The Wedding Singer

We come to it at last. January 24th, 2014 – almost two weeks since returning home to the states, almost four weeks since leaving China, and more than two months since my last blog post. Yikes. For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, all the way back to ‘Mr. Sutorius Goes To China’, I can’t begin to thank you enough for your support, your encouragement, and of course, your patience. What follows is the small reward I can give you: hopefully a nice, lengthy, detailed bookend to my adventures. I will of course offer my account of what it’s been like this past week, back in familiar territory. But I think I’ll begin where I left off: mid-November, 2013.

You never really know what to expect on any given day. You can walk into school Monday morning, thinking it’s a normal day like any other, until suddenly, you’re invited not only to attend, but to sing at, a Chinese wedding. The day of the wedding. That was my Monday. I came into the main office same as usual until my friend and fellow teacher Shao asked me if I would like to come to a wedding later that day during the lunch break. Taken aback? Sure, but I knew I had to seize this opportunity because of the experience and great story it’d make. At the time though, I wasn’t even informed who the wedding was for. So I teach my two morning classes, come back to the main office, and sitting there are two of my students dressed to the nines getting their make-up done. I assumed they had been chosen to be in the wedding party – a flower girl and ring bearer, perhaps. I knew I couldn’t let myself be outdone by a couple of kindergarteners, no matter how much adorable swag they have, so I told them I was going to quickly rush home and change.

Despite my best efforts, this little guy still outclassed me.

Before I could take off though, they asked me if I would be willing to sing a song at the wedding. I mean, what do you say to that but “Absolutely, yes, of course!” So while rushing home, I thought what song should I sing, what would these people enjoy, more importantly, what did I know off the top of my head? Given the frequency of Top 40 music in China, I chose Bruno Mars’ “Marry You.” But then, I thought, I owe it to the wedding industry, to wedding bands and DJs everywhere, to musical integrity, to America itself, to introduce them to a classy standard. So I decided I would do two songs: Bruno Mars, and then hit ‘em with “The Way You Look Tonight,” courtesy of Ol’ Blue Eyes. I put on a pink shirt, grey slacks, and powder blue bow tie – which I later realized was a matching contrast of my little flower guy’s ensemble – and after a little grooming and a couple frantic run-throughs of the songs, I rode to the wedding, held at this restaurant a couple kilometers from my school. The restaurant had been retrofitted to resemble a banquet hall with a simple but elegant wedding altar.

What’s happening here? If only there were some kind of sign…

Now, a wedding in Xingtai in the middle of November can get pretty cold especially when the door – like most doors in Xingtai – is nothing but a series of plastic hanging slats. I felt particularly bad for the bride, who had no choice but to grin and bear the cold in her dress, which was beautiful. Anyway, the wedding was soon underway, the pair walked down the aisle, exchanged their vows, invited the parents of the bride up to offer their blessing and give the traditional red envelope, and then, the reception banquet began. I’ll admit, even for a thespian such as myself, I had a couple butterflies in my basket, so I declined to eat until after my song was sung. Eventually, I was introduced and brought onstage. I did my little song and dance and then after, it was insisted that I be escorted around with the bride and groom to meet all the relatives and wedding guests, meaning I was the biggest third wheel you could ever aspire to be. Finally, after meeting the entire family and practically everyone at this wedding, I was allowed to sit down and enjoy some lunch with my fellow teachers who had come. Then, we returned to school for the afternoon classes and that was that! My career as a wedding singer had ended as suddenly as it began. But who knows? This is about the time when friends my age start getting married. Maybe I’ll bust out the Sinatra again someday.