The memories of that night with Wenbin and Pinghui still lay fresh in my mind, despite it being more than 6 months ago. It was a small and intimate wedding reception at Aura at National Gallery, which could well be my favorite venue for cosy celebrations.
I remember the smiles that greeted me when I arrived at the National Gallery, walking up the post-colonial steps to the restaurant. The familiar smell of the humid wind in an equatorial country, which felt like an old friend we had known our whole life, brushing past us and leaving as fast as it came. The brilliant evening sky, as spotless as an azure sheet that just came out of the laundry, slowly but surely changing into a hue of red as the sun set.
I remember the sparkle in Wenbin and Pinghui’s eyes when, one by one, their closest friends started arriving at the reception held on the roof. The high-fives they exchanged when they saw each other, and the hugs that felt as natural as those between family members. Look closer, and I saw tears that welled up from the corners of people’s eyes .
I could still hear the laughter echoing round the walls of the restaurant. The uncontrollable guffaws that burst out from each and everyone of them when they shared their stories about the couple on the front of the neon sign. I saw pride beaming from Wenbin’s face when he started talking fondly of how each and everyone of those there had played such an important role in shaping him. And of course, more laughter followed when they revealed what happened on his bachelor’s night.
Their celebrations went on well into the night, but their journey has just begun. And that’s when photographs come in, reinforcing the memories and commitments that they forged on that memorable night.
Wedding venue: Aura at National Gallery
