Last I left off...it was Nikki's shower and it left a wonderful afterglow for weeks. But pretty soon I had to start thinking about the Chinese banquet.
I had a list of various banquet restaurants to check out in Chinatown. And
only in Chinatown which was mainly for the benefit of my mother. And Kathy
& Tony. For them because they were/are her main source of transportation and
thus also becomes their responsibility. Being in Chinatown allowed my mother
her independence and so she could come and go as she pleased. As it were, the
first place I checked out with Winnie (who I so appreciated her support) - was
Golden Unicorn on E. Broadway and was fortunate that the date I wanted was
available. The manager I dealt with - "Sail" spoke English (huge plus) was
accommodating and I liked everything that was being offered. I reserved it on the spot after conferring with Nikki and was so happy to have that checked off the list.
One down, ten thousand to go!
I asked for 8 tables. I was thrilled when Nikki let me take the reins of
this event. Though I did get her approval at each stage: menu, guest list,
escort cards, etc. Menu was not typical of a traditional Chinese wedding
banquet but then, this was NOT a traditional wedding banquet. This dinner was
to offset the additional guests that Nikki & Tom could not invite to the
actual wedding due to space and finances. We decided to have this banquet
double as the rehearsal dinner. And since it was happening the night before the
wedding, it worked. But upper most (in my mind) - this was for my mom.
Although once the restaurant was in place and it was fairly easy to handle after that...I can't say there wasn't any drama. There were tears & doubts. It almost got canceled a couple of times but I held my breath and hoped for the best. It paid off.
Although once the restaurant was in place and it was fairly easy to handle after that...I can't say there wasn't any drama. There were tears & doubts. It almost got canceled a couple of times but I held my breath and hoped for the best. It paid off.
Pinterest was my friend! I got many ideas from scrolling through their
"pins". One idea was the origami cranes. I used it for the escort cards. It
was pretty funny learning to fold the first one. I was all thumbs and couldn't
figured it out even though I always felt on the verge of getting it. When I
finally did figure it out..it was "duh!" and I folded so many I could do it with
my eyes closed!
Nikki & I met up one day and went to Pearl River. We found her
"cheungsom" and it was perfect. Not as good as if she could have worn mine
which would have brought tears to my eyes if she was able to. But it was pretty
close. She looked beautiful. And happy. But I digressed. Back to Pearl
River. We found the favors (chopsticks) and I saw their origami papers but I
ended up ordering them on Amazon.
Everything started to come together. Nikki added one more table. She had started a new job with Bobby Flay's production company and really liked her co-workers. A banquet easily lends to inviting as many guests as you like. I myself had 2 tables of my own. It was a god-send in that I was able to include friends of mine that I consider old friends but had not seen in a long time.
I was able to ask Lugo for the wine and I trusted his expertise and then appreciated his generosity when he gifted 2 cases (one white one red) to Nikki & Tom. I hired Flint to photograph the event. I finalized the menu and details a week before with Sail. Now all we had to do was show up. Fantastic!
My mother. Not exactly a social butterfly. She is - for the most part - a home body. So it was surprising to see her start to get all excited about this special "party". She made a new outfit but wouldn't show us claiming it was to be a "surprise". She did show us the accessories she already chose to wear along with her jewelry. This was huge! And very sweet. I did enjoy seeing this side of her.
This was my plan: The banquet was from 6-10pm. But I was allowed to arrive an hour earlier but I felt I only needed 30 min to set up. I asked Kathy to have Tony drive down with Kris & Baz to St James Place where alternate side ends at 6pm. Kathy, Kris and I could leave and go to the restaurant while Baz babysat my car and waited with Tony for 6pm.
Best laid plans and all that. Because as we approached the restaurant at 5:30...we see Lisa, Sam & the kids standing on the corner. Looking abit lost. They had arrived early and I couldn't very well leave them there on the street. But for anyone who has hosted a large event....it's difficult to set-up when you have guests looking over your shoulder! Not only was Lisa early...her parents (my ex-in laws) were right on their tails! So I will just say...their presence totally threw me off and where I had it all planned out in my head...(things going nice and smoothly) - it all went to hell! I felt rushed and agitated. And on top of that....people that I thought would be earlier came late and vice versa. Moral? Never think it will go according to plan because trust me - it never does!! NEVER!
But on the other side of that. In the end, it all works out. There might be certain things that you regret didn't happened...people you didn't get to talk to...pictures you didn't get to take...but for the most part - it's all good. Mostly because you see the smiles on your daughter and her friends and your family and friends and so you know it's all right. Totally. Exquisite.
Everything started to come together. Nikki added one more table. She had started a new job with Bobby Flay's production company and really liked her co-workers. A banquet easily lends to inviting as many guests as you like. I myself had 2 tables of my own. It was a god-send in that I was able to include friends of mine that I consider old friends but had not seen in a long time.
I was able to ask Lugo for the wine and I trusted his expertise and then appreciated his generosity when he gifted 2 cases (one white one red) to Nikki & Tom. I hired Flint to photograph the event. I finalized the menu and details a week before with Sail. Now all we had to do was show up. Fantastic!
My mother. Not exactly a social butterfly. She is - for the most part - a home body. So it was surprising to see her start to get all excited about this special "party". She made a new outfit but wouldn't show us claiming it was to be a "surprise". She did show us the accessories she already chose to wear along with her jewelry. This was huge! And very sweet. I did enjoy seeing this side of her.
This was my plan: The banquet was from 6-10pm. But I was allowed to arrive an hour earlier but I felt I only needed 30 min to set up. I asked Kathy to have Tony drive down with Kris & Baz to St James Place where alternate side ends at 6pm. Kathy, Kris and I could leave and go to the restaurant while Baz babysat my car and waited with Tony for 6pm.
Best laid plans and all that. Because as we approached the restaurant at 5:30...we see Lisa, Sam & the kids standing on the corner. Looking abit lost. They had arrived early and I couldn't very well leave them there on the street. But for anyone who has hosted a large event....it's difficult to set-up when you have guests looking over your shoulder! Not only was Lisa early...her parents (my ex-in laws) were right on their tails! So I will just say...their presence totally threw me off and where I had it all planned out in my head...(things going nice and smoothly) - it all went to hell! I felt rushed and agitated. And on top of that....people that I thought would be earlier came late and vice versa. Moral? Never think it will go according to plan because trust me - it never does!! NEVER!
But on the other side of that. In the end, it all works out. There might be certain things that you regret didn't happened...people you didn't get to talk to...pictures you didn't get to take...but for the most part - it's all good. Mostly because you see the smiles on your daughter and her friends and your family and friends and so you know it's all right. Totally. Exquisite.
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