A few months earlier, shortly after our elopement, William's parents had held a traditional Chinese banquet to celebrate. To prepare, William and I took dance classes, practicing to "Overjoyed" in a piece specially choreographed by our dance teacher. We dipped, spun and laughed through weeks of practice sessions, each one followed by a delicious sushi dinner in a restaurant below the studio.
For the banquet, our talented designer friend, Gilles, made me a red silk dress with a tiny bustle and an elegant train. William wore a dark suit with a red tie. We arrived at our party and met lots and lots of strangers. William's parents had planned every element of the evening and all we had to do was get dressed, show up, and dance.
Traditional dragon dancers entertained the crowd, a five-piece band played and friends and relatives from as far away as Australia, Japan and Hong Kong attended. An elaborate multi-course meal was served, wine was poured and we performed our dance. We laughed and chatted and did all the things that wedding couples do.
William's parents were brimming with happiness. We understood this evening was as much for them as it was for us. William took the microphone and raised his glass to them. I want to toast my mom and dad for this evening. Thank you for showing us how to celebrate.
We spent the night sharing looks, smiling and touching hands. Our bubble had begun to form. A few weeks later we took a two-day honeymoon to Newport Beach, where we rode bikes along the seashore, slept in during the mornings and dined on steaks at night.
A few days later it was time for William to leave for Hong Kong.
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