Stopping to smell the roses

My niece got married on the weekend.

It sounds so bizarre to say "my niece". You see my husband was a "surprise" baby, so his siblings are much older, like 18 years older. Therefore, his nieces and nephews are in their 20's and 30's now.

They are grown-ups, getting married and having babies.

So, on the weekend, my niece got married. She has been with her partner since her teens, they have two beautiful boys and now they are married.

Weddings always get me thinking about my own marriage. As I listen to the vows being spoken and watch as the love is shared, I think of the vows that we spoke on our own wedding day and wonder if we still uphold them.

I always take it as a chance to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, of my own relationship. In the hustle and bustle of life and everyday, we can often lose sight of each other, taking for granted what we have built over the years. Relationships are so important and they need nurturing. Just like a rose, they need care and attention.

When I was first married, my mum gave me an article she had found in Body&Soul magazine, it basically said you need to make time for each other, no matter what. I believe that and still do, which is why Hubby and I are always making time for each other, whether it is a date night, a night away or our nightly cuppa together.

Do you and your partner get to spend some quality time?
Do you think about your relationship at weddings?

Their special day

Years ago I met one of my dearest friends. She is full of life, funny, caring and genuine. I really love spending time with her and am so glad we met and become friends.

She is also an amazing cook and has introduced Hubby, little miss and I to some amazing Vietnamese delicacies.

We have shared our high and lows over the years, of which there have been many. On Saturday, I was privileged enough to share in another of her highs.

Two and a half years ago she met her perfect match and on Saturday they were married.

In years to come I wonder what their memories of Saturday will be, apart from the fact they married their soul mate. Will it be the lovely and funny speeches by their fathers, the adoring speech from the groom, the beautiful sunset, the polaroid guest book or the delicious crockenbush cake?

Only time will tell. And we wish them all the time and happiness in the world together.

What are your best memories from your wedding?

Celebrate good times...again!

Yesterday we attended the wedding of our good friends Dan and Jessie.

I have known Dan for over 20 years (shit that makes us sound old). I have never seen him happier than when he met Jessie, which makes me so happy for him.

Jessie's friends echoed this sentiment about her since meeting Dan. It seems this two were literally made for each other.

The wedding ceremony was stunning, set against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour.

Image from here

A short walk from the ceremony to Bathers Pavilion had us arriving at the cocktail style ceremony.

Image from here

The food was amazing and plentiful, including chilled oyster with cucumber-miso, lacquered duck, spring onion and hoisin pancake, fish and chips, red chicken curry with lime leaf and jasmine rice, beef ragoût with mushroom and red wine.

Speeches were made by Jessie's Dad, Dan's Mum, Dan's brother, Jessie's bridesmaid, Jessie and Dan - and of course I cried. Dan talked about the moment he knew that he would spend the rest of his life with Jessie and my heart melted - it is a wonderful feeling to see one of your friends so happy and in love with an amazing person.

Congratulations on your marriage Dan and Jessie, thank you so much for inviting us to share in your special day. We wish you all the happiness in the world.

How was your weekend? Did you celebrate good times?

Wednesday words - All I Ask of You

We have two weddings in consecutive weekends this month. The lovely Jess & Glen last weekend followed by the lovely Jess & Dan this weekend.

Whenever I go to a wedding I always reminisce about our wedding, mine and Hubby's. I think what we would do differently, what we would keep the same and what great ideas we could have picked up from the wedding we are attending.

One of the things I wouldn't change, and there are many including the groom (he is a keeper), is the song I walked down the aisle too. It was All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera.

Just in case you don't want to read the lyrics, you can view the movie version...



The lyrics are:

No more talk

of darkness,

Forget these

wide-eyed fears.

I'm here,

nothing can harm you -

my words will

warm and calm you.

Let me be

your freedom,

let daylight

dry -your tears.

I'm here,

with you, beside you,

to guard you

and to guide you . . .

Say you love me

every

waking moment,

turn my head

with talk of summertime . . .

Say you need me

with you,

now and always . . .

promise me that all

you say is true -

that's all I ask

of you . . .

Let me be

your shelter,

let me

be your light.

You're safe:

No-one will find you

your fears are

far behind you . . .

All I want

is freedom,

a world with

no more night . . .

and you

always beside me

to hold me

and to hide me . . .

Then say you'll share with

me one

love, one lifetime . . .

Iet me lead you

from your solitude . . .

Say you need me

with you

here, beside you . . .

anywhere you go,

let me go too -

Christine,

that's all I ask

of you . . .

Say you'll share with

me one

love, one lifetime . . .

say the word

and I will follow you . . .

Share each day with

me, each

night, each morning . . .

Say you love me . . .

You know I do . . .

Love me -

that's all I ask

of you . . .

Anywhere you go

let me go too . . .

Love me -

that's all I ask

of you . .

While I completely love the whole song, my favourite line is - Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. To me marriage is about sharing one love, one lifetime and this is exactly what I intend to do with Hubby.

I love that whenever I hear this song it reminds me of my wonderful husband and the day we were married. It is great how music can do, it transports you to another time and place - a lot like words from books, songs, movies, quotes. They trigger memories that make us smile or laugh and sometimes perhaps cry.

And now that I have been totally reminiscing, these are our other wedding songs (that I also still totally love, in fact Cover You in Kisses is my ring tone).

The song we danced to at our wedding was Cover You in Kisses by Vassy K.


The song we left the wedding to was Time to Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman.



What were your wedding songs?

Celebrate good times....COME ON!

The weekend started off a little grey and rainy....but the clouds cleared and  the sun shone for our friends Glen and Jessica, who were married on Saturday.

Glen and Jessica are very well suited to each other, both compassionate, eco-friendly types. Having met many years ago at work, Glen held onto the hope that one day they would be together....and as fate has it they are now husband and wife.

They were married in a church in the leafy Sydney suburbs and the reception overlooked a beautifully curated golf course.

Glen is very retro, as said in the speeches he should have been born in the 50's and he would have given James Dean a run for his money. He is also very passionate about old American cars - consequently gorgeous Cadillacs were the car of the day. I think his plan was to convince Jess that it was a good idea for them to get one - I am pretty sure she has other plans though.

The motif that decorated the day was the gum leaf. It adorned the invites, the church pews, the service books, the menus, and the bonbonniere. It was mixed with the flowers and seemed to float on the name tags.

The food was delicious, of course! Alternate courses were served of tart or tuna, lamb or salmon, panacotta or chocolate coconut tart - I admit to cheating on my diabetes diet and trying the dessert.

The speeches were wonderful, the parents of the bride and groom were all brimming with pride and love for both Glen and Jess - which of course had me in tears. Glen and Jess also spoke of their pride and love for their families and each other. I said to Hubby I hope our children say such wonderful things about us in their wedding speeches.

Together Glen and Jess made their bonbonniere, a CD with their favourite music -  I thought this was such a lovely idea and the tracks they chose really showcase their personalities and love for one another. I will be listening to it in the car for many years to come.

As the night came to a close the happily married couple danced together to Just the Two of Us. 

Congratulations on your marriage Glen and Jess, thank you so much for inviting us to share in your special day. We wish you all the happiness in the world.

How was your weekend? Did you celebrate good times?