Wedding at Mosman Art Gallery & Zest

Ten years fly past so very quickly. Five years too. You wouldn't have thought it with the amount of time we'd spent back then on road trips and hanging out in uni, but they were the foundations of who we were going to be next and yet, they mightn't have been. Anyhow, ten years ago I met the groom of this wedding at uni and five years ago he met his true love that he married yesterday.

A truly beautiful ceremony. I felt distant because I hadn't seen much of them together and they had built their relationship around a different group of friends over time. I am happy for them and do believe after the beautiful day we spent peering into the beginning of their lifetime together, that it is true love and that it is the kind that will last.

The MAG has gorgeous stained glass windows, making the perfect backdrop to a perfect union.

At the door of the reception

A touch of rustic

How beautiful is that view?

Elegant Table centerpieces

One that got us excited, a dumpling station!

Bridal table

Wedding cake with a volleyball because it is what brought them together

One of the most scrumptious wedding menu I had ever had

Confit Ocean Trout

Bombonnieres: Measuring spoons for the recipe for Love

Slow Roasted Pork Belly

Slow roasted Grain-fed Lamb rump

The wedding setup was very elegant, but it wasn't a serious ambiance for the groom and bride's family were some fun-loving bunch that knows how to throw a serious party. Great entertainment (including a faux volleyball game), great food, great wine and excellent dance-floor action made it a very good night out with some old friends that I never thought I'd ever go 'clubbing' with again. Little do we know, we were training for wedding dance floors all those years ago.

I supposed this might be the last of the weddings to hit us before we turned 30 years old, and none of us yet had the responsibility of children, so we were able to drink, dance and be merry the night away. Very happy for the wedded couple and very thankful for the ability for them to express their love for each other with the sanctity and celebration of Marriage.

Wedding at Centennial Vineyards Bowral

I went to a dream wedding yesterday. Full of love, personality and fun. Catching the groom prior to the wedding to ask if I could help in anyway, he said everything was under control, and I knew it would be. After all they had excellent support from the warm venue staff who coordinated all the event run sheet professionally and seamlessly.

It was a really warm humid day and evening where everything around Sydney seemed to be going wrong what with all the traffic incidents and fires making the drive down to Bowral slow to a crawl, but the place itself was protected from the worries of the world. Here, we laughed, we teared up, we embraced the young couple and lived that very moment with them.

The beautiful mingling area

Our wonderful menu for the night

My entree: Rotolo of Pumpkin

 

My dessert: Banana & Cinnamon cake

Wedding Cake

The Bride and Groom speech

I am pleased to say I had other causes to celebrate the night. I was able to sell my wedding dress finally and it fit the new owner perfectly which was a relief seeing her wedding was only two weeks away. Also, my makeup lasted me the whole humid day without melting.An amazing feat to be sure!

 It was my Burberry look complete with soft Smokey eyes glistened up with Chanel illusion D'Ombre Long wear luminous eyeshadow, Falsies applied with Shu Umera eyelash glue, Burberry Lip Velvet lipstick in Antique Pink all held together sitting atop my ever trustworthy Chanel Eclat Vitalumiere pressed powder that held everything in place the whole day. I think the trick is in good layering. A good moisturised face as a base, layered with BB cream and liquid foundation, then slowly building up layers of colour with the eye shadow and lip liner, pressing firmly on application with quick patting strokes. No reapplication other than lipstick was necessary throughout the entire day.

What a lovely way to welcome in the long weekend. I am very pleased for the couple and have been able to achieve a few personal fist pumps for myself along the way. Happy Australia Day folks!

Commitment of the heart

I went to a wedding last night after work. Don't ask, kinda don't wanna waste twenty minutes of your life, just wanted to share on the thrills of helping out with wedding plans again. It's been so long.

I was the first person to arrive at the venue. Eventhough I was family (in-laws), I really had no idea what was the reception schedule, I could only base it on how we had it done last year, find out what the venue's boundaries are and say I will follow up when the family arrives and I have found out the answers they seek.

I did rock up with music though. Stolen off Mr.HEA's computer as he has less Indie taste in music. Then half an hour before the reception start time it was a whirlwind as the wines arrive, reception decorations were set out, the cupcake tiers set up, table numbers and seat charts communicated and wishing well assembled. I got given duties to man the reception table.

I was rather lonely, attending the wedding by myself without Mr. HEA, the last time I did this, it was a while ago and I wasn't surrounded by family. Sob story aside though it was fun playing with the kids at these family events. I didn't care if I was considered the clucky lady chasing down any child that would let me hold them or take them around.

Here are some aspects of the night to share with you all, I am back on my crappy iPhone this week so bear with the once again lower resolution pictures. At least I don't have to block out faces I suppose (I don't like showing pics of children on the web usually, but the below I hope are not clear enough to be in any way incriminating for them).

Cupcakes that the groom's sister made. How loving!

Pretty bouquet of ranunculas and roses

Check out the little flower girls in their cutesy dresses from Target. They wore floral headbands too (K is for Kani style)purchased from the Marrickville Markets, but the headbands had fallen off by this time of the night as they went crazy hyper from the sugat in the icing and kept twirling in their flouncy skirts. You remember what that was like?

Wondered if you'd be interested in seeing her dress. It was simple and elegant, with the sash straps extending to the small of her back and ending with three dainty sash rossettes and a sweet little train. Childhood sweethearts of twenty years, finally tying the knot. If that is not a commitment of the heart as any, then there is no hope for the rest of us.

Oblivious to the festivities, a child sits in the middle of the stage, kept entertained blowing bubbles.

What's on my mind at this moment

On WOMMATM, ignoring the stressful work and relationship stuff, is really a load of sweet treats and fashion. Something to do with the opening of a little pastel green kiosk in front of Mulberry at Westfield's?

I sacrificed my lunch hour to go buy these little babies...

How pretty is the box?!!

The colours, the perfect feet, the yield when you bite into the french almond biscuit. Le Sigh...

Of course, the hottest couple in Hollywood secretly married, which probably means steaming hot babies, if they make babies, if they last that long. But What obsessed me was the Marchesa Gown she wore at her wedding. Which made me have a 'I wonder if I got married all over again, would I wear this?' moment.

From Marchesa's New York Spring Fashion Week 2012

Marchesa from Shopbop

Marchesa from Shopbop; This one's on Sale ladies!

Mother's Day

I was drawn to this crop of a shot where my new husband was weaving us through the tables at our reception, making our way to our Central Park table. I was stunned by how similar the expression on my mother's face in the background mirrored mine and remembered how she had shared with me that her happiest moment at her own wedding day was when my Dad also weaved her through their tables, stopping at each one to proudly introduce his new wife, all the while hanging tightly on to her hand, as if that if he did let go, all this might just not be real.

This was possibly the latest moment I had a nice picture taken with my mum. Being apart sucks. Being married and having your own family keep telling you that your in-laws are like family now and that I should treat them like I respect mine, makes it really interesting. Whilst I don't disobey my family, this instruction makes it hard to rock both worlds at the same time because they are all so different and each person want something from me that is different.

Just this Mother's Day has been testament to that. I rushed around the Farmer's markets yesterday, trying to find the finest fromage, the gorgeous flowers, basil and heirloom tomatoes to make a salad for my Mother-in-law, who bless her soul had offered to cook her own Mother's Day dinner despite our numerous pleas for her to sit back and enjoy herself. Apparently being a Mother and fussing over us would be her greatest present already.

At least she seemed to enjoy the home-made Spanish salami and garlic prawn pizza and the apple pie with Pavlova Passion ice cream dessert that we contributed to the meal last night. But I know my own mother would have been a lot more excited to be eating gourmet tomatoes and being fussed over. Or perhaps that was ten years ago, cause when I called home to wish her well last night and to promise that I owe her a grand Mother's day meal when I am back in two weeks, she plainly declines and demands instead that all she wants is a grandchild. *Gulp*

Thing is, we are just not ready yet and guiltily, I am spending Mother's Day resenting my own because she isn't here to see how hard it is for the two of us to get to know each other again now that we are living together. How financially stressful it is that we are carrying three mortgages on our shoulders and how little work there is for my husband that keeps him engaged in his role and how often it is he thinks of just leaving all of this behind. I told her all this the last time we spoke and she has decided that the best solution is to have a child anyways. That if it doesn't ground him and he still leaves us behind, at least I will have a child. One that she'll get to fly over here to take care of. I know that will never happen because talk is cheap and its easy to cajole someone else into making a life-long commitment than to really put yourself into their shoes and weigh out the benefits that do not seem to outweigh the cons.

So, I have nothing else to say but to just tell her no, that my in-laws tell us not to pressure ourselves with children if we aren't ready and I have to obey their wishes too. And just like that, her Mother's day has been turned around into the worst one ever and I am left trying to figure out how did I handle that one so wrong and how to deal with this emotional guilt I have in me now.

I just want to go back to six months ago when she and I were just happy at the same time, having achieved the same goal and was appeased. When I wasn't failing her and certainly before we both knew what lied ahead of us.

The Hunger Games - My take

This story is gruesome and immoral. Not my usual cup of tea. But Suzanne Collins threw a love story in there somewhere and suddenly I am intrigued. With my interest piqued, I convinced S to spend an afternoon with me watching the movie and made sure I didn't spoil the story for him (I looked it up on Wikipedia as the trailers did not let on anything about what the story is about).

Now that I've watched it, I can't stop thinking about it and I'd love to read the books, if only my friend didn't tell me that it would be a lot more gory than the movie. I have a vivid imagination and even if the book (as the reviews say) is written for a fourth grader read, I am pretty sure we would have a very terrifying few nights of my active imagination running wild with me within the HEA household.

So, the verdict hangs. I am still undecided on whether I should pick up the three books or not.

The above is a fan-made movie of a scene from the book which I think has been done better than the movie. Perhaps another hint at how the books are better than the film?

Two weddings and a Hangover

S and I attended two really wonderful wedding receptions over the weekend. I will say I absolutely love Indian weddings! There is so much glitter and dancing and good food and drink. I woke up with Sari glitter on my face still somehow and S is till today still recovering from the weekend.

I learnt to tie my own sari and may I offer my personal opinion, this video shows the best clips on how to tie the sari and where to apply pins.

In the interest of full disclosure, I also watched How to be a good Indian girl and Martha Stewart's Living Style and do not dispute I might have gotten a fuller picture between all three videos.

This is my attempt. S really enjoyed not being in a suit and tie for once at a function.

But nothing compares to what the Bride and Groom wore. I was mostly in awe with her modern style sari which tapered along her silhouette and comes out with a mermaid tulle skirt. When she danced, the bling reflecting off her tunic was mesmerising to watch. Truly breathtakingly beautiful.

 

The other reception was held aboard The Island at Sunset and no expense was spared here either. This was the tropical do I had been preparing for and the theme flowed through the function with the endless of orchids and frangipanis as garnish and decorations



Canapes





Fresh Coconuts





Tropical Passionfruit Martinis



Lovely four poster beds draped with brightly coloured gauze and adorned with matching orchids (below)




The couple arrived in a grand entrance after all the guests did on a jet boat



The hottest Flamenco dancers started off the dance floor



A happy hangover, a broken sandal, and many drink-induced, conveniently forgotten antics to boot, marks the sad end of a beautiful weekend that joined two separate families and friends together to witness the union of one stunning couple on the start of their journey of a lifetime. Was really glad I was part of it in some way.

Preferred wedding montage songs

I found some Matt Hires amongst my music collection and it took me back to some wedding planning memory lanes. We used two songs for the two montages I put together for our wedding. The songs were dictated by S because he reckons he's got better music taste between the two of us. Tis true, my loves are a bit more indie.

We went with Bruno Mars' Count on Me and Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat's Lucky (Songs which are really apt for our relationship of course).


But if I had my way, it'd have been either Matt Hires' You are the One

Or Corrine Bailey Rae's Like a Star

Or a really old one that I always dreamt of using:  Lea Salonga and Brad Kane's We Could be in Love

A tropical themed wedding

I have a formal wedding reception to attend and the theme has been set to be tropical. I am not the best at deciphering dress codes, but we have been told bright colours were in order.

Short of running out to buy a brand new bright orange halter neck maxi-dress from Sheike (I saw it over the weekend) that I am not sure I'd ever wear again...I am at ends on what I should be wearing to this wedding.

Last night, after a long agonizing over my wardrobe, I thought this might kind of work.





It's an assymetrical dress made out of chiffon. I bought it from a small boutique from when I went to Melbourne over NYE. I thought the black and gold long necklace might go well with it.





The gold accents on these sandals would then match that on the necklace.





And I'd wear these gold bangles too.

Haven't decided on earrings yet as I don't have any nice gold ones. I am not even sure if I should wear chunky ones or drop earrings considering I already have a long necklace.

Ah well, I still have the week to find something...


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