Tim went to Taste on Sussex Lane for his bucks night on Thursday and I went to Ayurvé spa followed by a great Japanese meal at Akaneya for my hen party on Friday. Today we did some last-minute shopping and almost everything is organised other than my packing for the honeymoon.

Following tradition, Tim isn’t seeing me the morning of the wedding, so our Best Man, Vincent, has just taken him away to a hotel. In only 12 hours time, I’ll be having pink champagne and bagels for breakfast with my family as everyone starts arriving from 7.30am onwards. I would write more but I’m terrified of breaking off my new nails!

Very excited!

This is the fourth in a series of posts about the ceremony. If you’re attending, you might want to skip these posts to avoid spoiling the surprise on the day!

This is our wedding blessing which will be read by the celebrant after the reading and before the declaration of marriage.

“Tim and Angela, marriage is the joining of two people, the union of two hearts. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but thrives on the joy of each new day — Marriage is love. May you always be blessed in your hearts with the wonder of this special day. May you always be able to talk things over, to confide in each other, to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together, and to share moments of quiet and peace, when the day is done. May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness.”

My family arrived safely in Sydney on Saturday following a two-day stopover in Hong Kong. So far, they’ve fed the kangaroos and fed themselves to the leeches! We’ve had a picnic at Crosslands and a barbie at Tim’s parents’. Tomorrow we’re going to Taronga Zoo. Then the rehearsal is on Thursday, followed by Tim’s buck’s night, and Friday is my hen party.

I’ve had my hair trial and final dress fitting and most things are looking fairly organised. We even had a dance lesson yesterday so we will be able to waltz to Come Away With Me for our first dance. The advice I read about practising dancing in the shoes you’ll be wearing on the day wasn’t a good idea as I now have beautiful ivory satin shoes with part of Tim’s footprint on top!

10 days to go! The 10 day weather forecast is predicting a high of 24°C (75°F) which sounds perfect. One of the many reasons we chose late November was for the weather. The forecast says partly cloudy but no rain. In a few days, we can check the official Bureau of Meterology site which is probably more accurate but only provides 7 day forecasts.

Update: 18 November: The Bureau of Meterology is predicting highs of 20°C (68°F) with a “shower or two” and weather.com says highs of 21°C and “mostly sunny”.

Update: 20 November: Now that the 5-day forecasts are available, the weather is looking unpredictable. Each site has their own idea and none of them are consistent. The Bureau of Meterology, which ought to be the most reliable, says a shower or two, windy, 20°. weatherzone says wind and showers, 20°. The BBC says sunny, 22°. wunderground says scattered cloud, 18°. weather.com says showers, 17°. weather.com.au says light rain early, morning clouds, mild, breezy, 19°. accuweather says considerable cloudiness with a shower, winds from the west at 19 km/h, 21°. Finally, Yahoo is the worst with highs of only 16° and showers.

Update: 22 November: The forecasts are now fairly consistent and they all say rain with strong winds. Specifically, the Bureau says “a few showers, cloudy, strong to gale force southwest winds” with temperatures lower than average at 11-21°C (52-70°F). For once, I’m glad I was pessismitic about the weather when considering outdoor venues. Luckily we ruled those out so we’ll be inside a chapel for the ceremony and it’s a 5 second dash from there to the indoors reception!

3 weeks to go! Tim and I are in San Francisco right now for work, so the final details will be made the week before the wedding, alongside tourist trips with my family who arrive in Sydney that week.

Most things are organised now, but we never got round to learning to waltz, I broke the unity candle, and I have so far failed to find a hairdresser (which shouldn’t be such a complicated task). The big things still on the to-do list are printing the order of service and finalising the cake & car details.

This is the third in a series of posts about the ceremony. If you’re attending, you might want to skip these posts to avoid spoiling the surprise on the day!

After we exchange rings, we’re lighting a unity candle.

Here’s the wording:
“We now give thanks for all the rich experiences of life that have brought Angela and Tim to this high point in their lives. We are grateful for the values which have flowed into them from those who have loved them. The heritage each brings to this marriage will continue to be an important element in their lives, but now will be shared between them.”

“In commemoration of the merging of these two rich heritages and in memory of those, living and dead, who were part of these heritages, I now invite Tim and Angela’s mothers to bring forth the lighted candles, representing each of the families of this couple.”

“Tim and Angela will now light their unity candle with these candles, symbolising the union of their families in this marriage and the rich heritage each brings to it.”