Pre-Engagement Lunch

It's not every day you find yourself awake before 7:00AM on a Saturday morning, slicing up black duck eggs to be be presented on six plates of cold-cuts in a house decorated with pink-and-white streamers.



Today marks Tung's and my pre-engagement lunch--or, at least, what started out as a lunch that morphed into a mini-ceremony. The house has been cleaned almost to the point of non-recognition, with fresh flowers and a tea set displayed on the coffee table, awaiting the arrival of family on both sides.




Here's what was initially planned: According to the tradition of pre-arranged marriages (which I stress, was NOT the case with Tung and me), the groom's side of the family doesn't see the bride until the day of the pre-engagement when arrangements are made to further the nuptial agreements. Therefore, I am to remain in my room until called out to serve tea. Some time during my conversation with them the night before, my parents and I came to the agreement that this was too archaic, but we never really established a game plan for my entrance. So this was what happened instead: Naturally, everyone shows up super-early, and after a morning of food preparations and light cleaning, I am putting on make-up in my room when the guests arrive, bearing traditional gifts of tea and wine wrapped in festive, red cellophane.



Introductions are made on both sides of Tung's family and mine, and then the tea gets poured. Nobody comes in to get me, so I timidly enter the hallway to greet the guests, who are of course too engrossed in conversation to acknowledge me. I spend an awkward few minutes standing around, then mingle to the best of my ability with party guests who look wayward.



When my brother arrives with the last of the food to be picked up, we set the table with food, food, and more food.



Chowtime!



As if one cake is not enough, we end up with three:





Here I am, serving up dessert:



Some shots of family, with family...

With my mom:



With my snuggle-cuddle-able niece, Kaitlyn. She's a fraternal twin, but as she and her sister are growing up, I'm having trouble telling them apart.


The twins and their mom, my cousin Susan:


The twins and their uncle, my cousin Vinh. Ironically, Vinh met Tung before I did because they went to the same high school. After Tung and I started dating in college, we found out each other's relations to Vinh.



My paternal grandparents:


Finally, the guests depart:





It was a taste of what is to come, the realization that every young woman must have when looking at herself in the mirror, all dressed up, and discovering that she has grown up, ready for the next big journey in her life. Somewhere in the approaching distance, I can hear my wedding bells ringing.