All went smoothly with the flight and I arrived back in Melbourne at 9am. My niece, Suzanne picked me up and we went and had coffee. Then let the preparations begin...:)! First thing was the manicure and pedicure. The manicurist was bringing in a silvery grey colour that she didnt usually use to go with my outfit. The colour turned out to be okay but not quite what I was after. Next stop the hairdresser. I had my hair cut and coloured on Thursday in preparation so now I just needed a bit of a "do" for the day. She did a really good job and I had bouncy curly hair that lasted all day...noice! Everything had been waxed so I was getting close to finishing my preparations, which is good as it was nearly noon....Oh yeah, new shoes...might have another go at that as I hadnt managed to find any in the last few days. I had an obsession about not wearing the shoes I usually wear with this outfit as I also wear them to work sometimes...dont ask me why, it seems silly now!!
Of course being a speed shopper I managed to get a fabulous pair of extremely high, a little too tight, shoes to go with the outfit. Both outfits....ah yes, I had also decided as it was a formal wedding and the ceremony was at 2pm, that I needed to change in between! Borrowed a gorgeous dress from my niece for the ceremony and then I had a little number of my own to slip into for the reception. So I scuttled home and jumped in the shower, did the full makeup thing which I hadnt done for 4 months and got dressed. Only running half an hour behind schedule...eek! The wedding was at St Anthony's in Hawthorn and while wasnt exactly sure where it was I spotted one of the other girls I knew just as I sped around the corner trying to get there before the bride. I was heartened to see people out the front a sure indication I was still ahead of the bride. It was a little embarrassing to have to stop on the footpath to let the bridal cars, beautiful bentleys (which I had for my wedding funnily enough), to drive into the church...doh caught. The embarrasment was only momentary as to see Martine's smiling face always warms my heart but never more so looking radiant as a bride!
A little bit about the couple, while I havent known Martine long we did spend a lot of time together at work. I have met Joe a few times and together they are one of the warmest couples I have ever known. You know, the couples you meet that you just know are meant to be together. Their love for one another is obvious. Its the kind of relationship we should all aspire to! Hence why I was determined to come home to be a part of this significant event in their lives.
Anyway, I slipped into the church and sat at the back being late, but still got inside before the bride. Gary, one of the work gang I was expecting to see here, came and got me and brought me up to where they were all sitting: his wife, Neil and Glenys. Only Sabina was missing from the tight group that had worked together. All except Glenys and Sabina have left but we all catch up regularly, me a little less so, being away a lot this year. Martine was a stunning bride and Joe a very handsome groom. The bridesmaids, flower girls, groomsmen, all gorgeous. The ceremony was traditional but simple, overseen by the priest that had baptised Joe which makes it all the more special. Afterwards outside the church, we wait our turn to give congratulations. Gary and his wife had come with Neil and Glenys and all were going back to their place in between the ceremony and reception. I had arranged to go to Leahs in Elwood, get changed and leave the car, as I was heading back to Sydney the next day. Of course I managed to do all of that and call into Gary's, have a glass of champagne and go to the reception with them! This included the door to one of Leah's cupboards coming off in my hand as I made myself a cup of tea. This caused a major panic as Leah wasnt there at the time! Feeling terrible, I wrote notes and txted her, only to be relieved by the news that it had been loose during the week and not to worry about it. Phew!
The reception was at the Grand Hyatt from 6.00pm, the room looked beautiful, the food and service was excellent and a fun night was had by all. Lots of dancing until my new shoes got the better of me, the trick was not to sit down I think...eek! I hope it was everything the bride and groom had hoped for as we certainly enjoyed ourselves! Neil insisted on driving me home to Strathmore with everyone else in the car living on the other side of the city. As it turned out Glenys was driving and unfortunately my instructions for getting them back to the freeway werent entirely accurate! I was advised of this by txt from Gary which of course I didnt get till the next morning and momentarily thought they had been driving around all night trying to get out of Strathmore. As it turned out, I was only one roundabout out...I didnt think that was too bad, but then I was tucked up in my bed asleep :).
The next day was an easy day, just getting ready to fly back to Sydney and join the East Coast cruise...departing Monday morning. I had a latish flight, 7.30pm, back to Sydney on Sunday and was grateful to arrive at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) when noone was around as I was getting onboard with a suitcase, very poor form for a sailor but I was staying in Brisbane for some time after the cruise and it was a small suitcase by standards!
Unfortunately my camera stopped working once and for all at the wedding so until I get some from Martine I dont have any for this post.
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