We went to a wedding today. Mirinda’s cousin Belinda married Tim her long time friend and now husband. The weather was perfect which was a relief to the happy couple given the rotten weather we’ve been having. They are very religious, therefore the weather was supplied by their god…or so I overheard a number of times.
Now, let’s get something straight at the beginning of this post. Anyone who knows me or has read my blog will realise that I am an atheist (a 6 on the Dawkins scale). The same people will realise that I’m generally quite vocal when it comes to my opinions. However, I also believe that a wedding day is something very special (ours certainly was) and should be remembered for the occasion rather than for anything I might disagree with.
So…with that out of the way…the wedding of Belinda and Tim.
The bridesmaids wore black, which is apparently all the rage at the moment. According to Michelle (Belinda’s sister and the bridesmaid holding the two bunches of flowers in the photo below) this is the second time she’s been a black dress bridesmaid and the fashion is meant to highlight the ivory dress of the bride. I’m tempted to say it was a bit like what I imagine a vampiric wedding in the Twilight saga would resemble…but I haven’t read any Twilight novels so I’ll not give in to temptation. Besides, I quite liked it. I might deal with the symbolism in some later post.
We arrived heaps early (Sue knows what Bob’s like and made sure we’d get there on time) and stood around in the sunshine at Barker College, Hornsby. The chapel at the college was where the wedding was held. Tim, the groom, went to school at Barker and his dad taught (or teaches) there.
It’s a lovely little building with a ship’s bell attached to the wall outside. This bell was on the ship that carried the Warden family’s ancestors to Australia. That could actually be wrong because I stupidly forgot to take a photo of the plaque. I sometimes forget my own motto: “Never trust to memory that which can be photographed.”
Eventually the guests were ushered inside in anticipation of the bride’s arrival. I waited outside while Bob and Mirinda took a pew inside. It was a bit of a wait but, eventually, the two bridal cars pulled up.
I rather liked the fact that one of the drivers took the trouble to lay down a red carpet for Belinda and it was basically ignored by everyone.
It was then time for the bridal party to enter the chapel so I took my place beside Mirinda and Bob. Rather than the wedding march, Belinda strolled down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon in D which gave it all a rather cinematic feel.
The particular brand of Christianity to which Belinda and Tim ascribe to is one that not only has it’s own songs but also encourages a lot of whooping and cheering and general hand waving. So, there were no Psalms and a lot of noise. However, apart from that, the ceremony was pretty much what you’d expect with the traditional kiss at the end.
And then everyone poured outside for the family photos before they all left for the reception which was held in the centre of Sydney. We didn’t go, instead having lunch at the best bakery in the world.
I don’t fancy Black myself but I must admit I thought they all looked lovely I think because they are all blondes .
love mum x