THE WEDDING HOST

“Our dear guests, We are about to witness…”

IT WAS A BLAST, a memorable night filled with love. I can never be more excited when a friend laid an incredible offer to me months ago: She wanted me to host their dinner reception! ^_^ And there were butterflies everywhere… especially inside my tummy, causing slight nausea due to extreme excitement, mixed with fear and anxiety. Yes I was anxious, so worried that I may destroy a once-in-a-lifetime memory. It was pride and guilt equally placed on my hands.

I’m proud that I’m entrusted with a pretty good role, but the guilty feeling bothered me because I’ve never done solo hosting for a big event before. There were times that I really wanted to back-out. Maybe it's because I’m not a hundred percent confident of myself, due to lack of preparation. I always had a lot of things to attend to: my stressful workload, masteral studies, family and friend duties & a whole lot more stuff all piled up. I’ve even sacrificed blogging along the process; I failed in updating and posting new entries. To make it short, I thought I can’t do it.

NEVER IMAGINED that it'll be as fun as this ^_^

But of course, giving up is not my game. I’m always up for challenges! Yeah!

And so, I started drafting my script a week before the wedding date. I plotted the Programme, talked with the bride for some personal inputs and adjustments, until we’ve come-up with the final outline of events for the dinner reception. But as usual, I’m a cramming-loving person. Two nights before the wedding, I still haven’t drafted my official script yet. And instead of sitting down and dealing with it seriously, I went out with friends for some food, drinks and chitchats. And the wedding day arrived, my script was still a blank space and I panicked.

Given no other options, I stressed my then sleepy soul to come up with a decent script. Not a morning person anyway, so it was an absolute struggle to think early in morning (that day, it was already 9am and the wedding will commence at 3:30 pm). Happily, my brain cells cooperated in that moment, allowing me to finish the script at exactly 11am.

COTTON MASK SHEET to the rescue! 

I have the script, yah right, but will I just read it in front of the guest?! Will I still be able to memorize it anyway? Given the limited time that I have? I was totally doomed!!! I’m not even good in memorizing!? *cries* But I have no other option than to face this dilemma head-on.

So, as I get dressed, I glance on my script once in a while and tried to internalize the words that I should utter on the actual program. Preparing myself, physically, is an added burden also! I did my own hair & makeup and plunged into my closet for a possible dress to sport later in the evening. That is one of the hardest multi-tasking routine that I’ve ever did for my 20+ years of existence! Haha!

Oh well, after two hours---I’m finally done.

PREPPIN'G UP! taken an hour before the event ^_^

I went straight to the reception venue, though my heart is breaking because I won’t be able to witness the church wedding ceremony. The reception venue was not really far from my place, so I arrived quite early and still got the chance to familiarize with some important things: the layout of the event hall, location of the restrooms, entrances and exits, etc. After roaming around, I focused on my script because I want everything to be spontaneous.

My early arrival at the venue is a blessing in disguise! There were some problems at the reception area which I’ve attended to, before the guests arrived. There were a lot of lapses on the part of the caterer, but I’ve seen that they really tried their best to provide excellent service to the newly-wed couple.

Then, the nerve-racking moment finally arrived. As the guests started to occupy the event hall, the butterflies inside my tummy went wild… and I don’t know what to do?!! But there’s no turning back now. Facing the crowd and overcoming the wild butterflies---I turn on the microphone and started with my first line:

“Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, May I have your attention please?”

From the moment I got their attention, I felt better and every word becomes a unpremeditated.

TEAM A+ and friends!!! How I wish we were all there, complete... :(

Although I have a script, Most of the things that I said were really based on impulse. I’m just pretty worried with how my voice sounded like as perceived by the audience and also if I do gave justice to the grammar rules. *whew*  ^_^  Aside from the family relatives of the bride and the groom, my former co-teachers were also present, which added a little bit of pressure on the task. But throughout the program, they served as my confidence boosters! Yey!

To be honest, it wasn’t the perfect dinner reception ever. However, it became one of the great events that I would never forget. Why? Maybe it’s because the couple is very dear to me and that made my duty so personal. All of the guests who attended had their share of stories on how the couple touched them and made them feel that true love is not really complicated---you just have to appreciate it as it is. Even if there were moments that things go off-track, the positive vibes radiating from the newly-wed couple made the entire celebration light and simply blissful.

IT'S OFFICIAL! Mr. & Mrs. Fuentes ^_^

Overall, it was really an amusing endeavor for me and I credit everything to Him, our God. If not for Him, I’m sure I won’t be able to carry it through until the end. =) This also makes me realize a few things… First, you must never rely on your abilities alone. No matter how good you are, if the grace of God is not with you, failure will seep through your weaknesses and ruin your masterpiece. We are nothing without Him. Second, Always be prepared to go out of your comfy space. You’ll meet a lot of people, will be given new tasks that will test your abilities and will get trapped on situations which are very unusual to you---don’t be afraid to take chances, seize these great opportunities and emerge victorious.

As of the moment, I’m very excited to experience more “first-times” and carry myself beyond possible limitations. Whether I fail or succeed, I promise that I’ll always share everything to all of you ^_^          

***If you wish to have a sample copy of my wedding script, you can comment your email address below or message me on my official Facebook page***

Always welcome new opportunities with an open mind and open heart ^_^

This has been your host,

---Miss G.