The Wedding

It turned out to be a wonderful outing, an afternoon and evening of good speeches, hilarious games and events by the MC, and things going on schedule.

Before starting out for the church ceremony of Jeshurun Nimbalker and Rachel Mirunalini, the elder daughter of Mr. Paul Baktha, the Building Manager of Tiara Damansara Condominium, and his wife Theresa, Ow, who was driving us to the church, studiously looked at the map provided in the wedding invitation.

We made good timing, but on reaching the locality where the church was slated to be, we were a bit hesitant which turning to take. But Lady Luck was with us. Right before us, one car in front, was a bridal car. Instinctively we decided to follow, certain it would be heading towards St. Peter's Church in Bangsar. We were not wrong.

As the bride waited in the car before making her appearance down the aisle, we ladies bolted into the church, leaving Ow to find parking. After all, that is what a gentleman is supposed to do whilst the ladies, dressed in their Sunday best, shaded their heads from the rain and tripped in, avoiding puddles of water on the ground.

The church ceremony began at 5:38pm. As the four orange saree-clad bridesmaids and their immaculately attired escorts entered (among them, Paul’s son Adrian), led by a confident and smiling flower girl, and the bride's sister, Margaret, carrying the thirumanggalyam on a maroon velvet tray, bringing up the rear, the packed congregation rose to their feet. To the subtle strains of Here Comes the Bride, a smiling bride, resplendant in her lovely white saree, walked down the isle with her father, Paul Baktha.

After the bride was received by her groom, the pastor, Reverend Canon Jason Selvaraj, led the service. The congregation sang hymns followed by scripture readings by relatives before the pastor gave his sermon to the couple. Reverend Jason said that he had specially selected a quotation appropriate for the occasion: “Congratulations on the termination of your isolation and may I express an appreciation of your determination to end the desperation and frustration which has caused you so much consternation in giving you the inspiration to make a combination to make an accumulation to the world's population."

He also advised the couple to have an open communication with each other and not shut the other out. For, he said, “it was often said that in the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens; in the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens; but in the third year, both speak ... and the neighbours listen!” Whilst true love was about open communication, it should not be to the extent that the neighbours listened!

After the couple were proclaimed man and wife, the congregation spewed outside the well-kept church grounds to chat and gaze upon the lighted cascading fountain with its many- hued hibiscus plants ringing it, prompting a Tiara Management Council member to suggest that maybe various hybrids of our national flower be planted within Tiara.

Another TMC member, Keith Kok, carrying his daughter, together with his wife Wan Yue, were among the congregation. However they were not able to attend the dinner since they had their own romantic dinner for two to go to – December 2nd happened to be their sixth wedding anniversary, and they had booked a table at Checkers in Damansara to celebrate. They were in Penang but had returned to Kuala Lumpur to attend the church ceremony. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary, Mr and Mrs Keith Kok.

The dinner at the Gnanabai Sarojah Memorial Hall of the church was crammed with fifty tables. Outside and inside, orange and white balloons festooned the dining area and orange roses filled with white babies breath stood on columns along the aisle, lending an air of grandeur. Orange was the theme colour, and the bride entered the hall in an orange saree after the church ceremony. All bouquets displayed orange roses as well.

By the time dinner began the guests were famished, though it had not been a long wait at all. The MC for the evening, Charles Antony, had the audience in stitches, which prompted Ow to comment that "this is definitely the happiest wedding party I have ever attended."

There were fun games, to the amusement of the guests, who roared with laughter. An aunt from the Solomon Islands, who gave a speech, described Rachel, who is a Research Controller at MAS, as "honest, trustworthy, patient, with a giving spirit, who gives of her time conducting Sunday school classes as well and a model child at home."

Besides the aunt from the Solomon Islands, relatives flew in from the US, London, Penang, Singapore, and others drove in from Sungai Petani, Ipoh and Johor Bahru.

The multi-talented groom, Jeshurun, an engineer with Intel, serenaded his new bride by playing the electric guitar as well as the keyboard.

Guests were called on stage to participate in the games, which had ladies prancing around their male partners (who had to act as trees) and even crawling through their legs, to gain prizes. Others had to dance to win the hearts of their lady partners besides showing off martial arts skill in their defence. It was hilarious.

But all good things must come to an end, and so at 10.30pm, guests took their leave after a wonderful evening of fun and laughter.

We wish you, Rachel and Jeshurun, all the very best in your married life. And may Paul and Theresa Baktha become grandparents in the not too distant future.