Once in a lifetime — Fat Chicken Meal

The day had finally come and we would get married. We spent the past 14 months preparing for our big day and now it is time to get ready and celebrate the joining of two families.

Me, all nervous in the morning, just before going to the wedding venue.

Soon in our planning process, we decided to get married in Hong Kong rather then Singapore or Germany and we soon found a truly fantastic venue, that satisfied all our needs and even exceeded our expectations. We chose to get married at OZONE, the world's highest bar, located at ICC Ritz-Carlton, in Kowloon. The views from the 118th floor were as impressive as the level of service of the staff. We really recommend this venue to you, if you want to get married in Hong Kong or plan some other kind of big celebration.

So much about the venue but now let's focus on the day itself.

First up - Gate crashing

Gate crashing is a very fun Chinese tradition where the bride's group of bridesmaids is also called the 'sisters' will test the groom's sincerity and love for the bride with a series of games. The groom and his 'brothers' have to complete all the challenges to their satisfaction before they let him fetch the bride. The groom's brothers’ troop will help him complete the challenges. This usually requires the groom and the brothers to eat all kinds of weird and appalling things. We got off pretty lightly, as it was difficult for Simona's sisters to asses what is and what isn't weird or disgusting for us. So for example they gave us pickled onions, which is quite a normal thing to eat in Germany.

Next up - Tea ceremony:

The tea ceremony is a very most significant part in a Chinese wedding. After drinking the tea, gifts for the bride and groom will be presented on the serving plate. Usually, bride and groom wear the jewelry gifts immediately.

We're receiving presents from Simona's parents

Wedding ceremony

After the tea ceremony came the formal part, the actual legal ceremony with the officiator and us speaking our vows.

Lunch

Lunch was absolutely fantastic. All of us where absolutely delighted and among our favorites were the lobster tails, wagyu beef, roasted duck and fantastic desserts. Unfortunately, Simona and I did not have much time to enjoy the food, as we wanted to take the opportunity to take some more pictures

Slideshows and speeches

We were very happy and moved to receive some funny and heart warming speeches from our closest friends. We also shared some slideshows with our guests that documented how we grew up and how we have spent our time together.

Outdoor photo shoot

During the afternoon, we went out for a photo shoot along Kowloon East.

On the way back to the hotel, I quickly went to the super market :)

Quickly popping out to get some drinks and snacks

Dinner

We had our dinner at one of Hong Kong's private kitchens. This one is called POPSY ROOM and is a mix between a restaurant and an art gallery. The place is really cool and the 5-course menu was fantastic.

Afterwards

Since my family and friends had come all the way from Germany, they stayed on for a few extra days, so all of us together went on to explore Hong Kong and Macau together.

Macau

Even though I am not into gambling, I really enjoyed Macau. It is a really cool mix of western Portuguese and Chinese culture. And given that it is only a short ferry ride from Hong Kong, I can really only recommend it to everyone to go there.

Giant Buddha

Back in Hong Kong, we decided to pay a visit to the Giant Buddha.

Taking the glass bottom cable car up the mountain

Tai O and white dolphins

Finally we also went to Tai O, which is a fishing village that is located on Lantau Island (that's also where the airport is). If you like dried seafood, than this is really the place for you to go.
We took a quick tour on a boat around the village and out into the bay. We were super lucky as we saw the white dolphins.

Afterthoughts

Reflecting on our wedding, I am really happy about each decision we took along the way. However, most important was that Simona and I aligned early on what is really important for us. We both agreed that it should be a special day, that we can enjoy, rather than having to cater to too many guests. That's why we decided to only invite those people who are very close to us and keep the number of guests very small.