The Wedding of (the second half of) the Year

Yesterday was Sarah and Greg's wedding day.

It all began at about 10.30am when Kate and I went around to Sarah & Greg's for a soothing beverage to kick things off.

Suitably chilled, Sarah and Kate went off to do whatever it is that chicks do on their wedding day (I'm not sure I need, or want, to know) and Greg and I did what guys do. We went to the pub for lunch.

We were soon joined by our erstwhile MC Shannon, father of the bride Russell, father of the groom Ross, Greg's brother Micka and brother-in-law Michael.

We discussed the arrangements and activities for the day, which turned out to be a reasonably short conversation. It was pretty clear that all we had to do was show up sober and on time. Not too hard.

The ceremony was to be in Moonee Ponds, at the house of Honey family friend Therese, and a stone's throw from where Kate and I used to live in Dean St. Official starting time was 5.30, but people were arriving from 4.30. Well, no-one wants to be late, do they?

The ceremony was beautiful and charming and etcetera and not too long. Our Reverend Budge really does do an awesome service.

Following more drinks and food, Shannon gathered the crowd around for the speeches.

Greg's dad Ross welcomed Sarah to the Loney family (there was some speculation on the name-changing issue . . . not sure what the final decision is there) and then Jill and Russell got up to speak.

Those who attended our wedding earlier in the year will remember that the speeches went for longer than the ceremony. It was again the case here. But as before, they were oh so entertaining.

Russell reminded us (again) of the erotic power of the living room floor in Mavis' Forest St house, where Sarah was conceived. Once the laughter had died down, Jill spoke beautifully about Sarah and Greg's love and friendship.

The party kicked on until about 1. The newlyweds had misplaced their house keys, so ended up getting some of Greg's colleagues to bring his spare set from the station. They were then taken home in a cop car with the lights flashing.

A perfect end to a perfect day.

The great thing about this wedding was the love that was there for all to see. During the ceremony, Budge spoke of what an honour it was to preside over the marriage of two friends, after having the opportunity to see their love grow. In her speech, Jill spoke about Sarah and Greg's ability to balance both deep love and a wonderful friendship.

For me, it's great to attend a wedding where both the people involved are dear friends; these are people I love both individually and as a couple.

Four weeks from today, Kate and Shannon and I will be leaving for a European holiday with Sarah and Greg. When you're planning to spend weeks in the company of these people, and genuinely looking forward to it, that really means something.

I'm fond of saying that a wedding was successful if they ended up married and no-one was injured. Well, this wedding was successful. And then some.

And now here's some photos:

Early morning preparations


The Bride: Before


Making it all up as we go along


Posing in the Ponds


Callie and Reverend Budge


Shannon doing an awesome job as MC


The Father of the Groom


The Parents of the Bride


Em and Justin and Vesa


Opening the pressies


I sadly wasn't able to get any pictures of the ceremony, being somewhat involved at the time. It was a very well-recorded event, however, so I'll source them from somewhere and post them soon.

P.S. Happy Birthday Greg!