A Chinese Wedding (A Gazillion pictures...)

Where to start on this unreal experience? 

President Hu is the president of Waston that the joint venture is with.   He is a very, very, very wealthy man.

His only grandson, Alex, got married and President Hu threw the party.  At the gala back in June, we heard they were having the reception in August (they were actually married in May) and hoped that we would be invited just so we could experience what a wedding in China would be like.  

In early August, Tom came home from work with this box filled with goodies and treats.  Every employee in the Waston group got boxes.  They were gifts for all to celebrate the marriage.

A few weeks later we started hearing about the wedding gift.  We still are not sure how it works, but there is a calculated amount each employee had to pay for a wedding gift. (We later learned that it isn't *required*, but if you want to remain in good standing, you do it.) Tom's calculated amount was $735.  Not kidding.  (If everyone paid the required wedding gift, Alex and Kate would have $1.1 million.)  

Of course we gave the amount even though we were church-mouse poor back in August.  On a certain day, Tom had to go to the bank and get ¥5,000 in cash, put it in a red envelope, write a note and deliver it personally to President Hu.  Later that afternoon, Alex showed up at Tom's office with a wedding invitation for the family.  That was on Wednesday, the reception was on Saturday.  

We knew better than to have any sort of expectations.  Even without expectations, we were still surprised.

As we walked into the complex, two large rolls of firecrackers were being unrolled on each side of the driveway.  Not two minutes after we arrived, they lit each strip and they started cracking.  It was so loud and we got hit with shrapnel--we backed up as far as we could until we ran into the building--only about 12ft away from the strip.  As the fire crackers exploded, the car carrying Alex and Kate pulled in and they got out of the car.  Wedding dress #1.

On the way upstairs there were large displays and photographs of the couple, including in the elevator.  What I didn't take any pictures of was the slide show with all of their wedding photos. Stunning.  They went to several locations, wore several expensive outfits and had many many poses.  I don't think it is an exaggeration to say they had at least 20 different outfits/locations.  The cost of the photography alone was unbelievable.  But it didn't stop there.

We went upstairs to the warehouse made-over-to-be-wedding hall.  It was gorgeous and the cost of that alone must have been exorbitant. I took many pictures, but still not enough to do the scene justice.

But the jaw dropping cost didn't stop there.  We were not only at a Chinese wedding party, but we were at a phenomenally wealthy wedding party.  I'm sure it cost well over the amount received in gifts (but we understand that the gift didn't go to pay for the wedding; that was all out of Grandpa's pocket.)

The treat table alone was thousands of dollars, given that they were western type desserts and good desserts of this nature are not found anywhere here.  (Apparently they were all done by a western bakery in the neighboring city, Suzhou.)  The girls each took a macaron, which is what I really preferred as well, but there weren't that many and with 800 guests, I decided I should take something else.  The girls said the macarons were pretty good.  My cake ball was just so-so.

There were 80 tables and we had assigned seating.  Out of 800 attendees, I'm not sure why we got such favorable seating (other than they wanted to show off American friends?), but we did.  We were seated across the table from one of the highest government officials in China.  He and his wife couldn't seem to keep their eyes off the girls.  I silently prayed they could see light and be influenced by it.  I have since prayed that they would be reminded again and again of that light and have a desire to search for what the source of it is.  Mr. Government Official is in the blue.

There was no ceremony, but Kate did walk up an aisle with her father and children throwing down flower petals.  When they got to the stage, her father handed her off.  I couldn't understand what they were saying, but Tom said there weren't any vows or commitments, only chit chat by the emcee. 

Dress #2.  It was so big and heavy she needed help moving in small spaces.

The food was astonishing.

Translation of the menu:  As always, you have to translate the translation.  Even after eating it, we still can't help you out on all of it, so you're on your own!

Dessert was first.  These were cream things in a white chocolate shell coated in mango sauce.  Very delicious.

Lobster with noodles.  Very good flavor, but the lobster meat is still attached to the shell so you have to wrestle if off of the shell.  One lobster was given to all 80 tables

Sea eel soup.  The eel was very tasty and the bone was not too difficult to get out. Always a plus.

Dates with bottle peaches. I didn't try the dates, but the peaches were quite good, but very difficult to manage with chopsticks.

Dried fish.  I didn't try this, but everyone else really liked it. (I know, I know, I should be more adventurous....)

Sweet and sour pork. Very good, but you had to eat around the bone. With chopsticks.  I'm not skilled.

A braised fish of some sort.  The fish is mostly all delicious if you're willing to eat around the bones.

These greens are very very good. The dressing is also quite good.  We asked Jacky what it is called, it translated to something like "water plant".  These types of dishes become my staple at meals where bones and antennae occupy much of the food.  

Pig heart.

We wondered what this was.  Turtle without its shell?  Dipped in the sauce it is very, very tasty.  Tessa ate  many of these.  However, they were the hardest thing at this meal to get and eat with chopsticks.  And it's not turtle we learned--it's a mushroom!

King crab.  (again, one for every table)

This is sea cucumber and pigeon egg soup.  Sea cucumbers are about $43.  800 people were served.  That is $34,000 just in sea cucumbers.....  I guess that sea cucumbers are very good for your health.  President Hu eats one every day.  We don't care to be that healthy.  Not only are they flavorless and rubbery, but they are nearly impossible to pick up with chopsticks.  We were the only ones that returned the sea cucumbers, but we each tried them.  The pigeon egg wasn't too bad.  The broth was delicious.  

And there were many, many side dishes that didn't get photographed.  Look for one below in an alcohol picture.  It looks like brownish grapefruit on cucumbers.  The brown is jellyfish.  And while I've never chewed up a piece of cartilage, eating jellyfish felt like what I imagine that would be like.

The food prep and delivery team was extensive.  For the space they had and the number of people they fed, it was very smooth and impressive.  But the incredible cost didn't stop there.

The entertainment was also over the top. They had a pretty awesome emcee who, although I couldn't understand him, could tell he was very talented and had an amazing gift of gab and ability to keep everyone's attention.  After the procession, he had entertainment for the rest of the afternoon.  I can't tell you all that happened because I couldn't understand, but they had stuffed animal give-aways for the kids; bags and bags and bags of stuffed animals were given away.  We went home with six...🙄. Money give aways, computer give aways and ..... There were phone games where everyone swiped or shook as fast as they could.  Top swipers and shakers got prizes. (Tessa came in 9th on one with Tom's phone), there singing, and jokes and probably a lot more than I am remembering. (Jacky and Tom swiping.)

While the entertainment was happening, Alex and Kate went around toasting every guest. All 800.  So they didn't get drunk, they had bridesmaids and groomsmen to drink the alcohol.  Kate is in dress #3 here.

They had expensive alcohol and cigarettes for all who wanted them.  Jacky told us that the most expensive bottle of alcohol on each table was about $1,000.   

There were boxes of cigarettes for each table. These boxes were for people at the table to divide up and take home.  They came around and passed out cigarettes for smoking at the party to anyone who wanted them.  Thankfully we had a table with all nonsmokers. I was so thankful for that because enduring it from neighboring tables was pretty awful.  

And then, even before the last few menu items were served, everyone got up and left, I guess to send off the couple?--but that was nothing noteworthy; they got in a car and drove off without fanfare. On our way down the stairs, we saw the food prep area/dish washing area.  My phone was dead so I didn't get any pictures, and Tom didn't take too many for me.  But I found this fascinating.  They are hand washing all of those pieces of fancy China in big metal bowls.  800 guests times at least 7 dishes each is a boatload of hand washing...... I should have stayed to help.

The cost of the party was mind boggling.

But we got to experience something we'll never get to experience the likes of again. It's one for the memory books for sure!