Saturday, March 5, 2011

KRISHNAN & NITHIAH'S WEDDING on 19th of FEBRUARY 2011

Salam, dear friends!


It seems like ages since Chef Baini keyed in her last post! Chef Baini apologises for the delay, for she has been very, very busy....but that doesn't mean that Chef Baini has forgotten her blog! Thank you for being so patient and Chef Baini hopes that today's blog post would be well worth the wait!


Today's blog is a special one, for it features the wedding of young Mr. Krishnan, whom on this day tied the knot with his beloved Nithiah. Krishnan, a successful young businessman, asked Chef Baini to prepare the cake for their big day. Naturally, Chef Baini was delighted to accept the commission though she had never met young Krishnan before. Mr. Krishnan and his family came to know of Chef Baini and her work from the SAJI magazine's December 2010 issue, whence Chef Baini was featured.

The requirements were basic; a three-tiered white fondant cake with roses and a figurine couple atop the cake. Simplicity affords the elegance that is most apt for a dignified and elegant occasion such as this one! As with such commissions, Chef Baini and The Babams came over to the location of the wedding party on the appointed day...and were met with a big surprise....



It wasn't a just wedding party, it was a wedding solemnisation ceremony as well! The Babams was under the impression that the solemnisation could only be done in the temple, but as it turned out, he was mistaken. Sometimes, the solemnisation was done at the halls where the reception was held. So for the first time, Chef Baini and the Babams witnessed, up close, a Indian wedding rites in accordance with the Hindu religion.


The musical accompaniment was traditional as well; you can see the flute, drums and sitar.....


Above are the priests who will preside over the solemnisation. In England, priests are sometimes called 'men of cloth', but in this instance, the idiom would be incorrect!

One thing that really struck Chef Baini, and you can probably guess what it is, how brightly coloured the occasion was. The little twinkling lights were everywhere, but not overwhelming to blind the eyes; you could say that it had the precise amount of bling! Bling bling! Below is a picture of the groom and his best man with the priests....


One outstanding feature of this reception was the brightly lit aisle. Delicately laced frames spaced every 10 feet were adorned with the twinkling electric lights. If you were a guest, you would walk down the aisle to your table. So not only the bride and groom get to walk down the lovely aisle, all the guests get to walk down the aisle as well! Nice touch, Krishnan! Kudos to your wedding planner!

Here you can see the length of the aisle with the frames and lights along the way,


Its definitely a walk to remember, not just for the lovely newly-weds, but for everyone too!

A Walk To Remember.....

(A BRIEF INTERJECTION.....)

The aisle with the bright lights instantly reminded Chef Baini of the best-selling romance novel written by Nicholas Sparks titled 'A Walk To Remember'....it tells a story of the local high school romeo who inadvertently falls in love with the high school nerd (or nerdette). As the unexpected romance transforms the hero into a better person, he discovers that the new love of his life, the nerdette, harbours a secret all the time he were falling in love with her. It is in this discovery that the learns the true meaning of love, faith and the inescapable power of fate.....

Chef Baini will quote for you the defining moment of the novel below....

"Halfway down the aisle, Jamie seemed to tire, and they stopped as she caught her breath. Her eyes closed, and for a moment I didn't think she could go on. I knew that no more than ten or twelve seconds elapsed, but it seemed much longer, and finally she nodded slightly. With that, Jamie and Hegbert started moving again, and I felt my heart surge with pride.

It was, I remembered thinking, the most difficult walk anyone ever had to take.

In every way, a walk to remember."

- Chapter 13, A Walk To Remember
by Nicholas Sparks (1999)

Well, if you don't like reading, you could always watch the DVD!


The movie stars Mandy Moore as the heroine nerdette and the hero is the very charismatic and handsome Shane West! A hunk for all seasons! Here are some scenes from the movie:


If you expected a Hollywood 'Hindustan' movie, you would be right! For those who love romance, this movie has plenty of romantic scenes....


But of course, the hero had to confront the heroine's father who happened to be the town's priest....Like Chef Baini described earlier, this is a Hindustan movie made in Hollywood!



But not to worry, for all's well that ends well! Here, the happy couple walk down the aisle to get married in the bride's father's church....


Or do they?   

It won't be a movie to remember if there wasn't a twist or two to make it more interesting! Guess you'll just have to see the movie for yourself to find out what happened!


Be warned though! This movie (and the novel) is quite a weeper! So please have a box of tissues with you when you read the book or watch the DVD! Ha-ha! Now you know that Chef Baini is a closet romantic who just loves romance novels and movies!

Back to Krishnan and Nithiah's wedding....


Here are some close-up pictures of the aisle to remember! One by one the guests began to arrive....


Of course, children love to play near bright lights too!


Back on the stage, it was a very serious affair. The priests began chanting the wedding rites while the groom and his best man sat very, very still.


Amidst all this seriousness, the band played on....the Babams mentioned to Chef Baini that this is what all wedding bands do: they keep playing on regardless until the event was over. If an earthquake were to suddenly hit the building, the band probably would have played on and on!



The Babams had the opportunity to make friends with the deejay. he was amazed at the advances of today's technologies! The deejay was controlling the entire sound system from his laptop! Gone are the days of bulky sound mixer! Nowadays, anything and everything can be digitised!


Back on stage, something interesting was happening. The bride and her entourage had arrived, and they made their way on stage. The lady in the blue Saree is most likely the groom's mother, leading the delegation.


As you can see, see had quite a major role to play in the solemnisation. There she was, mediating between the groom and the priests effecting the rites. A mother's work is never done!



Another surprise laid in wait for Chef Baini and the Babams! Here they met an old friend with whom they had lost touch with for quite a few years. It was Harniza, a lawyer, who came with all her three children. The last time Chef Baini set eyes on Harniza was she she was still carrying Iman, who is the young lady on the left. Goodness gracious, that was fifteen years ago!

And that, my friends, is reason enough for you to never turn down a wedding invitation! 

You will inevitably meet an old friend or two! Such is the power of weddings; they not only unite the bride and groom in the sacred bond of matrimony, they also reunite old friends who have drifted apart because of their own separate destinies.


You can tell that Harniza is quite a bubbly person; she loves dressing up and is very much a large barrel of fun! That's why Chef Baini loves doing what she does. Making cakes for weddings is a privilege and an honour. And it also brings some unexpected benefits; benefits that are intangible in value but insurmountable in worth. 

That said, lets take a look at the cake that Chef Baini prepared for Krishnan and Nithiah.


Some of you may remember the 'Six-Tiered Wedding Glory Cake' that Chef Baini did last year. This is a smaller version, somewhat. The groom wanted something elegant and simple. They wanted a memorable cake. And so it was what Chef Baini accomplished for the newly-weds.


Here are some close-ups of the figurines.....




And a close-up of the details of the roses and the gilded highlights.Notice the starkness of the white fondant and the ceramic-like finish of the roses.



 Living in Malaysia offers you many insights into many cultures. As with all melting pots all over the world, cultures begin to melt into one another and form something new and wonderful. Take a look at the table gifts for the guests. At first glance they appeared to be oranges, but upon closer examination, they are actually traditional Indian cakes in a vermilion plastic wrap. Its a nice touch because the day on the wedding coincided with the Chinese New Year 2011 festive seasons.


So best of luck, Krishnan and Nithiah! Have a great life and wishing you lots of love all along the journey!

And thank you very much for stopping by today, dear friends.
Hope you enjoyed reading today's blog.
Take care, and see you again, very soon!

Love,


Chef Baini.













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