My experience of wedding venues is limited to hotel ballrooms as this is by default where many Chinese wedding dinners are held. I am therefore very grateful to my daughter-in-law’s parents (whom I shall call Chelsea Fan and Flower Lady) for suggesting Two Temple Place. The space was perfect for our party of 150 friends and family.
Aspects of Two Temple Place: a mahogany carving of D’Artagnan from the Three Musketeers, the ornate wooden staircase and landing, a marble fireplace and one of several stained glass windows
The seating for the short ceremony to exchange vows and wedding rings before the reception and dinner
Table Number 8 was Top Table, where the parents and siblings of the bride and groom sat together
At the food tasting there was a heated discussion about whether the sea bass should be served whole. The dinner was designed with all three main dishes and three side dishes placed in the centre of the table for everyone to share. Later in the evening Cardio Cousin said serving the fish whole was the right thing to do, otherwise there would be ‘no head and no tail’ i.e. no beginning and no ending to the story.
Thank you letters and messages have been coming in regularly since the wedding dinner on Saturday. It is delightful to read the comments and I feel like a restaurateur who has just been listed in the Michelin Guide.
It was a wise choice of J+R to use Zafferano as caterers for the dinner. The meal was faultless and I would be happy to eat it all over again. Their website is not shy in declaring that simply put, Zafferano events “raise the bar”. They did raise the bar indeed.
Another person who raised the bar was actually raised in the Bar (of England and Wales). A fellow law student and barrister, Investment Banker Friend is Junior One’s godfather and was tasked with leading the whole room is a communal yum seng.
Yum seng is one of those Chinese traditions that is the drinking song in Verdi’s La Traviata, the Loyal Toast and the everyday bottoms up! all rolled into one long communal cheer to the bride and groom. The longer the yuuuuuuum and the louder the seng! the more auspicious it is for the marriage.
It was a spectacular evening which went by too quickly. Photographs are with the official photographer at the moment. For now here are a few pictures of the flower and foliage arrangements from the evening.
A few questions have come my way:
Was the food at the dinner as good as the food presented at the food tasting beforehand? Yes, definitely.
Did I drink a lot at the dinner? No, I never drink at official functions because if everyone else falls down I should like to be the last person standing trying to help get everyone home safely.
What does it feel to be a mother-in-law? I have known the bride for a long time so I don’t feel any different after the wedding than I did before the wedding. But now I think of her more like my daughter and it is a privilege to gain another member of the family, especially since we get on so well together.
