What a weekend. On Saturday my friend Olga got married. She has been in a high state of stress and tension for the last few weeks in preparation. I knew she and her fiancée had sent out 1500 invitations so I wanted to see what a big wedding was like.

Wakana and I started out late already. We followed the directions provided with the invitation and arrived as the wedding seemed to be coming to an end. However, as we approached the wedding party to render up our congratulations I realized the bride was NOT my friend. We were at the wrong wedding!

Back in the parking lot Wakana saw a friend and we asked her if the wedding was here. Oh no, she replied, that one is in Agana Heights. Someone else chimed in to ask if it was the one in Barrigada. No, Wakana's friend was sure it was in Agana Heights. There seems to be a network of information on weddings here. Did I mention how small the community is?

We found the church and slipped inside. The wedding was in progress but we hadn't missed much. The priest was late. The ceremony was long and impressive as Catholic ceremonies are wont to be. The church was beautiful with a wooden rafter ceiling and bright colored windows (not stained glass, these were panels of colored glass). When they finally came down the aisle we blew bubbles and wished them well. They released white doves and drank a glass of something golden-yellow.

We made our way to the reception at 6:00 to find a sight that I will long remember. I have not had the pleasure (?) of knowing many wealthy and influential people. I guess I have led a sheltered life. But this reception opened my eyes to a lot of rather mundane things I have long ignored.

The reception was at the groom's parents' house. Finding a place to park was a chore but we found one. Then we walked up to the celebration. There were three big white circus type canopies spread out on the lawn. There were benches and folding chairs neatly arranged on the lawn in and around the canopies. Some of the benches proudly proclaimed that they belongs to Senator Quintata. Others belonged to Senator Cruz. Senator Cruz personally welcomed us to the party. She seemed to be one of the officials keeping the party moving.

Down the center of the middle canopy was the food table. It must have been 50 feet long! And it was groaning under the weight of the food stacked up on it. There were four kinds of kelaguen, chicken and beef barbeque, roast pork, pancit, potato salad, bread, chicken adobo, taro, breadfruit, pepper steak, bananas cooked in coconut milk, salmon steaks, grilled tuna, and at the end of the table sashimi (raw fish). The sashimi had been filleted from a tuna, cut into small pieces and then decoratively rearranged on the tuna. The food line then snaked around to the next table where you could get ham, roast beef, and pork from a piglet that had been cooked whole. On the other side was the desert table with pies, fruit, cake, and wonderful little muffins.

Off to the right, under another canopy was a table that offered hot dogs and hamburgers, cotton candy, and soft drinks. Beyond that was the wet bar. It was NOT a cash bar.

The bride and groom were on a stage at the end of the middle canopy. Well wishers would mount the stage and greet them, deposit the wedding presents at the far end of the stage and rejoin the merriment. They were already up there when we arrived and they were still there two hours later when we pooped out.

Wakana and I took our place in line and began the long slow shuffle to the food. There were children all around us and old friends talking about everything from fishing and the weather to the local news and gossip. By the time we reached the end of the food tables we were showing the real stress capabilities of a Styrofoam plate and the balancing act required to carry one. We sat with some of my coworkers and tried to talk while the live rock & roll band tried to keep us from hearing each other.

And we ate. Oh God, did we eat. By the end of the evening I was too stuffed for words and regretting my sinful gluttony. We rolled our way to the car, drove slowly home avoiding as many of the bumps as possible, and dragged ourselves into the most comfortable position possible. We slept deeply and woke still full.