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Overexposed Nana!
The wedding guests got more than they expected at this big day…
My new husband and I walked around the room, chatting to our wedding guests. We'd got married on the beach and were now having the reception at a hotel overlooking the sea.
While the meal was being served, we took the chance to talk to all our friends and family, so I walked up to my 78-year-old grandmother on the family table. "How are you enjoying the day, Nana?" I asked, sitting next to her.
"Oh, it's lovely, darling," she replied.
"I'm having a great time. I thought your minister's service was excellent and I'm enjoying this food."
When you got Nana started, you could never shut her up, bless her. She was my only living grandparent and we were really close. She was dressed in a particularly smart suit, so I told her how lovely she looked.
"I've brought some more comfortable clothes to change into when it's time for dancing," she said, which made me laugh. Trust Nana to bring a change of outfit to a wedding!
Later, we cut the cake and did our first dance. "Come and join us," I said to Nana.
"Righto, I just need to get changed," she said, reaching under the table for her bag. I pointed in the direction of the ladies' bathroom and said I'd have a spin on the dance floor with her shortly.
As she shuffled off, the best man stood up with the microphone. "Can everyone please make use of the photo booth around the back?" he announced. "There are wigs and funny glasses to put on, and your photos will be projected onto this giant screen behind the dance floor."
Our plan was to then turn all the funny photos of our guests into a keepsake book.
My new husband and I were dancing away when suddenly I heard a collective gasp. Everyone was staring at the screen behind me. I whirled around and dropped my Champagne glass in shock.
There, projected on the screen for all to see, was my grandma… in her underwear! She must've thought the photo booth was a changing room. Her eyesight wasn't great, after all.
On a giant screen behind the dance floor, we saw snaps of her taking off her smart suit, and replacing it with a skirt and top. Thankfully, she didn't bring a change of smalls with her!
"Oh, no," I whispered and turned to my beloved. To my horror, he was laughing. In fact, everyone was.
"It's not funny," I said to him, panicking. I knew poor Nana would be totally mortified if she knew what she'd done.
I ran to the DJ and grabbed the microphone. "Please, everyone, Nana can't ever know about this," I said, cringing on her behalf.
"You have to promise never to tell her we all saw her getting changed."
Everyone laughed, but they agreed to keep quiet.
Trying to act normal, I ran out to meet Nana as she came back into the room in her dancing outfit. She immediately hit the dance floor and was amazed by how popular she was.
"All your friends want to dance with me," she said, winking. "There's life in the old bird yet."
In the end, she had a fabulous time and I can now see the funny side to it all.
As you can imagine, we didn't include her photos in our keepsake book!
To this day, Nana still has no idea our whole wedding party saw her almost naked. It's a secret I plan to take to her grave!
Nina, 36
Laughter Yoga
Yes, it’s a real thing. Laughter yoga is a practice that combines laughter exercises and yoga techniques. It was discovered by Dr Madan Kataria in 1995 and is quickly gaining popularity – for good reason.
When teamed together, yoga breathing techniques and laughing bring more oxygen to the body and brain to help you feel more energetic.
Laughter yoga can reduce stress, make your immune system stronger and help keep you positive during challenging situations.
You don’t even have to be honestly laughing – faking it till you make it works wonders here! You’ll get the same, if not more, benefits from simulated laughter, the main point is to get yourself chuckling.
You can join your local Laughter Club (there are many around the country) and practise in a group or you can try it on your own. Madan has free-to-join Laughter yoga sessions available online through Zoom.
During a session, a trained instructor will coach you through exercises to promote laughter – these will range from breathing techniques to clapping and chanting.
The session may also include improv and stretching to encourage relaxation and taking yourself less seriously. The result? A good belly laugh for 20 to 30 minutes, leaving you feeling relaxed and ready to tackle anything life throws at you.
MAKE
Mocha Moccona Shake
Time 20 minutes
Serves 2
3 tbsp Moccona Indulgence
3 tbsp hot water
2½ cups milk
3 scoops vanilla ice cream
Chocolate and caramel sauce
Whipped cream
Toasted marshmallows, chocolate wafers, strawberries, or other garnishes of choice
1. Combine coffee and hot water until powder is dissolved. Allow to cool.
2. Blend together coffee, milk and ice cream.
3. Top with chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, and whipped cream from a can. Garnish with desired toppings, and sprinkle with a pinch of extra Moccona coffee.
For more Moccona recipe inspiration, visit moccona.co.nz
SCREEN LOLS
Classic for a reason
Airplane!
This is an oldie but a goodie, with a whopping three laughs per minute of screen time. The story of a pilot who is afraid to fly, which provides the premise for some seriously funny moments. Perfect for those moments when nothing but the ridiculous will do.
Streaming on Apple TV and Google Play.
Class clowns
Booksmart
Best described as a modern mash-up of Bridesmaids and Superbad, it’s also actress Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut. Using the age-old premise of bad high school experiences and one last chance to let loose, it’s got an excellent soundtrack too.
Streaming on Apple TV and Google Play.
All about the lady laughs
Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids clocks up a staggering 1.4 laughs per minute and at 125 minutes long, that’s a lot of giggles. The plot is simple – two besties go through a series of hilarious events in the lead-up to a wedding. It’s is as funny the fifth time you watch it as the first.
Streaming on Neon and Apple TV.
Aotearoa’s funniest
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
If you prefer old-fashioned Kiwi quips, then Hunt for The Wilderpeople is a great choice. The Taika Waititi-directed flick might be seven years old, but the laughs are still fresh. Sam Neill makes the viewing all the more enjoyable.
Streaming on Apple TV, Google Play and NZ Film on Demand.
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Cooking cheat
How the world’s worst cook whipped up a storm for friends
Walking through the door after school, my nostrils filled with the most delicious aroma. As usual, Mum was in the kitchen preparing yet another scrumptious dinner.
“Can I help?” I offered. “No, leave it to me,” Mum replied. “You haven’t got a clue in the kitchen.” And she was right.
Everyone in my family was a master chef who loved to cook delicious dishes. I, on the other hand, was useless.
I couldn’t even dice an onion, let alone prepare a feast. It wasn’t through lack of trying, though – I’d even done cooking as part of a hospitality course.
“It was just a simple sauce,” I’d sigh to Mum after another disastrous day at the stove. “But more landed on my apron than the plate!”
After six months of failed recipes, I decided it was finally time to hang up my apron and try something new.
When I met my partner, he had high expectations about what mouth-watering meals I’d be making him after he’d enjoyed a few dinners at Mum’s. Needless to say, I had to let him down gently.
“I’m sorry, love, I’ve messed up again!” I said whenever I attempted dinner, inevitably throwing out the meal I’d ruined and serving up a tin of something instead.
“Takeaways?” he replied with a wink.
We loved to socialise. We were always being wined and dined around friends’ houses, and they’d always ask when they could come over and sample some of my family specialities.
“How about next Saturday?” I finally conceded one evening to a pair of our friends. My partner kicked me under the table. For the rest of the night, I sat with a fixed smile on my face as panic bubbled inside.
“What were you thinking?” he laughed in the car on the way home. “It’ll be fine,” I replied nervously.
I knew a week wasn’t enough time to turn me into Nigella Lawson, but surely I could throw a few classic dishes together?
I decided to go Italian, as everyone seemed to be able to make a Bolognese!
I bought all the ingredients to start practising to make risotto, lasagne, gnocchi and even just pizza, but I ruined every single dish every single time. Either the sauce was tasteless, the pasta was too soggy or the pizza base burnt to a crisp.
On the night of the dinner party, I was a nervous wreck, but I was determined to prepare a feast fit for a king.
“You can do this,” I reassured myself as I made my fifth risotto that week. Humming to myself while I prepared the other dishes, I started to smell something burning. There was black smoke wafting out of the pot on the stove!
“No!” I yelled, realising I’d put the hob on the maximum temperature and left it in there 30 minutes too long. With my guests due to arrive in two hours, I had no time to start again.
“Open the windows to get rid of the smell,” I ordered my partner.
Suddenly I had an idea. I rummaged around for my phone and looked up the local Italian eatery. I dialled the number and ordered a feast for four.
Rushing to the shop, I literally threw money at the man behind the counter, before grabbing the bag of food and running back to the house. I’d just finished plating up when the doorbell rang.
“Wow!” my guests said as they sat down. “That smells amazing.”
Taking their first mouthfuls, their eyes widened. “We never knew you could cook like this!” they chorused. I smiled sheepishly as my partner stifled a laugh.
My guests loved the meal so much, they now pop around for an Italian feast every other month! I’ve not admitted my little secret yet and, thanks to my local restaurant, I always come up with the goods! I guess it’s only a matter of time before one of my guests finds an empty takeaway container in the bin!
Maria, 35
