I love weddings. I guess coming from a romance author it’s really no surprise, but I was reminded of the joy of weddings on the weekend when I attended my cousin’s wedding. So the main reasons why I’m so enamoured with the tradition are:
- It’s a happy celebration – the promise of a future together
- It’s a family reunion
- It’s an excuse for a weekend away.
The Vows
Weddings by their very nature are celebratory. Two people are promising to spend the rest of their lives together and love each other enough to make that vow. They know it’s not going to all be puppy dogs and roses, but they’re making the commitment for the good times and the bad. My cousin and his fiancée have been together for eight years and I can tell they are best friends, aware of each others annoying quirks by the things they said in their personalised vows.
The Venue 
I really don’t think words can describe how beautiful the venue was. The back drop of the ceremony was the Southern Ocean off Western Australia and you can see by this photo it was an absolutely perfect day. I could hear the waves washing up on the beach and there were birds riding the gentle breeze.
It was just perfect.
The Reunion
My family lives all over Australia and so it is usually only weddings and funerals that we all get together. We try to make a weekend of it, which is what we did this weekend. There was a pre-wedding barbeque, an after-wedding brunch and of course the wedding day itself. There are always stories to swap whether they are travel stories, antics about children, job tales or reminiscing about adventures we had together as children. I love catching up with everyone and I just wish we’d had more than a weekend.
The Reception
One of the highlights of the wedding was to see the cake my aunt (the groom’s mother) had made. She’s made at least three of the family’s wedding cakes over the years, including my own, but this one definitely topped them all. Four tiers with delicate flounces and if you look very carefully at all the flowers in the picture, you won’t be able to tell that they are all made out of sugar as well. But it didn’t just look amazing, it tasted incredible. I was tempted to sneak a tier into my case to take home! She is so extremely talented, and I am in awe of her.
The Speeches
My whole family knows I’m a happy crier. What that means is any time there’s a happy occasion, a beautiful speech, an ‘aww’ moment, I’ll need a tissue or two. I buy water-proof mascara for just that reason! These speeches were no exception and I made my way through a few tissues by the end of them.
The Party
When all the formalities were done and the bridal party could relax, the music began. The DJ was fantastic playing songs that everyone wanted to dance to. I love to dance, so give me a dance floor and good music and I can groove away for hours. Which is exactly what I did – and why I could barely walk the next morning! LOL.
The Weekend Away
The final joy about weddings for me, is the chance to get away for the weekend. Sure, it’s a four hour drive to get to Albany, the location of the wedding, but my husband and I used the time to chat, listen to podcasts or sing outrageously loudly and badly to music. 🙂 It was fantastic to get out of the city and surround ourselves in the beautiful countryside. The only downside of the weekend was, now that the wedding is over I want to know who’s getting married next?
I’d love to hear what you love about weddings, so leave me a comment below.
