son of soy

lotus, wedding, barong

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by

Rick Elizaga
in ,

I’ve been absent from this blog for weeks at a time. Sorry!
I’m still alive over here. There’s a lot I could write about and a pile of photos I could post. Should I just let them go down the memory hole and move on, or start a series of sub-posts called “summer remembered?”

I didn’t mention it before, but Mari and I are getting married in November! That subject alone — the excitement, logistics, stresses, relationship ups and downs — could fill a whole blog. Marriage is such a huge thing… I’m trying not to be overwhelmed. It seems too big to blog about.

We’ve been engaged for several months, but there’s still plenty of planning to do. Some details:
The ceremony will be in Tokyo at a shinto shrine, Asakasa Hikawa-jinja, attended mainly by family and relatives — about 25-30 guests. Lunch afterwards. The following weekend, a party in Kyoto. Since Tokyo is quite far (and expensive) for most of my friends and relatives in the U.S., we’ll also have a party in the San Francisco Bay Area in spring 2006.

wedding-poster-elizaga-hashimotoThis week I need to finish our invitations for the Japan-side of things.
To complement the red, orange and yellow of November’s autumn leaves and to evoke feelings of spring and new growth, I’m thinking of making the main color a refreshing green?

The save-the-date announcement I designed a couple months back (left) has the look of an old-fashioned movie poster. For the new design I’d like to move towards Muji-like modern elegance.

barong-1Mari and I will wear kimonos to the ceremony. But to the lunch and various wedding celebrations in Tokyo, Kyoto and the U.S., I’ll go “back-to-roots” style and wear a barong tagalog, the traditional Filipino men’s formal garment. Usually made from cream-colored translucent pineapple fiber or jusi raw silk and covered in embroidery, barongs are cool and breezy. You wear them like long untucked shirts with black trousers and white undershirt.

My barong, ordered from mybarong.com, arrived yesterday. I ordered ready-to-wear instead of custom-tailored. It fits well, but the neck is a little tight for me — maybe I can move the top button a bit…
It seems ironic that, while I chose to wear a barong because it’s specificially Filipino, this particular one was “Made in China.” Fine, no problem, so was my great grandfather. Filipinos are all a little mixed.

Comments

8 responses to “lotus, wedding, barong”

  1. Chika

    リック、麻理さん、御婚約おめでとう！（＾＾）
    お二人のお祝いが出来ることを本当にうれしく思います！
    楽しいパーティになるといいね＾＾

  2. Chika

    それにしても、傘の下の二人、こ、こわい・・・
    でも、笑える・・・

  3. joanna

    Hi SOS
    I discovered your weblog only recently and have really fallen for it quickly, partly because of the fantastic pictures, partly of the observation about food nature, and partly because of your admiration and care of Mari shows through your writing and photos. When a guy is in awe and care of a gal, it shows. You are always commenting on what she likes and doesn’t like, what she does, and how she spends her time. She seems like a wonderful woman, and you, a great guy who cherish her. Congratulations on your engagement, and have a wonderful wedding!!! Are you registered anywhere on the internet?

  4. Rick

    Chika-san, Mari translated for me.
    ありがとう！ And thanks for helping us plan the party!
    Yeah, something about our photo is a little scary. We look a little dead. But charming, too, ne?

  5. Rick

    Joanna,
    Thank you for your thoughtful comments!
    I do feel very lucky to be with Mari. Despite being from different countries, speaking different languages, and sharing other inevitable conflicts, we’ve found something simple and deep, been able to grow it, guide it along, make it work. Sometimes it’s as if we can already remember being old together…
    Thanks also for the congratulations — and how nice of you to think of our registry. We haven’t set anything up yet, but will probably register in the U.S. next spring. Sharing your sentiments is gift enough, but I’ll post registry information here when I have it.
    Cheers…

  6. nils

    おめでとうございます！
    I’ll give you the same advice my father gave me. He said,
    “There’s two ways to handle a wife:

    and no one knows either of ’em.”

  7. Rick

    «Groan»
    (^–^)
    Thanks, Nils!
    And I’ll take the advice to heart.

  8. Hien

    color of lotus leaf? definitely not a dull olive … refreshing apple green (on my mac) about captures it.
    giganto congrats on the upcoming nuptials!