Kevin and Ina's Wedding

I just spent a long, exhausting but ultimately happy weekend celebrating Kevin and Ina's marriage.  Friday night was a traditional Korean ceremony at Kevin's place for the wedding party and other close guests, catered with tasty Korean food.  Saturday was the wedding in VA. 

At the reception, Joe Yang MC'd and I sang two John Legend songs: "Stay With You" and "Each Day Gets Better."  This was Joe's second stint as an MC, and my second time around singing at one of my best friends' weddings.  I was nervous leading up to it.  It had been a long time since I sang in front of strangers.  Even more scary, the sound setup relied upon an in-house system consisting of a basement-controlled stereo and speakers that didn't quite reach all of the reception area.  I had to sing far away from the speakers out of a tiny guitar amp and a mic with an on/off switch (never a good sign for a non-wireless mic).  Despite all my trepidations, we managed to pull it off with help from two of Ina's good friends from grad school.  People said I sounded great: I hope so...especially since I could barely hear the music I was supposed to be singing to!  In retrospect, it's hard to believe we pulled it off.

Beyond Kevin and Ina's first dance and the dancing with the parents of the bride and groom, there was no dancing at the reception.  This was my first wedding with no dancing involved, and I was glad there was a completely open bar.  I had a lot of fun at the reception...but if I ever decide to participate in the "Wedding-Industrial Complex," I hope to allow all the guests an opportunity to dance (even if my music is coming from an iPod and my amp).  It just feels a bit off without people making fools of themselves on a dance floor after one too many drinks.

After the reception, a bunch of us went back to the maid of honor's house in MD to hang out, drink, and talk.  As a result, I got to bed very late...and had to drive back out from DC to Gaithersburg for dim sum hosted by Ina's family.  Needless to say, I was pooped by the time Sunday night rolled around.

I found this wedding experience to be different from all the previous ones.  It almost didn't feel like a wedding.  It felt more like just friends and connected people hanging out for an extended weekend with no other obligations getting in the way.  I suppose that's one of the best feelings one could be left with. 

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