Cindy and Benjamin, 16 Dec 07, Peony-Jade
Bevlyn's thoughts: The Treasure
I have always looked forward to perform at Peony-Jade, because the staff there are so nice to us! Our taste buds may even get lucky if couples decide to order a meal for us there. And indeed, we did get lucky because Cindy had asked us to order some food from there. The 蛋白炒饭 (Fried Rice with Egg White) and 宫宝鸡丁 (Spicy Diced Chicken) were excellent!
But that aside, there are more than enough reasons to look forward to this wedding because there were two surprises - first of all, the band would be a surprise for Benjamin, and secondly, Cindy would be singing a song for him.
It occurred to me that there is a slightly higher incidence of the bride springing a surprise on the groom at Peony-Jade, be it singing a song, or engaging the band as a surprise (see here for another example). For those who have been to Peony-Jade, you would know it's rather tricky to have to sneak into the restaurant, setup and soundcheck without the groom suspecting anything. Luckily, Benjamin and Cindy were busy with their traditional tea ceremony in a room at the back of the restaurant at that time.
It was almost unnerving when out of the blue, I introduced myself to Benjamin as the emcee. I was sure it must be "???" for him because he had not seen me before. But certainly, he could not even start to guess I was also part of his wedding live band!
After the second march-in when it was Cindy's turn to sing, many people let out yelps and cheers and applause, egging her on. The beautiful song was My Treasure, which is an old Christian song. Cindy had even made the efforts to come down to One Rochester to practise with Ein Ein.
Cindy told her guests that Benjamin had once chided her for not taking their wedding preparation seriously, so to show her how serious she really is, she decided to sing a song for him. She delivered the song smoothly, even stealing a glance at Benjamin whenever she could take time off the lyrics. A few of her girlfriends showed her support by queuing up to present roses to her from off the stage. When she finished the song, (this is the part which I love the most), seemingly-shy Benjamin clenched a stick of rose in between his teeth, stepped up to the stage and passed the rose to Cindy in a big kiss. WOW!
Cindy had also requested for me to sing You Raise Me Up as a dedication to both their parents. But I think the best response we got was when we sang 一人一半 (A Half Each) - people started to clap even before I started to sing!
Thank you Cindy and Benjamin! We wish you many years of marital bliss ahead!!
Band: Bevlyn, Ein Ein
Repertoire:
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (1st march-in), L-O-V-E (1st dish), 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), 我只在乎你 (I Only Care About You), The Way You Look Tonight, , Wishin' and Hopin', We've Only Just Begun, Looking Through The Eyes of Love, Let It Be Me, Longer, I Only Want To Be With You, Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Forever Love (2nd march-in),You Raise Me Up (song dedication to parents), My Treasure (Cindy's song to Benjamin), 今生注定 (My Destiny), Love Me, Hold Me Now, Grow Old With You, Happy Together, 我要你的爱 (I Want Your Love), 一人一半 (A Half Each)
Wedding Tips:
- Engage a live band as a surprise for your spouse
- Sing a song for him!
I have always looked forward to perform at Peony-Jade, because the staff there are so nice to us! Our taste buds may even get lucky if couples decide to order a meal for us there. And indeed, we did get lucky because Cindy had asked us to order some food from there. The 蛋白炒饭 (Fried Rice with Egg White) and 宫宝鸡丁 (Spicy Diced Chicken) were excellent!
But that aside, there are more than enough reasons to look forward to this wedding because there were two surprises - first of all, the band would be a surprise for Benjamin, and secondly, Cindy would be singing a song for him.
It occurred to me that there is a slightly higher incidence of the bride springing a surprise on the groom at Peony-Jade, be it singing a song, or engaging the band as a surprise (see here for another example). For those who have been to Peony-Jade, you would know it's rather tricky to have to sneak into the restaurant, setup and soundcheck without the groom suspecting anything. Luckily, Benjamin and Cindy were busy with their traditional tea ceremony in a room at the back of the restaurant at that time.
It was almost unnerving when out of the blue, I introduced myself to Benjamin as the emcee. I was sure it must be "???" for him because he had not seen me before. But certainly, he could not even start to guess I was also part of his wedding live band!
After the second march-in when it was Cindy's turn to sing, many people let out yelps and cheers and applause, egging her on. The beautiful song was My Treasure, which is an old Christian song. Cindy had even made the efforts to come down to One Rochester to practise with Ein Ein.
Cindy told her guests that Benjamin had once chided her for not taking their wedding preparation seriously, so to show her how serious she really is, she decided to sing a song for him. She delivered the song smoothly, even stealing a glance at Benjamin whenever she could take time off the lyrics. A few of her girlfriends showed her support by queuing up to present roses to her from off the stage. When she finished the song, (this is the part which I love the most), seemingly-shy Benjamin clenched a stick of rose in between his teeth, stepped up to the stage and passed the rose to Cindy in a big kiss. WOW!
Cindy had also requested for me to sing You Raise Me Up as a dedication to both their parents. But I think the best response we got was when we sang 一人一半 (A Half Each) - people started to clap even before I started to sing!
Thank you Cindy and Benjamin! We wish you many years of marital bliss ahead!!
Band: Bevlyn, Ein Ein
Repertoire:
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (1st march-in), L-O-V-E (1st dish), 月亮代表我的心 (The Moon Represents My Heart), 我只在乎你 (I Only Care About You), The Way You Look Tonight, , Wishin' and Hopin', We've Only Just Begun, Looking Through The Eyes of Love, Let It Be Me, Longer, I Only Want To Be With You, Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Forever Love (2nd march-in),You Raise Me Up (song dedication to parents), My Treasure (Cindy's song to Benjamin), 今生注定 (My Destiny), Love Me, Hold Me Now, Grow Old With You, Happy Together, 我要你的爱 (I Want Your Love), 一人一半 (A Half Each)
Wedding Tips:
- Engage a live band as a surprise for your spouse
- Sing a song for him!