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.”
We went back to Myer in Chatswood today to complete our gift registry list. We started in August but didn’t get much onto our list that time.
Our registration number is 603502. We’re also happy to receive gift cards.
A new frying pan is one of the things on the list since I broke our one last week. A huge field cricket was lurking in it as I was drying it. The surprise of seeing it made me jump in shock and throw the frying pan in the air, and the handle snapped right off when it hit the floor!
Things which they don’t have at Myer that we need are tools (power tools especially), lamps and other lights, and any sort of storage device (my favourite shop in Australia is Howards Storage World!), so don’t feel tied to the Myer list.
A couple of people have asked me “what’s the dress code?” so I went to Wikipedia and read up on dress styles. I’ve come to the conclusion that the dress code is “informal“. You can read this Wikipedia article for details.
This is not to be confused with casual, though semi-casual may be ok. Some of the bridal party will be in black morning coats, but we don’t expect guests to be this formal. For the ladies, I’d recommend against jeans, but pretty much anything else would go! Suits, summer dresses or cocktail dresses are all fine. This picture shows what my mum will be wearing. If you want to avoid clashing with the bridesmaid or flower girl, don’t wear an orange or gold dress.
This is the second 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!
Tim has chosen the hymn “A New Commandment” which will be sung before we make our vows.
A new commandment I give unto you,
That you love one another as I have loved you,
That you love one another as I have loved you.
By this shall all men know that you are My disciples,
if you have love one for another.
By this shall all men know that you are My disciples,
if you have love one for another.
For my “something old“, I’ll be wearing my Nana’s thruppenny-bit bracelet. It was my mother’s “something borrowed” on her wedding day. When my Nana said that she could keep it, she didn’t want to because then it wouldn’t have been borrowed, so instead I later inherited it. It certainly counts as something old, with the oldest coin being from 1902 at the start of King Edward VII’s reign. The other eight coins were minted between 1913 and 1936, during the reign of King George V. The four oldest coins are sterling silver. The ones produced in the 1930s are 50% silver, at least according to Wikipedia.
For my “something new“, I’m still undecided. Perhaps something like this Swarovski Tiara, but the matching necklace I tried on looked too big and it would be hard to find something else which went with it.
This is the first 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!
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
