So this is what its like! I researched it a bit online and this is what it is in a nutshell:
The blueprints of wedding plans are drawn or made known during this occasion. The pamanhikan is often hosted by the bride's family as the groom and his folks visit them to formally ask their daughter’s hand in marriage and discuss plans for the upcoming wedding over lunch or dinner. This can be an uneasy situation if it's the first time for both parties to meet. The soon-to-weds may feel a little awkward (nervous even) seeing and listening to their parents consult each other on matters like their wedding budget, guest list and the like.
It is customary that the visiting family bring a gift (often, the best home-cooked specialty of the groom's mom) for the hosts. Others may opt to hold the meeting on neutral grounds (a restaurant is a likely choice) or invite a mutual acquaintance to the gathering and help ease the awkwarness of the first meeting. Why do Pinoys bother with all the trouble? We all seek our parents' blessings for a happy and trouble-free marriage. Afterall, pamanhikan is a treasured Filipino heritage which, first and foremost, avoids the embarrassing situation of having the parents see each other as strangers come wedding day.
- http://www.weddingsatwork.com/culture_traditions.shtml
That aside, it wasn't as awkward as one would put it out to be. For one, our families have known about each other for a while now. Over a decade, now that I think about it. It was just Bryan and me who never met. Funny!
My dad was so adorable. He went all out! Daw sya ang bride! He was fussing over the food (we redid the menu over 3x!), the living room (he actually got some parts repainted, refurnished, rewashed, reap holstered, and borrowed some decorations from Pure!), the entrance to the house (he "borrowed" a lot of potted plants), the terrace (scrubbed and scrubbed). But in the end, it was a process that happens only once in a lifetime (I pray and hope it will be. No intention of doing another one). Seeing my dad in the middle of it all, he almost got choked up twice. It was simple. Definitely not the type of thing you would usually see in the movies or tv. But essential and meaningful. I only wish Gillian was there for it, too.
Gosh! 118 days left! Tick tock tick tock tick tock!
How could I not be able to blog about this? I can't resist and years from now I will regret if I didn't 100%! The next one will be in Bacolod. That will be something as well :D
