Yesterday, I stood as principal sponsor to a wedding. It was held at 8 a.m. at St. Thomas de Aquinas Parish Church in Mangaldan, Pangasinan. 

Okay, so this was no big deal. It was just a wedding, and at my age and status, being a ‘ninang’ (godmother) is not at all a wonder - in fact, it is expected and normal as normal can be. But I have always been a reluctant ‘ninang’ and many times I have shunned away from such invitations. Other times I have outrightly turned down couples who wanted to get me as one of their sponsors. People say it will give bad luck if you refuse to stand as ‘ninang’ in weddings or baptisms or any other church ceremonies. Yet what the heck - I was never comfortable wearing any of those ‘ternos’ (gowns) typically used by ‘ninangs’ in weddings. At times when there was no choice but to go, I would stubbornly wear off-the-rack suits - (take note - suits!) instead of donning the usual ‘terno’ - so I easily stood as the odd one out especially on pictorials following the ceremonies. Lol !  Anyhow, for this last wedding I went to yesterday,  I decided to have a special gown made. Well, maybe this is an indication of maturity - (haha!) as i have finally come to terms with tradition. When I came home with it Friday afternoon, I showed it to my husband, and jokingly told him “O, ayan, nagpatahi na ako ng function gown ko - hindi mo na poproblemahin ang pamburol ko.” (There, I already had my function gown made - so you won’t have to worry anymore about the dress I will wear on my wake.) To which he also jokingly said “Bakit ngayon lang?” (Why only now?) (haha!)  The designer who made my gown was really God-sent. He also did my daughter’s prom dress - a fuschia cocktail outfit with corsette styled top - which made her look like a real ‘dalaga’ (grown lady) with some curves showing, despite her chubby figure. He was also very helpful - giving tips on dressing up for formal events. Since I needed a clutch bag to go along with my dress (I found out lately my favorite formal bag has discolored badly from long period of storage) - I asked him to  make me a pouch, similar with the one he did for my daughter. Well, he advised me that pouches don’t look as elegant as real bags, especially for women my age. So hearing that from him -  I ransacked my closet again, and happily found a petite beige handbag that my sister in law brought  me on her last ‘balikbayan’ (homecoming) trip with my ‘Kuya’ (elder brother) Ted - which again - happily matched  my beige 2-inch open-heeled shoes.  

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