”
As parents, it was what we hoped for.
He lifted his hand to my forehead and asked, “I was asking about you. What kind of wedding would you prefer?”
Seeing that he was serious, I answered with an embarrassed smile, “A grand wedding then, if I were to remarry.”
I recalled that on our wedding day, Grandpa had actually ensured the wedding decorations were perfect. My emotions were running high that day, and I was completely focused on being a happy bride.
When I saw him brooding, I couldn’t help but ask, “What are you thinking?”
He raised his eyebrows and motioned me to look at Hannah.
Hannah had crossed over the fire plate and was about to hold some oranges in her hands, which symbolized good luck. I turned to look at him and asked, “Is there any difference between the wedding customs in J City and K City?”
“Yes.” He nodded in reply.
I had wanted to question further, but it was my turn as the bridesmaid to hold the bridal umbrella for the bride. It was customary for the bridesmaid to open the umbrella for the bride as it symbolized the bride bringing many descendants to the groom’s family.
After a series of rituals and customs, I helped Hannah through the front door. There was a courtyard in Chandler’s house and was surrounded by beautifully decorated white walls. The wedding ceremony was to take place in the living hall.
To welcome the bride, a red carpet was rolled out in the hall. When we entered the living hall, I handed Hannah’s hand to Chandler.
Hannah leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear, “Scarlett, I think I left my phone in the bridal car. Can you help me to get it now before the bridal car leaves?”
I nodded and went out to retrieve the phone from the bridal car. Just when I was about to head back into the house with the phone, I caught sight of a familiar black Bentley.
