Diary of a Wedding
(Thursday 10th October 2013)
5am - alarm sounds
loudly (too loudly). Stay in bed for awhile
6am – final check through if have all wedding paperwork
(NOIM, Certificate of marriage details x 2, Wedding Certificate, Application
for Registered Certificate, Addressed Envelope for Victorian BD& M). All
good
6-15 Head to Alpha car park with Trish (near airport)
7am Arrive at airport – check in. Find flight is delayed.
Realise daylight saving in Melbourne – original time of arrival 11.30am.
Hopefully not too late as need to get to Kew for 4pm wedding.
8.30am Plane takes off (only 30 mins late). Arrive Melbourne
at 12. Pouring with rain – and cold! (what a surprise)
12.30pm ring car hire to collect us – wait 20 minutes no bus
arrived. Rang again – they forgot to send bus!
1.30pm leave Melbourne Airport in Nissan Micra hire car. Use
Samsung phone to get directions to Beaumont Quest in Kew. It surely is a smart
phone as guided us there seamlessly; arriving 2.15pm. Head up Kew High St (very
cosmopolitan)find place for quick lunch, back to change.
3pm – head to Butleigh Wotton for wedding. Big old mansion
used as wedding centre. Catherine warmly welcomed us offered us tea, showed us
wedding spot – permanent marquee, paved, with fountains, beautifully decorated
white chairs. Had a look around building – blazing fire in one of rooms that
warmed myself by.
3.30pm found out from Catherine that wedding was actually
5pm – Cindy and Brian must have thought that in all my correspondence and
paperwork was putting 4pm as Brisbane time (which it was). Spoke to Cindy the day
before and said I will be there at 3pm – see probably thought I was keen!
Better to be early than late though.
4.30pm Greeted Brian (groom) – had a chat with him – looking
very suave and relaxed by the fire. Spoke to Andrew (best man). Andrew also
Cindy’s cousin as well as being Brian’s best friend and responsible for
introducing them.
4.50pm Went upstairs to see Cindy (she had just arrived).
Looking really beautiful. Told her that Brian was here – she was happy about
that.
5pm Introduced myself to guests; asked them to gather, told
them we were not going to start at present but wait for the bride which is
traditional.
5.05 Wedding Ceremony commences. Beautiful ceremony;
wonderful crowd (about 90) who were in good humour. Welcome included mentioning
their values as a couple; Cindy also wanted me to outline how I had come to
first met her (travelling back from Melbourne wedding on plane 4 years ago);
gave few quotes about love and marriage (Thomas Aquinas, Grover etc). Recited
their personal poem “Cindy and Brian – A Journey Together”. Monitum; their
personal vows were very touching; they had a candle ceremony involving Cindy’s
boys – Mitchell and Kyle; Pronounced them as husband and wife; signing;
beautiful reading from Adrian; finishing off with introduction and recession. Trish
took some good photos of wedding ceremony.
5.40 to 6.15 mingled chatting, took few photos. Found out
from driver of Jaguar (wedding car) that September is NOT a busy month for
weddings in Victoria – he reckons if you had a wedding all the guys would be
down the back listening to the footy. Said farewell to Cindy and Brian – headed
back to accommodation. Gathered all paperwork into envelope ready to post in
morning
7pm Went up High St – Chinese takeaway – beautiful food
devoured eagerly back at Quest. Relaxed,
felt tired but happy and reflected on what an engaging couple Cindy and Brian
were; the wonderful, friendly people I had met that day, the sights I’d seen,
how Melbourne is so different from Brisbane (not only in climate – it just has
a different feel) and how I truly have
the best job in the world! And Trish and I are looking forward to next couple
of days – an extended break in Melbourne and catching up with son Tom as Point
Crib, where he is training in the RAAF.
