Not sure how anything is accomplished anywhere once the school holidays start. You can tell they're nearly over as my two are used to sleeping in and getting around in their pyjamas most of the day and I cannnot get tempt them out The Smurfs and eating fairyfloss and all those other things good mothers don't allow I can get around to some blogging!
So where did the rest of 2011 go? A quick rundown of the last few weddings of the year - didn't realise how busy I was until I went back to them.
Jannah and Ben were married in Cooke Park in Gerringong. Gerringong is definitely a popular spot for weddings as I passed quite a few that day - every church and park seemed to contain bridal parties.
Isabel and Pete got married in their stunning backyard with so many special little touches - it all looked amazing - even the layout of the cushions!





Cassie and Adam were married on Narrawallee Beach - it was such a hot day and someone (no names!) forgot the groomsmens flowers for their buttonholes and then the PA didn't want to cooperate with the music but once we started it was all smooth sailing.
Tegan and Barry eloped to Hyams Beach for a simple - but special - no fuss wedding
 - we asked a nice lady who was sunbathing nearby to be a witness and she was so happy and emotional she cried during the ceremony! Nora - the photographer doubled as the second witness and you can see more of herstunning  photos here.
Rebecca and Steven also chose  Hyams for their December wedding but they had a few more guests so we didn't have to enlist witnesses! Rebecca wore a really unusual dress and it's rare that you comment on the poor groom -but loved what Steve wore for the day. Donna-Maree took the photos.
Charles and Fleur were married at celebrity chef Rick Stein's beach house at Mollymook. What an amazing location. Great venue for a small wedding, Rick actually just had his own wedding there. There were just a  handful of guests, mostly their children who ranged from teeny toddler to tall teenager! Fleur bought her gorgeous accessories and decorations from etsy, if you like really original bits and pieces and online shopping click here.
Noticed Rick keeps a painting of Chalky - his dog from the TV series - on the wall.He also had a photo of himself with Prince Charles but I wasn't as taken with that.
Dean Dampney of Cloudface took some gorgeous - and more romantic  -  photos which can be seen here.
Then we kicked off 2012 with a wedding on Collingwood Beach for Sean and Lisa who came all the way from Victoria - in a car that broke down 3 times! - and Mia and Clinton again at Hyams. Mia wore the most amazing fishtail dress which must have atracted a few looks when they had to stop the limo at Bomaderry McDonalds so the bride could run infor a nervous wee along the way!
I also did a vow renewal for Melisssa and Joe at Callala - the Community Hall there is such a great secret, a fantastic venue and Jen and her  team from As Whisper created a gorgeous setting.

Two gorgeous weddings today both with all the fantastic elements of a beach wedding but none of the sand in your shoes.
Wedding number one was in an amazing house in Mollymook, perched right beside the sea with 360 degree views. Gobsmacked would describe the effect when you first entered the room.
 Glad I had some time to get used to it so I could concentrate on the ceremony as it really was
a  special occasion.
Mo and Eddie were being remarried. They had been married for 20 years then divorced then decided they couldn't live without each other! Hopefully the wedding - like love - was even lovelier the second time around. It was just close family and friends and their amazing gorgeous son had arranged everything. He had  teased his parents saying he had booked a caravan park and their only problem was that they were going to have to get up early on the day to reserve the barbecue area! He'd even sent them photos of a dodgy caravan park!! There was such a lovely atmosphere in the room and groom Eddie managed to beam and cry at the same time! Mo wore a really beautiful white dress and looked stunning, even the guests were gorgeous! Also loved the cake which was  decorated with dark red roses. I was invited to stay for a glass of champagne (definitely one of the perks of the job) so got to enjoy the view and the atmosphere before I set off for wedding number 2.
Wedding number 2 was actually at a caravan park. Not the Brunswick Heads Revisited model that Ben had been teasing his parents with,  but Berrara Beach Chalets. What a great discovery! Lianne and Martin booked a row of chalets - all with fantastic ocean views and then set up a marquee on the lawn in front. It looked amazing! Guests stepped from their balconies into the reception. The ceremony was held under a shady tree before a very small group of their closest family and friends. There were readings and blessings from the guests, a ring warming, the sweetest little flowergirl in an amazing dress (it had a little gauzy frontpiece which contained petals) and proud mum Glyn had flown in from the UK to give her daugher away. Lianne looked amazing! Really beautiful veil and stunning dress and just looking sooooooo happy. Will definitely remember this venue when people ask for recommendations for beachside weddings.
 I took a few shots of the set up just to give you an idea:

Yesterday was soooo hot and today? 13 degrees and nothing but rain!  Nick and Leyla had chosen offers very little shelter. Leyla has come all the way from Hawaii and guests had flown in from New Zealand, Cairns and the States but no one remembered to pack some sunshine!
Nick's beaming face more than made up for it I have never seen SUCH a happy groom. It was a really interesting wedding for me because both Nick and Leyla and many of their guests were deaf. One of my major stresses is ensuring that everyone can hear me so it was really unusual for this not to ne am issue. What I did have to do  was pace myself so that the interpreter could sign to the bride and groom and the guests what I said.  Where this got a bit convoluted was the vows. I would say the vows, the interpreter would sign what I said, and then tell me what the bride and groom were signing back.
Photographer Nora Devai took some beautiful shots - Nick was worried the rain would make this tricky but the few I saw on the day looked fantastic.
Not sure if Nicks mum made the cake but it looked amazing, adorned with pink rose petals that perfectly complemented her dress. And as a final touch, a little wallaby lingered in the background as one extra guest.
Completely the opposite weatherwise was Ben and Naomi's backyard wedding on Saturday where we all came a little close to melting. Ben and Naomi wanted a very simple, untraditional wedding so there were just 40 or so of their closest family and friends. Son Xander and daughter Tasmin did great jobs as ringbearer and flowergirl. Xander did let out an amazing - considering his size - belch at a key moment of the ceremony which took us all a while to get over laughing at. The surprised look on his face was hilarious! On a sad but lovely note was Ben's mum who has been very ill but there she was in a wheelchair wearing her hospital wrist band in the front row and looking very proud of her son who wrote THE most beautiful vows.

What a busy weekend!! Great fun tho. 3 weddings over 2 days and a few rehearsals squeezed in too. Great for me they were all local but lots of angst in the lead up as the weather has been so unpredictable.
Wedding number one was at Dolphin Reserve which has a gorgeous backdrop of sea, sea and more sea. The couple were Indian and wanted the most basic ceremony possible which, as a celebrant, can be a bit disappointing. It was just them and two local friends obliged by stopping off home renovations to come down and be witness and photographer. So happy they could do it as the grey skies meant that there was no one else around. The bride Jaswinder wore the most amazing golden yellow sari, the word sumptuous might just  begin to cover it. I would have been very disappointed if she had hopped out of the car in a white gown!
Wedding number two was Steven and Corinne at one of my favourite spots, Merribee House, I have  never seen the gardens there looking lovelier, foxgloves and water iris all in bloom. The morning had been chaotic with weather changing every hour but come 3pm - and Corinne - had insisted she was going to be exactly on time (refreshing change!) and the sun couldn't have been more brilliant. They had written their own vows and sent them to me separately so neither knew what the other was going to promise them. Steven's arrived a few days late and, being a landscape gardener and not a word man, he was a little worried about them,. They were brilliant and had everyone in tears.  The last line was "I love you like a bee loves pollen". Another highpoint for me was the little ring bearer who took his job sooooo seriously and did a fantastic job.
And finally Virginia and Adam who had a bit of unusual stress in the lead up with a dead dolphin washing up on the spot where they planned to get married, Days went by and no one came to remove it so a change of location was called for. We moved over to Bosom Beach and it was perfect. An early evening wedding, with vintage French champagne and a very glamorous group of guests who all looked stunning. Among the guests were Mike and Renae who I married several years ago and also had the great honour of being invited back to do their daughters name giving ceremony. Very excited to hear they have a second on the way!
Adam was so relaxed and happy and Virginia, who I knew was going to be a beautiful bride, was absolutely stunning. She arrived with her two sisters as bridesmaids and her mum and dad on either side and - it's not a word I use often - looked absolutely radiant, She said later she had just felt really really excited and instead of being overcome by nerves just took everything in. My favourite moment was when I heard Adam tell his father he loved him. I'm tearing up as I type it - just a beautiful emotional moment, a simple statement of fact from a son to his father. What a lovely man Adam is - what a lovely wedding!!

While it's been quiet on the wedding front I've done quite a few naming ceremonies in the last month. Usually I might do 3 or 4 a year but I've done 3 in the last 3 weeks.
I love naming ceremonies, they're just really happy occasions and a little less stressful than weddings can be. As a Celebrant you have to work extra hard tho to create a sense of ceremony about the day. With a wedding that seems to come built in but namings are different. Perhaps it's because people don't know what to expect?
Another thing I like about namings is that you get to see the food - usually theirs a picnic involved - and I am happy to report that little marshmallows and biscuits fashioned into tea cups are in vogue amongst the toddler party set.
First naming was for one year old Knox Cruz Wade who was combining his birthday bash with his naming. This was to be outdoors but was switched to Manyana Community Hall when the weather looked like it wasn't going to cooperate, it was a lovely old building. We were able to have the naming under a tree outside but inside was kids party central. Knox really seemed to enjoy being the centre of attention and accepted his new name,  and his families best wishes,  with good humour, giggling and gurgling throughout.
Sisters Ariah and Kalara had a picnic at Paradise Beach for their ceremony. We had the lake in the background and the girls wore incredibly cute outfits by local childrens designer - will have to remember the name so I can tell you - in pink and green. As part of the ceremony all the guests were asked to play fairy godmother/father and bestow their own wishes on the girls. Health and happiness were in abundance but there were also comments about what anyone possibly wish 2 little girls who were already blessed with fantastic parents - which was really sweet.
Baby Iylah Indigo Kyraciou slept through her entire naming ceremony which was such a shame as we didn't get a good look at her gorgeous outfit and baby bling - she had a lovely little silver name brooch and necklace for the occasion. Everyone gathered by the Shoalhaven River for the ceremony and then it was home for Iylay's  1st birthday party. I'm sure she  woke up in time for her cake - and maybe some miniature marshmallow teacups.

About to move in the the flurry of spring weddings so better report on what went on in winter! Always a very quiet time for weddings here on the south coast as most people choose to have a wedding here as they want outdoor wedding with some bush or beach ambience.
There were a few couples who braved the cooler months however and  these included:
Amy and Tim who were married at the lovely little seaside village of   Cudmirrah.   There was a small delay with the ceremony as Tim forgot the music and someone had to be sent back for it - if you're a bride and you've always wanted to make your entrance to one particular song then what's a few minutes? - but once we started it was all smooth sailing. The ceremony was at the lookout with a spectacular ocean backdrop.
Jessica and Adam were married in Apex Park in Berry. There was some  torrential rain in the leadup but sunshine on the day. We had to make a small change to Jessica's entrance due to mud - not a good look on a wedding dress - but it was fantastic entrance, a scene stealing flowergirl and Jess arrived in a VW Combi so you could hear the bridal party coming from several blocks away.
Kim and Brent came all the way   from Puckapunyal to get married on 10th June in Kim's mums yard. Again the rain turned the yard to slush but mum had put up a marquee as a wedding present and it was very welcome! The ceremony was doubly special as it was also Kim and Brents birthday - and mine as well. What the chances are of that?? Check out their daughter in the gorgeous little faux fur cape.
Daniel and Emily were married in brilliant sunshine in the amazing setting at Cedar Vale in Jaspers Brush. What a fantastic location, not a venue that usually allows weddings, but because it was such a small group they were able to persuade the owners. The toughest decision was where to have the ceremony, on the rolling lawn with mountains in the background? or the deck with the picturesque dam behind? In the end we opted for the dam for the ceremony and the lawn for the register signing. It was such a warm day that the resident python came out to lounge in the sun - thankfully not where the ceremony was conducted!
Melanie and Giovanni - or John as he prefers - had a small family ceremony at Wonoona. A large house with a balcony overlooking the beach no one had to get sandy feet to enjoy ocean view. It was a really heartfelt ceremony with all the atmosphere that a large close family brings to these occasions, there was even a grandchild sleeping in the travel cot beside where they exchanged their vows.
John had been in hospital in the weeks leading up to the ceremony, in fact my first meeting with Melanie was at Royal Prince Albert hospital it Newtown and I think these   trials added extra meaning to their vows, everyone there knew that Melanie and John wojuld most definitely be there for each other in sickness and in health and anything else fate decided to throw at them, but hopefully it will all be health and richer and all good things. Another spectacular entrance wtih Melanie on the back of John's bike and some "coldies" in the saddle bag for after the ceremony.

While yesterdays wedding at Hyams Beach was a little more laidback than Will and Kate's it was just as exciting. Paz and Renata came all the way from Isreal and chose Hyams after looking through a book on Australian beaches - and they couldn't have chosen better. It was just them, Dean the photographer and me. The weather behaved for once and we walked down to Chinamen's Beach which was quite deserted except for some dolphins just off shore. I was only person worried about this as we needed to find another witness - the dolphins wouln't do. Luckily Maree came walking by and was happy to oblige. Her sun visor was the only hat amongst us and while it didn't compete with Eugenie's, Maree was the perfect witness. The ceremony was very simple and after fulfilling all the legalities in English they exchanged vows in Brazilian - Renata's birthplace - and while I had no idea what they said the emotion was easily understood. I bet the Archbishop never has to race down beaches chasing up witnesses but its all part of the fun of an elopement and we all had great fun.Paz summed it up for when he kissed his bride saying "This is happiness!
"Some gorgeous pictures from Dean Dampney can be seen here:http://southcoastwedding.com.au/2011/05/19/paz-renata-jervis-bay-wedding/

• Thoughts on the royal wedding which of course I had to watch - deeming it research! Philip Treacy can probably retire now.
  
• Those flowergirls must have been sedated - they were SOOO well behaved.
• Not sure if anyone should ever wear yellow - sorry primrose.
• Pippa is such a good sister. I would have been tempted to tug the train out of jealousy.
• Harry is only just escaping the family baldness gene.
  
• I was very sad when I realised that I would never drive through London in a landau with the free wind in my hair!
  

Don and Megan's ceremony was at Hyams Beach at sunset that evening. The mornings torrential rain had turned into a light drizzle by then so we decided to go ahead with the beach ceremony. There were only a few close friends and they lit candles and sprinkled rose petals as the sun went down and Don and Megan read the incredibly sweet poems they had written for each other.
No rain on the day of Lukas and Shamala's wedding at Yadboro Flat but the rain the day before was bit of a worry as it is a bit of a trek to get to and too much rain would have made the road impossible if you didn't have a 4WD (I don't) The location was the scene of many childhood camping holidays for Lukas and something he and Shamala do with their own two children now.
The ceremony was held on the river bed and everyone was asked to hold one of the river stones throughout the ceremony and invest it with their wishes for Lukas and Shamala's future. The stones were returned after the ceremony and now the location has even more resonance for them. It was a lovely relaxed atmosphere and I loved watching them walk across the old wooden bridge to their wedding ceremony. Possibly the most remote wedding location I've done but well worth the (bumpy) drive!
Steve and Sarah had to have a complete change of location due to even more rain. Originally the ceremony was going to be held at Iluka Beach the scene of an early romantic camping trip (is there such a thing a a romantic camping trip) but was moved to Kullindi where the reception was to be held. The invitations were gorgeous and had a very colourful Japanese rice paper lantern theme which was carried through with Sarah's bouquet. All the guests were given gauzy ribbon wands to wave which was also a lot of fun. Sarah's laidback brother made a speech which started out very light hearted and funny but he got hijacked by the emotion of it all and got very emotional which was incredibly sweet.
Charles and Erica had a very low key ceremony at Callala Beach House - the perfect venue for small groups. Their daughter Darcy was a bit of a scene stealer and somehow a game of ring-a-rosies was incorporated into the ceremony.
Matthew and Lauren were married on Hyams Beach in glorious sunshine. What a great change! He was an incredibly happy groom - just elated! Even more so when Lauren appeared in her gorgeous dress - it had the complete va va va voom!  factor, slinky and silky and cut incredibly daringly low at the back - Lauren is a phys ed teacher and carried it off!
Ian and Katherine were married on Hyams Beach too. The As A Whisper team had their work cut out for them as the rain had shifted the creek so it ran right through where the bridal procession was planned to be. Nothing daunts Jen and they constructed a bridge over the creek. Katherine and Iain live in London and had flown over for the wedding so Katherine's 92 year old gran could be there and Katherine's mum surprised her by having a bagpiper - a nod to Ian's Mackintosh heritage - arrive as the certificate was being signed.
Hayley and Chris were married at Merribee House. It stormed the night before and drizzled in the morning but stayed clear for the ceremony which was very fortunate as Chris, a carpenter, had built an arch for them to be married under and - what a sweetheart! - had carved their initials in it and the date. Hayley had the most amazingly bridey dress with a billowing gauzy skirt and incredible purple heels which Chris had bought her when they got engaged. The look on Chris's face when he saw Hayley was priceless.
Then to Callala Beach House for another very small family wedding for Toby and Susan. Very simple and very sweet with a few tears from mum and lots of jokes from his brother, a reading from Winnie the Pooh from niece Mandela while her little sister - not to be left out - stood beside her holding a picture she had drawn of Toby (in a red cape) and Susan getting married.

but I don't believe it!
It would be nice if it was true as I would have a LOT of very lucky couples in the last few months. The weather has definitely been unkind but the good thing is that every couple who had a wet wedding handled it well and didn't let a a few raindrops dampen their day.
Anna and Steven were married at Bosom Beach and the weather for the rehearsal the day before was perfect. Not so the next day!! Anna was a very laidback bride but the one thing she had always wanted for her wedding ever since she was a little girl was to arrive by horse and carriage. Sadly the rain made this impossible. Anna didn't even care about getting wet but apparently there's a few safety issues with wet horses harnesses.
























As A Whisper did the set up and the lanterns in the trees were gorgeous and everyone was very happy to see the marquees set up so they stayed dry. Anna was a stunning bride and danced down the aisle with her dad. She's a veterinary nurse and an animal lover her two handsome dogs were included in the wedding party - they even had little tuxedos and flowers in their boutonnières !
Nora Devai took these fabulous photos - gotta love that cake!

Two weddings in the last two weeks, both of them a little further from my home turf. Number one was Caroline and Vivek at Mount Keira. I had the bomby old ute (husband had to go to Canberra so he got the Bora!) which is not airconditioned and the 35 degree heat meant I almost poured myself out of the car on arrival. Luckily I was there early enough to find a patch of shade to cool down for the ceremony. Felt very sorry for the groom and his party in their suits, thankfully it was a very short sweet ceremony so no one sweltered for too long. I hadn't done a ceremony here before and wondered about all the padlocks attached to the railings. It's a bit of a tradition for couples to get their names engraved on them and then they attach them to the fence. Would have been nice to work into the ceremony but I didn't know about it until I inspected them. I really like the use of new technology at weddings - we had Skype guests all the way from the UK sipping champagne and enjoying themselves.

Yesterday it was down to Berrara for Johanna and Joel's ceremony. Berrara is a really pretty, very retro little seaside town. Johanna wore a gorgeous silk dress that she'd modelled on her grandmothers 1940's wedding gown. Another touch that I loved were the parasols. Johanna had bought a lot of multi coloured little Chinese parasols. She and her bridesmaids each carried one and they were also handed out to the guests. As well as providing some much needed shade it made for a really fabulous thematic. No such luck for the groomsmen but at least they weren't in suits!

Despite it being 36 in the shade (if you could find some) I had two weddings on New Years Day. Luckily my party days are over and I was able to spring (well almost) out of bed without reaching for a Berocca.
Also helped that our visitors from Sydney barely made it til midnight so I didn't have any bad influences! I did do all the wedding paperwork the day before just in case but didn't really need to be so prepared.
First wedding was at Barefoot Springs in Kangaroo Valley. Glen and Donna were eloping - and this is a great spot to do it. Tim and Kay are great hosts and happy to double as witnesses. The ceremony was held under a big, shady tree in the gorgeous gardens. Sometimes with an elopement the couple can feel a little awkward and it can be hard to set the mood, but Glen and Donna were both really in the moment when it came to their vows. It's very hard to explain but sometimes the emotion surrounding the vows can become really vivid and tangible, and this was one of those magical times. Even though it was just the two of them Donna still had a bridal gown and professional make up and hair and the fact that she is expecting their third child also added to her all round gorgeousness, I love a pregnant bride  there's something something so abundantly lovely and bountiful about them.
Wedding number 2 was at Hyams Beach. Daniel and Van had flown out from Germany with Van's family. Her parents are from Vietnam originally and spoke no English , only Vietnamese and German, Daniel spoke German and English, Van's sisters and brother spoke Vietnamese, English and German and the photographer and I had only English but somehow we all understood each other - if not perfectly - then well enough, The beach was packed - well packed for a south coast beach! - and we had to walk a fair distance to find our only little piece of paradise. The walk was a lot of fun however with sunbathers wishing Van and Daniel well. Van was a lovely bride, gorgeous caramel skin and long dark hair and elegant white sheaf dress with a huge bouquet of roses. We found just the right spot and set up and Van and Daniel said their vows in English and again in German so her parents could understand. Her dad cried which was really moving. I had a glass of spakling wine with them and then left them to their beach picnic but not before they had given me a bottle of gluhwein (I'd mentioned how much I loved it at the Christmas markets in Germany) and a box of chocolates - Ferrero Kusschen - which Daniel said they give to friends in Germany and they considered me a friend. I was really touched!

The snow storms in Europe played a bit of havoc with December weddings. Couples arrived but luggage - containing the wedding gown! - didn't, couples arrived but witnesses were stranded and there was a 16 hour stopover for another couple but thankfully come the wedding everything went okay!
Skye and Marc got married at Orient Point near Crookhaven Head nd while their overseas guests weren't too impressed by the grey skies they couldn't complain about the views which were spectacular. A very chilled out low key ceremony with an atmosphere  of sheer happiness. Skye carried a hydrangeas and wore this fantastic floaty frock in matching colours.
Sophia married Phun in her mum's backyard at Canberra and since they came from Thailand snow wasn't an issue for them! Hydrangeas featured again (I think they're making a comeback) with two large pots of white ones on the verandah where we held the ceremony. Sophie mingled with the guests until just before the ceremony and then made a fantastic entrance to Bette Midler's "Going to the Chapel". Everyone seemed poised to join in! Phuns two beautiful daughters accompanied Sophie and they were a spectacularly gorgeous group. Phun was really nervous about saying his vows in English but killed it when it came to him.
Alex and Jade flew out from Wales to get married at Shark Net Beach in Huskisson. Their 2 guests were snowbound and didn't arrive but we had Alex's Aunty Rita and the photogapher as witnesses. Aunty Rita had enough enthusiasm for a crowd of 100's!
Jade looked fantastic in the traditional white bridal gown - I love it when a bride materialises on a beach in all their finery - even when it's just the two of them, it looks fantastic. I hope she wore it all day! Jade also had an amazing blue glass tiara, it was the colour of the ocean and looked incredible. As I was leaving I heard a little girl telling her dad that when she got married she was going to wear a dress just like that one.



That afternoon it was off to Cupitts Winery in Milton to marry Kate and Matt. It threatened to pour but held off while we held the elegant, traditional ceremony outside. Kate made spectacular use of the very rustic doors to the wine cellar making a fantastic entrance - the look on her dad's face was priceless. It was in intimate dinner for the 10 guests at the Restaurant after the ceremony and it all looked really gorgeous and inviting.




















and then yesterday it was Leon and Francesca at Bayvista in Callala. Drinks were served at the Callala Beach House where they were staying and then the guests wandered down the beach to the ceremony. Francesca is a ballet dancer, based in Holland where she and Leon live. She had that gorgeous posture and body you expect of a dancer and looked divine . Guests had flown from all over the world to be there and it was a really happy occasion. Her two sisters sang as she arrived and created real magic. Some friends had come down earlier and raked the area clear of weed but when we arrived a fishing party had staked it - probably because it was so pristine! Luckily they were very obliging about moving when asked. I was watching Francesca hug her mum at the end of the ceremony and hope the photographer caught the look on her face, it was just one of sheer love. Their vows were very beautiful too, they wrote them in secrecy from each other and neither knew what the other was promising until that moment. Francesca said: There is one special dutch word I learnt from you that describes the beauty of the soul shining through your eyes. You taught me this word "uitstraling" because you said mine was beautiful. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. Your "uitstraling". There is no word in english to describe this beauty. Not one word. Just like I have no words to describe how much you mean to me. So I give you no words today, I simply give you me. Very definitely an "ahhhhh" moment! I'm going "ahhhh" as I read it again myself!

How cute is this?














No matter what kind of  frock you were going to insist on your bridesmaids wearing there is no way they could refuse after receiving one of these gorgeous little DIY Bridesmaid cards. You can individualise them especially for each of your special gal pals and can down load the instructions by visiting here:
http://www.oncewed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/diy0819_10.jpg

I really have to admire people who can plan a wedding at this time of year. Perhaps they're all heading off on extended honeymoons afterwards and avoiding Christmas completely?
Small, sweet and simple is how I would describe Richard and Helen's elopement to Greenfield's Beach. It was ja grey, but still lovely, Wednesday morning and the beach was deserted. It was ust the two of them, Nora the photographer (who also doubled as a witness) and Rod the bushwalker who was happy to stop and oblige as witness number 2.  Helen and Richard are childhood sweethearts and already have a 12 year history together. It was a very elegant elopement and Richard shook Rod's hand at the end of the ceremony and told him he'd never forget him.

Laura and Paul and their families drove from Griffith for their destination wedding at Blenheim Beach on 20th November. Everyone is always in such a great mood on these weekend away weddings. There's no real rush to be anywhere, you get to spend lots fo time with everyone in some fantastic settings and - most importantly - relax!

Sarah and Matt got married at the Shark Net Beach - that's a great location to have on your wedding certificate. One of the good things about this beach is that it has a grassy reserve, so you still get the spectacular views and beachy vibe but you don't get sand in your shoes. One of the highlights for me was the look on their daughter Sienna's face as she entered scattering rose petals - probably only myself and her dad noticed it, such a picture of pride and concentration. Very sweet! From there they were taking everyone cruising on Jervis Bay.

Diane and Joe were married on 7 Mile Beach at Gerringong surrounded by their extended family and a few friends. One of Joe's neighbours approached me before the ceremony as he had a surprise for them. He's bought 2 white doves along for them. This may have been too much of a surprise for Diane who it turns out is scared of birds but it did look fantastic. Just after their vows and before I declared them husband and wife the neighbor gave them each a dove to hold and then release. It did look fantastic.

Alex and Ruth got married on Huskisson Beach on 3rd December. Alex is a copywriter and Ruth an art director so the ceremony itself was put together really well and there was a lot of attention to detail. The ceremony was very funny and romantic. It included a reenactment of a scene from Punch Drunk Love not a movie I'm familiar with but I'm going to have to see it now. I have never done a wedding with the word "fuck" in it before so I was glad I wasn't doing the reading! Also a little nervous about parents reactions but everyone loved it. If Alex put together the words it was probably Ruth who came up with the look, very simple, a coir rug to walk on, wooden chairs, native flowers tied with string, very much in keeping with the setting. From there it was across the road to the Jervis Bay Guesthouse for the reception and it also looked wonderful, there had been a last minute dash to put marquees up but as it was they were needed more to keep the sun off that the rain out.


And on the 4th December it was to Merribee for Craig and Gillians ceremony. Gillian really has a career ahead of her as a wedding planner - if she could contemplate tackling another one. So many fabulous details. Merribee is situated on a little country road with lots of roadside fruit and veg vendors so they had a little cart out the front with :Gillian and Craig" on it and some exotic fruits inside -  Gillian got personalised swizzle sticks all the way from the states with their names on them (I got to stay for a cocktail so have one as a momento!), a string quartet, a marquee that was pure fantasy and an array of flower patterned tea cup sets which they'd hired from The Vintage Kitchen I imagine the trip to Sydney to collect and return them was a bit nerve wracking but well worth it.

Bit of a busy weekend!
Wedding number one was Karlie and Nick at Hyams Beach. Torrential rain in the days beforehand put a bit of a dampener on everyones mood. Lots of guests flew in from the UK and were pretty disappointed with what we call Spring. Luckily it was clear - if not blue - skies on the day. Karlie and Nick met at a friends wedding a few years ago when they were in the bridal party. Nick had flown out from London with no idea he was going to meet his future wife and move countries to be with her. Nick was a bit of a nervous groom but was all smiles once Karlie made her entrance.
Saturday started wtih baby Phoenix's naming ceremony. This was a real pleasure for me as I  married his parents Blake and Maree a few years ago and I also did an interment ceremony for Maree's uncle Dave so I have been with the family at some of their real highlights and also a sad moment too.
From there to Casey's Beach to marry Jules and Heather in a very relaxed beach ceremony. Jules and Heather arrived together strolling along the beach hand in hand. I hadn't done a ceremony at Casey's before. Such a spectacuolar backdrop - check it out!

I married Kevin and Karen at a beautiful beachside house at Manyana yesterday.Stormy weather meant a change of plans - instead of the beach wedding we gathered on the balcony instead.
The views were so spectacular and the guest numbers so small  this wasn't a problem. There were some great touches, Karen - is there such a thing as a Scotsophile? - had always wanted to be piped in to the Skye Boat Song and bagpiper Ken Fraser obliged while her son gave her in marriage on behalf of the family. Kevin's two sons were ring bearers and Karen's daughter Marissa wrote and sang a song especially for them. It was beautiful! The wedding documents were signed to Amazing Grace and then we went inside for toasts. The guests had Veuve Cliquot but Karen and Kevin toasted each other with whiskey Karen had bought back from Orkney. They drank from a quaich which had also held the rings earlier. The only awkward moment was mine - halfway through the ceremony I had a minor wardrobe malfunction when I popped a button on my dress! I had to hold my ceremony booklet very discreetly in front of me while I tried to locate where exactly the button had popped from and if I was in danger of exposing myself to the guests. Not something you want in your wedding dvd!!

Three weddings in the last week - and one more on Sunday - so it's been a bit of a wedding whirl. All of them incredibly different and all of them fun.
Wedding number one was Richella and Todd at Upper Kangaroo Valley Hall:
My second wedding there and it's a fantastic location, a great find. Really pretty, a little bit isolated, well set up for caterers and a bit of blank canvas to create whatever you want it to be.
Richella originally approached me over a year ago but then found out she was pregnant so delayed the wedding plans. Not a  bad idea I think given some of the stresses involved in both joyous events. The ceremony was held along the river in a really pretty location. Richella wore this gorgeous slinky silvery dress and  carried an amazing bouquet of exotic ginger. She made her entrance to the Dr Who theme which was hilarious.  Richella and Todd spoke directly to the guests - usually I welcome everyone on their behalf - and while I did feel a little redundant it did make perfect sense.
Wedding number two was very traditional - no Dr Who here - but a string quartet which was lovely.. It was at Mollymook Golf Club and I was sooo happy they didn't opt for a beach wedding as it was very blustery and chilly. The club offers fantastic views and a beach feel without the sand and chill lfactor. There's a very popular beachside track along the glass panels which means fantastic views for guests but it can also be a bit worrying being so close to everyone strolling by. Just before the ceremony started an elderly woman stopped just outside where we were assembled so her dog could have  a toilet break - so glad it didn't happen during the "I dos". Andrew and Melinda are almost childhood sweethearts having known each other since they were 15 and it was very sweet ceremony. I don't often get to do the big traditional style wedding so I really enjoyed the teensy toddler flower girls, the gorgeous veil and abundance of roses.
Wedding number three was at the very grand Peppers Manor Tree House at Sutton Forest and it was a very small group of family and close friends. The ceremony was held in the gazebo in the gorgeous gardens. Such a glorious day - the sun really shone just for them I think.
I really adored Briana's nana who was looking very swish in bright blue with lots of matching bling. A very sweet touches were the roses they placed in the gazebo, one for each of their grandparents who are no longer with us.

Well scrabble featured more than bingo but there were beach blankets aplenty at Alesha and Stefans wedding picnic. Everything was in their favour, the grey skies cleared and  the tide which was threatening to wash us all away turned just in time.
There were so many fantastic touches, a gorgeous blue colour scheme, blue signs pointing the way, blue blankets and pillows - bride wore a stunning blue gown. Very relaxed, with individual picnic baskets, beach buckets and spades (blue of course) and a big blue wading pool held the champagne. The vows were really lovely and the story of how they met very romantic - they were cast as the lovers Lysander and Hermia in a production of A Midsummers Night Dream amongst the tulips at Bowral. One of my favourite touches was Stefan's gesture with the scrabble tiles - proper wooden ones not tacky plastic  - he spelt out "May our sweet love continue until life's end" in the tiles along the aisle, a little love note for her as she arrived. Alesha's mum also read "The Owl and the Pussycat" and when the rings were produced they rested on a little cushion in a clam shell and her mum had embroidered the Owl and the Pussycat on the cushion. Gorgeous!

Gorgeous day for a wedding! Married Tim and Beth on Bosom Beach. They created a fantastic space using 3 surfboards as backdrops.  Tim and his brother had stories for each of the boards which they swapped as they dug them in and hung leis around them. Tim was in boardies when he arrived and since it was a very casual wedding I wasn't surprised but he disappeared up to the car and returned 20 minutes later looking very gorgeous in a suit. Barefoot but in a suit. The big surprise was for the 7 guests who didn't know they were attending a wedding. Tim's dad had been in the middle of painting his car when the boys nabbed and told him to change his shirt. His mum arrived shortly after still without any idea of what was going on. It was all very exciting. Lovely ceremony with some really beautiful vows. Tim had his on a tiny scrap of paper in his pocket but in the end he decided to "wing it" and dis so beautifully, so beautifully, all the women got a bit teary. Dolphins even appeared in the background in time for the kiss and everyone drank champagne and waded back across the creek -  the tide came in so fast we were nearly stranded there!

I married Khuanta and Connor at Wollongong and the day wasn't without a few (minor) dramas. I wasn't sure where exactly the venue was so arrived in plenty of time. I saw a group of people obviously going somewhere special - and maybe Laotian (Khuanta was born in Laos) so didn't really need Sherlock Holmes deduction powers to figure we must be going to the same wedding. Turns out Khuanta's mum was one of the group - but they weren't sure where they were going. So parked the car and got my - really heavy - PA out and set off in the direction they thought I should be going. Halfway up the hill and another group in wedding finery coming down, yes they were going to the same wedding and they knew where we were going. Kind man agreed to play roadie for me and lug the PA, just as well as it was a bit of a walk across a soggy field. Found the venue, found Connor's dad, set up inside. The functions manager insisted the ceremony was going to be outside so walked outside in the gale and started setting up there even tho chairs were blowing over. Functions  manager still insisted this was the spot as it made for the best photos. Backdrop may have been gorgeous but guests would have blown away! Luckily Connot's mum came out to say it did not matter about the photos we were going  back inside.Everyone was dry and warm and very happy to be there too. What a gorgeous group of guests. I have never seen so many pretty girls in such high heels and flimsy dresses! The male guests must have been very happy! Khuanta was a stunning bride, very simple elegant dress and gorgeous fascinator.The ceremony was very simple, but very personal, you got a real sense of them and their beliefs. A big tribute to their families "Connor and Khuanta have both woken every day of their lives, knowing that beyond all doubt,t hey have the support and love of their amazing, inspirational families". and mention of their commitment "living an ethical life", a personalised hand ceremony and a really beautiful reading from Connor's mum:
I Ching
When two people are at one
in their innermost hearts
they shatter even the
strength of iron or bronze
And when two people
understand each other
in their innermost hearts
their words are sweet and strong
like the fragrance of orchids

Lovely yes??? I got very excited during the ring exchange when the best man produced a Tiffany's box. There is something about that duck-egg blue, I didn't even care about what was inside, I just wanted the box. Luckily they didn't entrust it to me! Ceremony over and time to lug the PA back to the car, no roadie this time! The glamorous life of a celebrant!!

My first wedding for the season and it was alarmingly lose to a wash out. It's always a disappointment when after months - in this case 18! - of careful planning the weather won't do what you want it to!
Bride Marissa was great to work with, very easy going and super organised but unfortunately the one thing you can't control is the weather  and I really felt for her when I was woken by a huge storm on Saturday morning.
Luckily the skies cleared on the 20 minute drive to Merribee and while the sun didn't make an appearance we had a nice little window of opportunity for the ceremony which was held under a large tree (which provided some shelter) with the  lavender hedge as a backdrop.
The flowergirls were gorgeous in pink and green and the page boy who had been most reluctant at the rehearsal was perfect.
The reception was on one of the big verandahs at Merribee and Marissa had added some great touches, the very elegant white paper lanterns looked fantastic. With River Deli providing the catering it promised to be a pretty swish affair.
 It was my first wedding at Merribee and it was lovely, Marissa showed me the "bridal suite" after the rehearsal, it's a converted silo/granary which is a little bit "Grand Designs" and had views that would be hard to leave. 

I love Tracey Thorn.

Had some great times on the dance floor to her music but a few tearful midbreakup afternoons wallowing on the couch feeling sorry for myself too. She's been supplying a portion of the soundtrack to my life for a long time now and her timing is impeccable. Her latest album - Love and Its Opposite - is right on track with songs such as Hormones (her daughter's are kicking in while hers are checking - out) and Oh the Divorces (Who's next? Who's next? Always the ones you least expect). My favourite - and it may be more of an antiwedding song - is The Long White Dress - if you've ever been the slightest bit ambivalent/confused about THE dress, marriage and relationships in general you should give it a listen.
Tracey only recently married Ben Watts - her partner of 28 years, and it was a very stripped back occasion. They went for the bare necessities which boils down to about one and half minutes. It doesn't seem like Tracey has been planning her "big day"" all her life, rather planning to avoid it! In a recent interview she said:"There's still a side of weddings that really, really puts me off. I think I wrote about it on that song and almost got it out of my system. It allowed me to step back and think, you really don't have to do any of it at all. You can absolutely do it completely on your own terms. We did have the tiniest, most un-Long White Dress wedding imaginable."

The winter wedding break is almost at an end. Getting myself into gear with lots of great weddings planned and no more lazy Saturday's at home.No more reading in the sun - well not for long anyway! One afternoon was spent with Dawn French's autobiography which I didn't even mean to read, I picked it up one day and started sifting through it and then finished it in one afternoon. I liked what she had to say about the adoption/infertility experience having been there myself, laughed out loud in empathy with her first tampon encounter and I thought the advice she received from her brother on her wedding day invaluable: "I was left for a the last few single-girl moments with my lovely brother who was being you Dad. He poured us both a gin and tonic and urged me to have a few calm moments to gather my thoughts. He wisely reminded me to clear my head of all the extraneous fuss and clutter (of which there is plenty for any bride on her wedding day) and to focus on what it was really all about. It was about me and Len, and he told me to concentrate only on that, to look at Len and to be there in the moment and remember what I was saying and why and how very important it all was. It was such good advice, which I always try to pass on, because otherwise my memories of that day would have been full of unimportant nonsense about arrangements and shoes and buttonholes, and veils and napkins and cake deliveries. Instead, I remember Len. And his face. And how happy I felt, how in love. 

Did such a gorgeous wedding ceremony yesterday evening at Honeymoon Bay. .
One of my favourite beaches, it  was a million dollar setting and an atmosphere money just couldn't buy. Just the couple and four close friends, as they wanted something very simple and relaxed. Everyone was camping there overnight - you have to honeymoon at Honeymoon Bay I guess - and the friends had arrived early and transformed one of the picnic areas into a gorgeous bridal bower complete with dangling silver hearts and solar powered lanterns. We had the ceremony on the beach and we had it all to ourselves. Afterwards they were having a barbecue up in the bower. It was such a lovely ceremony particularly the vows which they wrote themselves:
Ben, I promise to love you with all my heart mind & strength. I am very grateful & blessed that we have each other & created the family we have today. I will trust you with my dreams & support you in fulfilling your dreams. Together we will have a life of love, laughter & friendship .
Lisa, I promise to love and care for you, I will cherish every moment we share with each other. I thank you for the beautiful family we have created. You are my soul mate & I am blessed to have you in my life. I will love you forever.
Sometimes with small weddings it's hard to create a mood but not this time, everyone was so happy and relaxed and it was just perfect. 

I have a bit of a fondness for Australia's BIG things and the big trout at Adaminaby is one of my favourites  so imagine my excitement when I found this at the local history museum on a recent trip to the snow.
Picture number 2 is an exboyfriend of mine in front of the big spud at Robertson.
Kurt was Belgian, so I was showing him Australian culture.- he may have returned to Belgium shortly after this.

Seen some great wedding scenes lately. Two incredibly sad movies but with fantastic wedding scenes were Rachel Getting Married which apart from the family dramas (and what's a wedding without them?) had my dream wedding. More of a mini music festival with the groom even serenading the bride in the ceremony.
Another great wedding, made all the more joyous by the rather harrowing nature of the movie was The Kite Runner
I especially liked the couple gazing into the mirror and seeing their future.
On a totally uplifting level there's the latest Youtube sensation: Jill and Kevin's entrance to their wedding. Check it out! Don't know how the celebrant resisted joining in!

I abandoned Grey's Anatomy once Mad Men started showing on SBS, so hadn't been keeping up with the story lines. With Mad Men Season 1 over for now I thought I'd see what they were up to at Seattle Grace and it was a wedding!! I got a little annoyed with Derek when he chose Izzie's brain surgery over being on time for his wedding but it turned out to  be Izzie's wedding anyway. A few questions better not asked - like how come Merediths wedding dress fitted Izzie so well when they seem to be different sizes? and what about the guests?  - surely they were all Meredith and Derek's family and friends?? But that's quibbling, Izzie did look gorgeous and you can get your very own Kenneth Pool one-size-fits-all gown complete with crystal embroidery for US$7,250 and Alex's off-the-cuff vows were the stuff TV weddings are made of:

“Today’s the day my life begins. All my life I’ve been just me, just a smart mouthed kid. Today I become a man, today I become a husband, today I become accountable to someone other than myself, today I become accountable to you, to our future to all the possibilities our marriage has to offer. Together, no matter what happens, I’ll be ready, for anything, for everything, to take on life,  to take on love, to take on possibility and responsibility. Today, Izzie Stevens, our life begins and I for one can’t wait.”

You can check out the whole wedding here  (but grab a tissue first especially for when George walks her down the aisle!)

A weekend of wet weddings.Luckily the couples involved didn't let the bridal showers dampen their enthusiasm and there were really lovely moments in both of them. The first bride made her entrance with her dad rowing her up  Currarong creek and I think it was THE most beautiful entrance I've ever seen a bride make. When she alighted from the boat and lifted the skirt of her wedding dress she was wearing a pair of white gum boots to match. Most of the guests, many who'd  been crying, burst into laughter. Another really beautiful touch was the tiny bouquet of violets her grandfather had picked for her which she carried with her bouquet.
Couple number 2 had their rehearsal on Friday and the two very reluctant ring bearers and tantrum throwing flowergirl were transformed into a dream wedding party - so good they threated to steal the scene! - especially when the teeny little flowergirl got to the end of the aisle and locked her brother in an embrace.
Yes it was cold and it was wet and nothing was quite according to anyones vision of a dream wedding but it's those tiny touches of magic and humour that everyone will remember.

I've done quite a few weddings at Bannisters and it's always been one of those places I've been desperate to stay myself. It's a 60s/70s old style motel given a total revamp but keeping a bit of the retro vibe. The pool does look fabulous (never heard the expression "infinity pool" before but it makes sense) the views are amazing and  the cocktail bar is adjacent to both. I have heard great things about the restaurant too but the closest I've come to indulging was a glass (or was it two?) of wine while I waited for a couple who were running late for their rehearsal. Anyway, I was interested to see what the Sydney Morning Herald had to say:

Infinite appeal

Cocooned ... Bannisters lodge, restaurant and day spa provides luxurious time out by the sea.

Angie Schiavone spoils herself on the South Coast.

There's something about infinity pools that makes me swoon. The one at Bannisters is no exception and acts as a big drawcard when I'm planning a South Coast sojourn.

Of course, it's a little too cool for swimming when we arrive but I can't help myself.

It's fairly small and triangular, the rippling water appearing to join seamlessly with the huge Pacific Ocean beyond. The view is amazing enough on its own but the pool, framed by gums either side, makes it all the more dramatic.

Bannisters is a lodge, restaurant and day spa in sleepy beachside of Mollymook, the type of place people go to spoil themselves. Room names such as ocean deluxe, spa retreat and pinnacle penthouse are a clue this place is all about relaxation and luxury. Having said this, Bannisters does seem to pitch itself a fraction too high. Photographs on the website dazzle, showing everything polished and perfect. In reality, while still lovely, parts of Bannisters are looking slightly tired and little things (like low-quality toilet paper) seem out of place.

From the balcony of our room (an ocean deluxe, the least-expensive option), we see the ocean from a slightly different angle. A little higher up now, we watch the waves crash on the headland rocks below the noise quite loud but therapeutic and calming.

An hour before dinner, we head to the poolside bar and bistro to kill some time. There are cushion-strewn lounges and lots of private nooks, with candles and lanterns here and there. Staff are friendly and accommodating, while soft music and quietly conversing patrons allow the sound of the waves to filter through.

The restaurant soothes, too. In crisp whites, the room is divided by strips of sheer fabric. Again, service is efficient and smiling as impressive as leek and potato soup, poured from a jug at the table over a poached free-range egg. For main, jewfish fillet with saffron gnocchi is a conversation stopper (too busy eating), while green-apple sorbet served with apple parfait for dessert starts us talking again (compliments only).

Rain sets in as we leave the restaurant, so we're glad to be only a short saunter from our room and that we've kept our big red Bannisters umbrella close at hand. Earlier, we'd trawled through the massive DVD selection and selected the night's viewing. Too easy.

We wake early, hoping to catch sunrise over the Pacific. It's a little overcast but still the sky lights up, pastel pink and purple at first, with bright orange slowly taking over. Sun up and spectacle over, we head out to explore Mollymook Beach, a 10-minute walk. It's a lovely stretch of sand, marked only with a few lines of footprints and the odd bluebottle. We add our own prints up and down the shore, then head back to Bannisters for breakfast.

Included in the tariff, the breakfast buffet features pastries, good breads, juices, fresh fruit, T2 teas and coffee (you can also order a cooked breakfast but this isn't part of the tariff). We take a complimentary newspaper, load up our plates and head to a table on the veranda. The eucalypts sway as we graze and read.

By now it's almost time to check out and we haven't had a chance to put the Bannisters gym and pool table to use. We haven't visited the day spa, either, yet it doesn't seem to matter.

We check out without fuss and hit the road to explore the surrounding area: Milton's cafes and shops, the main strip of Ulladulla and up to the scenic Cupitt's Winery on Washburton Road. It's a gorgeous, chilled-out area and definitely worth a visit, come rain or shine.

Weekends Away are reviewed anonymously and paid for by Traveller.

VISITORS' BOOK

Bannisters

Address 191 Mitchell Parade, Mollymook.

The verdict Relaxation unavoidable.

Price From $290 a night, minimum two-night booking on Fridays and Saturdays.

Bookings Phone 44553044 or see www.bannisters.com.au.

Getting there A three-hour drive south of Sydney.

A HEAVY-SET young man slumps in his chair, looking bored and disengaged, as his wife ticks off a list of complaints about him. In particular he had forgotten a plan to go on a picnic, which was typical of his failure to listen to her.

As the wife whined on, the man's eyes shifted, as if searching for an escape route. But he was trapped in John Gottman's love lab, behind a one-way mirror, being filmed and recorded as part of a 30-year research project. The study has explored what most of us want to know: what distinguishes happy, lasting marriages from those that disintegrate into bitterness or loneliness.

Just over 10 years ago, Dr Gottman published some startling findings of longitudinal research that made him famous. After watching couples interact for a mere 15 minutes in the love lab, he could predict with about 90 per cent accuracy if they would divorce within six years. This week Dr Gottman and his wife and therapist partner, Julie, were in Sydney to run workshops organised by Relationships Australia. "Look for the repair attempt made by the husband and see if she rejects it," he tells the audience of 150 relationship counsellors as the miserable couple loomed into focus on a big screen. "Gottman is the guru of marriage research and counselling," says Anne Hollonds, chief executive of Relationships Australia. "It's like the Pope coming to Sydney."

The former mathematician and rabbi's son from Washington State was the first to apply hard science to the study of marriages, and more recently of gay and lesbian relationships. Some of his findings have been controversial. For example, he found a strong predictor of a happy marriage was a husband's willingness to compromise in marital disputes and accept his wife's influence. It was twisted to imply that only weak men could win in marriage.

But that has not stopped thousands of couples from subjecting themselves to a scientific assessment of their relationship in the love lab or in their homes.

As a couple bats a hard subject back and forth, staff monitor their expressions and body language. Electrodes attached to their bodies measure heart rates and other responses, like the tendency to jiggle with impatience.

Through statistical analysis, Dr Gottman has named what he calls the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that predict an ailing marriage: criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling and contempt. And the worst of these is contempt.

"You know what it looks like," says Julie, "when you roll your eyes and curl the corner of your lip up. It's a very good indicator a couple will break up."

The couples headed for disaster evince too many of these negatives in dispute. But the masters of matrimony, as the Gottmans call long-term successes, evince a ratio of at least five positive interactions for every negative.

"In a good relationship, people do get angry, but in a very different way," Dr Gottman says. "The masters see a problem a bit like a soccer ball. They kick it around. It's 'our' problem."

They deal with conflict gently and are also more responsive to "sliding door moments" - bids by one partner for an emotional connection. It can be as simple as a husband drawing his wife's attention to the sunset. Does she look up or keep reading her book? Enough positive responses build emotional intimacy.

For the heavy-set man and his whiny wife, the prognosis did not look good. He had thrown out a "repair attempt" - "I'm not remembering things important to you and you're not remembering things important to me," he says. But alas his wife ploughed on with her litany of complaint.

"Every marriage is a mistake," Dr Gottman tells the audience. "The question is what you do with it."

The whole issue of asking for money instead of gifts does have to be handled with tact. If you've been together for a few years chances are you will have at least one of everything and after the expense of a wedding a discreet cheque can be very helpful. It also reduces the risk of receiving 4 identical coffee makers (which we did!)l. Of course there are cultures that embace the concept of cash as a present, pinning it to the brides skirt or proudly presenting fat envelopes but not us stitched up anglo saxons.  Some couples go down the wishing well route which is a polite alternative to a straight out request but obviously there are always going to be people offended that you don't seem to trust their judgement or who consider you a bit mercenary. Morally repugnant does seem a bit harsh tho!!

My friend Jan made this amazing Barbie cake for my wedding. She even fitted Ken out with a little kilt (in Anderson tartan of course) she whipped up out of a tartan napkin and made him a sporran as well - the outfit matched my husbands - tho that's probably where the resemblance to Tom and Ken ends. Jan  gave Barbie a black veil like mine too and as I wore black the cake had to be chocolate. It was perfection - and tasted just as great as it looked!
So I was very excited to see this life size Barbie cake Sweet Art in Paddington (have often pressed my nose against THAT window) made for Barbie's 50th  - it was pretty spectacular but not quite as special as mine.

I'm not usually a Neighbours Fan - I usually watch it when I'm visiting relatives in the UK as they'ere all fanatics - but I didn't do the usual channel switch at the end of the Simpsons this week as the fact that it was a wedding episode caught my interest. That it ended in tragedy can't have been a real surprise for regular viewers as I think the last time I saw it Toady was getting married and I seem to recall the bride being killed in a car accident? Anyway he seems to have moved on as he was best man for Libby and Dan. I probably paid more attention to the celebrant than any other viewer, I really liked what she was wearing. It's the kind of look I aim for. I always avoid bright colours, looking too much like "the celebrant" or even worse the mother of the bride. The mother of the bride in this partcular episode - Susan? - seemed to be displaying the kind of cleavage you usually only see on Desperate Housewives or the cover of Ralph magazine. I really liked the vows, the white hydrangea decorations were great and the way that the groom made the declaration: "Ladies and gentleman this is my wife!". I may steal that idea!! Shame about the bride collapsing in pain before the reception!! You can catch episode highlights - including the celebrants earrings - here!

Forget arriving in a horse-drawn carriage, perching on Posh'n'Becks-style thrones or releasing doves: the must-have accessory for a truly magical wedding is to have your rings delivered by owl.

Ollie the barn owl has been practising his swoop across the great hall of Peckforton castle in Cheshire, in preparation for delivering the rings for a number of weddings this year, including the marriage of Manchester United defender Wes Brown and his fiancee Leanne Wassell.

To have a ring-bearing owl land on the arm of the best man sounds like a risky strategy for your special day, but it is probably no dodgier than entrusting the rings to a bloke who is normally expected to give an embarrassing speech about how the groom was handcuffed and left naked in a brothel in Bulgaria.

Ollie's handler, falconer Mike Roberts, insists that the owl will not fly off with the jewellery and there is no need for guests to forego ostentatious millinery (although a bird's nest hat might not be a great idea). Roberts has taught the owl to respond to his whistle and land on a falconry glove held out by the best man while Roberts stands in the background and rewards the owl with a tasty snack. "Birds of prey don't come back for any affection. It's food they want," he says. "She knows that when I whistle, if she comes to the glove she'll get a reward."

Ollie's wedding banquet could be anything from day-old chick to rabbit, mouse or rat. The idea of an owl choking down dead rat as the newlyweds seal it with a kiss might be enough to make some brides or grooms nervous, but Roberts insists the guests won't notice. "Everything is tucked away in my hand quietly so they don't see or smell anything at all."

According to Roberts, falconers have long used birds of prey at their weddings. Their flight into mainstream weddings may be due to the charms of Hedwig, the snowy owl in Harry Potter.

Trends and charting provided by theWeddingReport.com
In 2009, we estimate the average wedding cost to be between $21,000 and $25,000.
Additional trends we expect:

• Smaller weddings with fewer guests
• Destination weddings or destination type weddings closer to home
• Accent colors on dresses and cakes with the most popular being greens and blues
• Increased reliance on family and friends to help plan, pay, and provide some of the services
• Increased use of green and echo friendly products and services
• Simplified decorations, centerpieces and wedding invitations
• Increased use of on-line RSVP's vs. traditional mail-in RSVPs
• Off-peak weddings; Mornings, Afternoons, Fridays, Sundays, October becomes the new June
• Buffet meals, Hors d'oeuvre, and cocktail receptions
• Cheesecakes, cupcakes and miniature cakes
• All-inclusive packages

Actually if I were a 16 year old girl living in caravan this is exactly the kind of wedding I'd want too! Obviously the man who wrote this article has never been a teenage girl or thinks we're all born with a sense of style or indeed sense!

What Daddy's little girl wants Daddy's little girl gets.
So when Missy Quinn insisted on a big white wedding with her boyfriend, her father said Yes. It didn't matter that she was only 16 and the groom 17.
Daddy also said Yes to a £16,000 wedding dress (which looked suspiciously like a crop top and skirt) and Yes to 150 guests at then the end, making Missy's wedding dreams come true cost her father - who lives in a caravan and surfaces driveways for a living - a whopping £100,000. reception. Then there were the cars, the hotels, the tiara and the £500 bouquet.

It was huge. I wanted to outdo everyone else's wedding dress,' she said.

'It was extremely heavy and just standing in the church was really difficult. But despite all that, I felt just like Cinderella.'

The bill was around five times the cost of the average British wedding.

Missy said: 'It cost a fortune, but I've always wanted a big wedding and my dad has been saving for ages to pay for it.' She met Thomas at Alton Towers theme park when she was 13

They continued to date despite her traveller family leaving their caravan park in Stoke-on-Trent every summer to tour the UK while Thomas lived with his parents in Wolverhampton.

Missy said: 'I just knew he was The One from the beginning. He's perfect.'

Her mother Theresa, 33, who married Missy's father at 16, said: 'I was surprised they wanted to get married so young in this day and age. But we could see they were madly in love.'

The couple married six days after Missy turned 16 at St Mary's Catholic Church in Congleton-Cheshire. After the ceremony-guests in feathers and crystals enjoyed champagne and an all-day buffet at the reception. Girls as young as nine showed off bikini tops, high heels and make-up.

Guest Victoria Docherty, 23, who wore a £700 hotpants and bra outfit, said: 'This isn't unusual - it's just what we do at weddings. It's all very extravagant. Everything is paid for by the bride's daddy.'

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Just back from a farmstay holiday. Not sure if real farmers have time to loll around reading old issues of WHO but that was a highlight for me. Even found a wedding special issue which featured this dress. Sadly no one got to eat it!

I'm just back from 2 weeks in the Philippines and one of my great finds - besides the designer Crocs store on Boracay Island  - was 2006 Filipino Weddings. Lot's of great articles which I'll  no doubt be sharing!

This photo captures a rare occasion where the Bride is definitely out-blinged by the Groom. It was in Saturday's Australian accompanying an article on Iran's declining birth rate. I'm not sure what exactly the picture had to do with the article - and the poor bride doesn't even rate a name except "his third wife" but it's a great 50's wedding shot!

The Shah does look pretty pleased with herself while the bride seems more concerned with her earrings! 

The "she" being Isabella Blow whose May funeral featured 6 bay horses, each with a plumage of ostritch feathers drawing a Victorian funeral carriage bedecked with white gardenias and surmounted by a black galleon hat - a Philip Treacy creation of course.

It was, according to this months Vanity Fair "the perfect dramatic exit for English fashion icon Isabella Blow."

Isabella certain understood the place of ritual in our lives. Her wedding had taken place in the setting 18 years earlier and - poignantly - her wedding page boys now acted as pallbearers.

 I achieved a long-term ambition this week. I was mentioned in the Weddings Feature page in the South Coast Register! Not as a bride - that would be exciting news especially for my husband, but  as an "officiant".

So many of my couples are from Sydney or Canberra they don't have the same interest in letting the Shoalhaven know about their wedding.

Christine and Jason were married on June 30th and, after weeks of winter chill and rain,  I truly believe the sun shone just for them that day! May it continue to do so!

Not so desperate housewife Eva Longaria is this week's celebrity bride.  A civil ceremony in Paris sounds relatively modest until you read on and it was conducted by the Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe and was actually just a prelude to a more full blown affair to be held later in the day followed by a "lavish feast for Hollywood friends at a 17th century chateau".

Mayor Delanoe said he was delighted to officiate "For me they are Eva and Tony, two very likeable young people who love each other and are enjoying an important moment in their lives".

You rarely see Eva's name appear without the word "dimunitive" somewhere nearby and I do wonder if it's not a reference to her choice of dress length.

We'll have to wait until OK! magazine comes out with full wedding coverage to see if Eva opted for full wedding coverage for the church ceremony.

My parents just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. An impressive milestone, usually known as the "Golden Anniversary". My mother broke with tradition on this occasion though and gve my father a document shredder. Since he's been retired for about 20 years and his home office is really just a place for the grandchildren to play computer games, I was worried that he planned to use it on the marriage certificate. A friend pointed out that paper shredders are actually a "must have" item for the 70 set. Apparently they all live in fear of identity theft.

I can't even begin to think what this utter lack of romance says about their relationship, mainly because my husband gave me gardening tools for our anniversary this year!

It's always  nice when you see a familiar face in the social pages, somehow some of the glamour is bestowed on you merely by having known the person 15 years ago! Taking up nearly a whole page in Sunday's Herald was Eugenie's wedding. Eugenie Harvey (daughter of "much-loved television maestro" Geoff Harvey)  and I went to uni together.  

I'm not sure what classes we shared - perhaps it was the very popular "Sex, the Body & Writing"? -  I do remember Eugenie delivering an entire tutorial on Freud's theory of the "I.D" before someone pointed out that it was actually supposed to be "id". Most people would have wished for the floor to open up and swallow them,  Eugenie had us believing that she's discovered a lesser known theory of Freud's. A lot of Sunday morning was spent ringing other uni mates to discuss important details, she wore a "dusky pink satin gown", she  met the groom - who looks slightly older (but then don't we all?) in the UK,  the reception was a medieval feast reception at the family property in Berrima (property sounds sooo much better than backyard doesn't it?) and they honeymooned in Dubai, and yes she looked fantastic.

If Greg Evans isn't the celebrity celebrant for you perhaps John Waters is?

John was ordained Universal Life Church when Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder were planning to get married. Sadly that marriage never took place but John still performs the occasional marriage - at $7 per ceremony which I'm guessing is a lot less than Greg Evan's fee, though Greg may get more job satisfaction than John who says he heates going to weddings. You can read the entire full article at: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2007/03/26/070326ta_talk_mead

Yes, Greg Evans has become a celebrant. A logical career move I guess and one which might put Elvis weddings out of favour. . He hasn't been registered yet and there is a 3 year waiting list but he could be worth waiting for. If you think there's no one you'd rather hear you say your "I dos" to you can contact Greg here: http://www.gregevans.com.au

Living together is no guarantee against divorce according to the Saturday's Herald. Apparently new research indicates that couples who don't live together before marriage have a better chance of avoiding divorce BUT it's more about the type of people who choose not to live together. People with strong religious or cultural beliefs who don't believe couples should live together may also be less open to divorce as a way out of a bad marriage. Sadly co-habitating is so commonplace today it's no longer called "living in sin" which gave it a bit of an air of glamour! Another article said that the latest trend and key for happiness is for couples to live apart as "part of the diversification of the way we live our intimate lives" and that one of the advantages was avoiding the domestication of a relationship because "you strip away that array of boring but potentially destructive problems so what is left are the things that are more meaningful".

Did Liz Hurley and Arun Nayar co-habitate? I guess they didn't need to, 7 days of wedding ceremony must have given them a lot of time to get to know each other. Sadly I was a little behind the times with this I do-fest mainly because I don't buy New Idea, I just hope the local cafe or hairdresser will have one. Liz's is sooo special New Idea are doing it in a two part special so I'm not up on the Bollywood one yet.

Some great quotes and a fantastic rationale re the multitude of frocks "Elizabeth wants to wear three outfits for this one. She won't be wearing a full-on wedding dress because she's worried it's not appropriate for someone her age (41), but the idea is to have different outfits for the morning, for the ceremony and the party." Glad to hear that the whole shebang was planned with age appropriateness in mind and there's no hint of mutton dressing up as anything other than Liz.  

When the party changed continents, there were dancing white horses, walkways lined with red chili peppers (not sure if that was the band or not)  and bride and groom circled a sacred fire as Hindu priests chanted in Sanskrit. The only thing I really wonder about was having a song from the Lion King as (one of their many) bridal waltzes. Apparently it's son Damian's favourite and may have been used as a bribe to get him into those white silk knickerbockers.

Found a great cookery book at Sallies today "The Hostess Cook Book". Published in 1952, the introduction says "Some people might mourn the good old days when women had plenty of help and were not expected to enter into activities outside the home. But not us, for we know that modern progress has given us advantages that once were never dreamed of. Admittedly today we are expected to act the part of wife, mother, cook and housewife, and in addition to entertain our friends and be the bright and gracious hostelss. But we have our ways and means...."

The book provides set menus for occasions such as The Business Woman's Cocktail Party (Toasted Sandwiches and Angels on Horseback), a Last Minute Luncheon (Tomato Cocktail and American Fruit and Cheese Salad) and Small-Flat Dinner Party for Four (Carrot Juice, Chicken Quickie and Ice Cream with Lemon Sauce).

There's also a wide range of suggestions for an at-home wedding breakfast:

Menu No 9 gets my vote:

(The Grapefruit Porcupines are grapefruits studded with toothpicks containing things like cocktail onions and cubed cheese. And I'm sure you could replace the Marmite with Vegemite)

Long blog break there! One of our newest Christmas toys was an ipod which we are supposed to share - though there does seem to be a lot of football-related podcasts on there which definitely aren't mine.  We're rather late to this bit of techno-whizz and probably haven't explored the full potential yet. One of the more popular podcasts is apparently Wedding Podcast Network (http://podcast.com/home.php) which is very Dr Phil - in fact as I type I'm listening to Dr Judith and Dr Jim are sharing a wealth of information such as why it should be "your day" and not "her day", the importance of setting up romantic playdates to see caterers, and suggesting you arrange for the bridesmaid to come up every half hour tap you on the shoulder and say "look around this is all for you".

Another wedding-related holiday link was Confetti  - a very low key mock-umentary with three couples competing for a new home and 500,000 pounds with the catchphrase "Not everyone wants their special day ruined by a cheap gimmick - but some do"  All they have to do is come up with the most original wedding concept . There's a nude wedding, a tennis-theme wedding and a Busby Berkely tribute. The nudists get my vote for bravery - that tandem bike can't have been comfortable! The wedding planners Hough & Heron "Your dreams are enough" are definite highlights. Possibly more entertaining than the movie is the websit - http://www.foxsearchlight.com/confetti/  which features nude trampolining , Dr Nez's DIY Facelift "Press the button and let's get cuttin'" and my favourite Hough and Heron's guide to planning your day, according to their online quiz my perfect wedding theme would be "Bride 'em cowboy" which I quite like the sound of and may use for a vow renewal sometime soon! (after a few romantic playdates of course!)

I've heard some really fantastic wedding music choices lately. Number one was Declan O'Rourkes Galileo, you can actually download it for free by clicking here. It's been on constant rewind since I heard it. The bride made such a stunning entrance to this song, it really captured the mood perfectly. Paul Weller is quoted as saying it's the song of the last 20 he wishes he’d written which is interesting as Paul's You're the Best Thing" was our choice for bridal waltz.

Another fab choice was I heard on Saturday was The Carpenters , We've Only Just Begun - you can see the whole clip on youtube by clicking here - I actually got a bit teary when it started wafting around and it was amazing the way a song suddenly transformed a suburban backyard into a really romantic setting.

Even sadder this ad from todays South Coast register -  

Finally got around to watching my tape of ABC's  Stepfather of the Bride. My personal review  is nowhere near as rave as the one that appeared in The Age, but for a Sunday-viewing-seen-on-Tuesday it was fun. The highlight for me was the closeup of the budget as the Bride tried to lever more money from her parents - $2000 for a celebrant! Either the parents - who  had been married 6 times between them and should know a thing or two about costs - or even the ABC research department, should have picked up on the fact that you could probably get 4 celebrants for that amount.  Not convinced that the bride looked $6000 worth of beautiful in that dress either. Even more unconvincing was Noni's  terrible treatment of husband William McInnes , while he never quite replaced Diver Dan   (cue for totally gratuitous use of picture of David Wenham)  in my affections he certainly wouldn't get the same treatment at my house.

Another wedding-related pleasure was the discarded New Idea in the coffee shop - I told myself I was going there to do some work - but pounced on the magazine as the Paul and Heather bustup was front page. Even more entertaining was the news ofKyle Sandiland's $100000 (is that enough noughts?) engagement ring he presented fiance Tamara . Apparently that's more than he spent on the Mercedes he gave her for her birthday. Tamara was initially a bit worried about Kyle's taste in bling, she needn't have been. "I love it",  she cooed," it's so big!".

Well according to the fashion pages in the Sunday paper anyway. This seemed like a very Mia Farrow wedding look - tho the groom has nothing of Frank. I tried to find a picture of Mia in her wedding dress but didn't have much luck. I did find a very handy guide to Las Vegas weddings (more than 120,000 marriage licenses issued annually)  and a list of couples who opted for Vegas Vows: * Elvis and Priscilla Presley * Jane Fonda and Roger Vadim * Bruce Willis and Demi Moore
* Cindy Crawford and Richard Gere * Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward * Britney Spears and Jason Alexander * Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow * Ann-Margaret and Roger Smith
* Billy Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie

Also of interest for those who can't have too much bling is The Remember Ring which contaings a microchip programmed to warm up 45 degrees the day before your wedding anniversary so you don't forget the roses and dinner reservations. "The idea is to remind people they started wearing it for an important reason" says inventor Cleve Oines.

I'm drawn to the wedding features in the Sunday papers. This week it was radio guy Mike Carlton marrying journalist gal Morag Ramsay. Morag wore a cream silk creation which featured a bustle - a details which leaves no room for the "does my bum look big in this?" question. Of special interest were some of the presents, ownership of a koala at Taronga Zoo and drumming and piano lessons.

I encountered an even quirkier wedding present in an autobiography I'm reading by - Let me Finish by Robert Angell. Angell is best known as a sports writer but my interest in him is connected to his wonderful articles in the New Yorker and his relationship to Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little author E.B White. In one of my favourite chapters "We Are Fam-Ilee" he talks about an impressive list of slightly eccentric and downright wacko relatives. His Aunt Elsie managed to straddle both and when Angell's brother Joe was getting married she presented the couple with a nice copy of "The Life of Nietzsche" .There's also a lovely comparison of marriage and martinis: "You can no more keep a martini in the refrigerator than you can keep a kiss there. The proper union of gin and vermouth is a great and sudden glory; it is one of the happiest marriages on earth and one of the shortest".

Meanwhile on the Thursday night Sex and the City reruns Princess Charlotte is spinning out just a little. When she reminds Miranda that this is after all her week, Miranda reminds her "It's your day, you get a day". And when the gal pals don't take her gown shopping seriously enough and get distracted by purses in the bridal magazines, Charlotte snaps:  "No purses! There's no time for purses! This is gown-specific!" to have Miranda ask "What's your theme again? A Nazi wedding?" (I can relate entirely, my own wedding Super 8 looks a little like Triumph of the Will.)  Finally about to head down the aisle Charlotte is having serious doubts about marrying someone with impotency issues but as Carrie says "Charlotte was 34, single and standing in a $14,000 dress - she got married".

Our local lighthouse at Point Perpindicular is the lighthouse of the month in the latest bulletin from Lighthouses of Australia Inc.  It is a beautiful lighthouse and the view over Jervis Bay is fantastic. It's a great spot for weddings and, amazingly given these times of user pays, the Navy who administer the land don't charge for use of the site. You do have to pick your dates though as the Navy close the site for bombing practice on occasion and missiles can be a real distraction to a ceremony! Sadly, even though there are three lighthouse keepers cottages on site you can't stay there. I stayed in the cottages at Cape Willoughby   on Kangaroo Island a few years back and it was fantastic except for the ghost and the sign out the back that said "Warning Snakes Inhabit This Reserve". 

I'm attempting to read Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse at the moment. I'm halfway through and beginning to suspect that they are never actually going to get to the lighthouse which for a lighthouse spotter is a little disappointing.

Two very nice musical moments over the long weekend. A Sydney wedding where the couple's seven year old son was playing DJ and quite unrehearsed or planned, chose a CD to start the ceremony  I'd never heard the song before but it's one to look up  - Eric Bibb "A Ship Called Love " (you can hear a snippet by clicking the link). Not sure of the exact lyrics but it went something like "There's a ship called love getting read to sail .....so get aboard .....and loves the right stuff to get us over".  It was SUCH an amazing choice and the kind of timing wedding planners would die for. Thanks Zuhri for such an amazing moment.

The other marriage-music-moment was a little rockier. Driving back from a ceremony in Bowral and Wave FM was doing a Rocktober countdown of the top 562 (not sure why it was 562) rock songs, well round about number 262 (beating out Ted Mulry's Jump in My Car ) was Roxy Music's "Let's Stick Together", I turned the radio right up and it was great cruising through Kangaroo Valley singing along.  If you've forgotten  how it goes:

"And now the marriage vow is very sacred
The man has put us together now
You ought to make it stick together
Come on, come on and stick together
You know we made a vow to leave one another never

But now you never miss your water till your well runs dry
Come on now baby give our love a try
Let's stick together, c'mon c'mon let's stick together
You know we made a vow to leave one another never"

I remember seeing the video clip on Countdown, who can forget Ferry's then-fiance Jerry Hall strutting her considerable stuff in a tiger suit complete with tail. 

I often don't get to see many movies until they get to video. This is due mainly to two things. I spend a lot of time in the country where the local movie theatre is 35ks away and not really into anything arty. (Also not into Michael Moore as they refused to screen Fahrenheit 9/11 on patriotic grounds) and also I have a four year old so although I have seen Cars twice I never got around to seeing Tim Burton's Corpse Bride on the big screen (the local theatre shs also liced up it's big screen to make five very small poky screens).

Anyway I got to see it on DVD last night. It's right up there with Father of the Bride as one of my all time favourite wedding movies. It's macabre, it's funny and it's also very beautiful. A very quick synopsis goes like this: Victor who cannot get his wedding vows right is wandering through a forest practising them, he places the wedding ring on a tree root that bears an eerie resemblance to a human hand (it is actually an eerie human hand) and after getting the vows right comes face to slightly mouldering face with Emily the Corpse Bride. Emily was mysteriously killed on her wedding day and has been waiting for her groom ever since. It certainly sounds macabre and you may wonder where the funny and beautiful come in - the last scene where Emily leaves the church and is transformed into hundreds of butterflies is really stunning and while a butterfly release has become a feature of weddings I don't think we've seen one like this before!

Another great find - a site devoted to celebrity wedding vows with the added excitement of being able to rate them. Some are a little sad, I think Julia and Lyle's ceremony may have lasted longer than their weddings and not all parties seem to have taken the "Til death to us" part seriously, except perhaps Kurt and Courtney. The site can be found here: http://www.myweddingvows.com/celebrity-wedding-vows

High Society was the Sunday midday movie last week. Perfect rainy afternoon viewing and what about those frocks? Grace's wedding dress was a dream, gossamer white embroidered organdy over a taffeta underdress. I tried to find a picture of it to show you but sadly haven't been able to locate one. Helen Rose designed both the High Society dress and the one she wore when she married for "real". The Monaco dress was "a creamy confection of antique Valenciennes lace and peau de soie"  which hugged her curves above the waist, while boldly billowing below. Demurely high-necked and long-sleeved, a suggestion of transparency was created by lace over a bodice of silk net which was then lined with silk gauze. Grace also wore a Juliet cap decorated with seed pearls and a veil made from some ninety yards of tulle.The frock has starred in it's own exhibition at Philadelphia  Museum of Art's "Fit for a Princess: Grace Kelly's Wedding Dress". The dress cost $7,266.68 (1956 prices) in materials, not factoring in the six weeks of labor but Grace received it gratis from MGM, where Rose and Kelly were both under contract. Helen Rose also designed the Liz Taylor's Father of the Bride gown as well as two of her real-life wedding dresses. (Liz was a great income source for the wedding industry).  

I can't wait til the next one of my friends announces their engagement. I found two fantastic retro cards today, new in the pack so I won't need liquid paper. Feast your eyes:

A bride-very-soon-to-be emailed me these vows,  taken from traditional Indian wedding vows, this week. They are sooo beautiful, full of sunshine and honey and wonderful sweet promises and cows of course!

The first step is to provide for our household a nourishing and pure diet, avoiding those foods injurious to healthy living. Let us take the second step to develop physical, mental and spiritual powers. Let us take the third step, to increase our wealth by righteous means and proper use. Let us take the fourth step to acquire knowledge, happiness and harmony by mutual love and trust. Let us take the fifth step, so that we be blessed with strong, virtuous and heroic children. Let us take the sixth step, for self-restraint and longevity. Finally, let us take the seventh step and be true companions and remain lifelong partners by this wedlock."

We have taken the Seven Steps. You have become mine forever. Yes, we have become partners. I have become yours. Hereafter, I cannot live without you. Do not live without me. Let us share the joys. We are word and meaning, united. You are thought and I am sound. May the night be honey-sweet for us; may the morning be honey-sweet for us; may the earth be honey-sweet for us and the heavens be honey-sweet for us. May the plants be honey-sweet for us; may the sun be all honey for us; may the cows yield us honey-sweet milk. As the heavens are stable, as the earth is stable, as the mountains are stable, as the whole universe is stable, so may our unions be permanently settled.

I'll admit to being a bit of a sad nanna and reading the TV guide to plan my week although I try to resist the urge to circle items in texta so I don't miss them. A few must sees this week had me reaching for the felt tip though! On Thursday "Dr Phil talks to brides-to-be who are so out of control their loved ones call them "Bridezillas". They're a new breed of engaged women who terrorise their fiances, bridal parties and family members with their outrageous demands". Can't wait! Kath and Kim meanwhile (ABC 10.00) are serving punch from a plastic bin and throwing a tarp over the Hills Hoist for a marquee. A lot like Nicole and Keith's do... or maybe not.

One of my big treats is a subscription to the New Yorker and it's the highlight of my week when Albert - the postie and I are on first name terms - drops it off.  I think I may have found a way to make it pay for itself as this week it's a wedding special. One of the must reads in this issue is an article on wedding planners. There's a great "doh!" quote: "I think our taste has gotten better since the eighties" from Julie Erlichman a wedding planner who features a picture of her deceased poodle on her website. "If you need your dog to be in your wedding call me" Julie says. So if you do need your pooch as part of your posse you can find Julie's number - and Romeo's picture - at www.juliaandfriends.com  You can also read the entire article by clicking here or you can pop round and borrow mine.

I'm really interested in readings and what they can add to or convey during a ceremony. I'm always scanning magazines or anthologies for poems I like and particularly on the look out for work by Australian authors. In the recent Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants there was this rather alarmingly Aussie poem by Ruth Van Gramberg:

An Australian Wedding Blessing

May each step you take in the future be filled with gladness and song

With the sound of the Lyrebird and Kooka to lift and guide you along

May gum leaves tenderly whisper, as life's highway in excitement you stride

Taking time to rest by a campfire, with a swag and your mate by your side

When you travel the east with apostles, just hum the Matilda song

Then roadmap your desired future, whilst the ocean and waves roll along.

Where the roos and koalas roam freely, in a land that's so vast and so wide

With love in your souls and sweet music, let passion and dreams be your guide

May prayer be your answer in hardship and blessings surround you so grand

With a warm welcome waiting at doorway when friends feel the need of a hand

May your journey be freshened with dewdrops each winter thru until spring

With smiles and handshakes and laughter that only true friendships can bring.

Don't worry if troubles surround you just rest by the Murray serene

With freshness of spirit,  your face to the cross, you'll be sharing the Aussie dream.

Six Feet Under wedding episode where Nate and Brenda finally get married. A real catalogue of disasters, a psychotic stepfather, hysterical mother offering underwear advice, a seagull on the wedding cake, not to mention the ghost of Nate's first wife making an appearance. 

The vows were nice though. Brenda accepted Nate with all his weaknesses and strengths and offered herself to him with all her weaknesses and strengths (no small ask given Brenda's weaknesses!) and promised "from this day forward I will be there when you need help and turn to you when I need help".

Nate was a little more traditional, "I vow to trust, honour and cherish you, to support your hopes, thoughts and dreams".

I didn't quite approve of the celebrant as she looked a little like a deranged munchkin and seemed to be wearing a purple cabbage for a hat. I think they dug her up from the same casting agency where they get the frumpy librarians in the big black glasses. As I used to be a librarian it was doubly insulting.

What's next for the married couple with all their weaknesses and strengths? Check out: http://www.hbo.com/sixfeetunder/episode/season5/episode52.shtml