Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Kuwaiti Wedding - Only Every 3-5 Years if I'm Lucky

I woke up as usual at 5 am, arrived at work by 6:30. Left work at 4:30. Ate. Showered. Went to a business function at a hotel (which was really cool - GREAT speaker, Safa Al-Hashem; that's for another story), and got to the wedding hall by 10:15 pm.

My slutty red dress isn't fitting me as well as I used to (yeah DG - blame it on the dress!), and I didn't want to make a big hoopla over make-up (its not like I'm EVER going to Hanan Dashti), hair and attire, so I threw on some fresh war paint and a black beaded jacket and went. Fekit: Comfort! I think for the next one, I'm going to do what all the matronly women do and just put on an abaya. Why knock yourself out?

I usually wear the slutty red dress and sit in the middle so that when the groom's party comes in and the female audience turns into a sea of black, I am the Blonde In The Red Dress and get all the attention. It usually works for me on several levels (including the former) but also that I don't get invited to others too quickly - which is better for me because I hate weddings. I especially hate the ones where you have to roll yourself in taffeda, 3 pounds of make-up, jewelry (so heavy that should you slip in a puddle, you would drown and tweek your hair into almost certain folicle death. Nooo, I don't even want to shave my legs unless it is for a reeeeeeeally good cause.

Anyhoo, this was my friend, Talal's, wedding and I really like him and his family. I hadn't seen them for about 12 years. He has perservered through some hard times and found love and was getting married. Bada BING. He very kindly extended an invitation and I went. I sat with the older female members of his family; many wearing niqab. One niqaba came and sat down behind me and started a conversation about her recent trip to Houston. I LOVED her. Never saw her face, but we promised to get together sometime (God forbid - not another wedding!). How will I know her? Eeek. Hadn't thought about that. The other ladies smiled at me warmly and I felt quite welcomed.

Talal's mother and sisters were very hospitable and couldn't have been nicer. Really sweet ladies. Because I was so late, the groom's party came in only after about half an hour. Then, the picture-taking time came and I wanted to leave before the Buffet Stampede and being forced to eat something. I went to congratulate the couple and Talal asked that I take a photo with he and his bride.

Ok, I don't know if it was me. Really, it might not have been, but it seemed a whole lot like it....

I don't think she was too happy that I was there. Her aunt told me that she was upset because she wanted to dance and the groom didn't, but it sure felt like it was more about not taking a photo with me. She turned from a kitty cat to lioness in about 4.5 seconds; directing the full fury on poor Talal. He giggled nervously. The photo-taking stopped. The mass grew quiet. I mumbled something about hoping they would have a lot of children and a happy life together and then (I had my reason to get TF outa there so) I bolted. I got across the parking lot as fast as my clickety heels could take me.

This is a new, odd, and somewhat disturbing sensation: This has never happened to me before at a wedding.

I immedately called The Man and started nervously relating. "WHAT?! You were congratulating them! That's rude!" Well yeah. She did know that I was going to be there. Dude is like 15 years younger than me and we only worked together (his dad knew me too). Yikes. I must look really bangable - cougaresque perhaps. Maybe I should take it all as a compliment.

Update - I spoke to the groom and he said that she was indeed mad at him for not dancing. My advice to him as a newly-married person, "If your wife asks you to dance, just dance." I would have been POed too if I wanted to dance at MY wedding and the groom refused. Your wedding photos last forever, after all. I don't think I would have thrown a hissy fit in front of 100 people, but I would have exacted a precise revenge later.

The draaaaama!

7 comments:

Faraz said...

I liked it, its funny, full of life, and Honest, Good work

Regards
Faraz

Desert Girl said...

I didn't mention the make-up on purpose....

abolesanzalef said...

aha hope to attend urs soooooooooooner.!!

Desert Girl said...

Abolesanzalef - will you dance? :)

abolesanzalef said...

mmmmm..let me see!

Anonymous said...

Its too bad you didn't get to wear your Red Dress. If the bride was going to through a jealousy fit, she may as well thrown it for a blond in Red. Plus, your dress and her face would have been the same color in the picture.......

Unknown said...

Hey, Do you still have great views about this speaker amidst all the expat bashing she is doing.
and how the hell did I end up on a 8 year old post at 2 AM. I guess the instant gratification monkey in my brain has taken over the control.