It's not every day that one's daughter walks down the aisle! Sara and Stephen were married in the little village of Birregurra on the 26th of October. We watched the weather forecasts for weeks. Was it going to rain? Yes, no, yes, no.... Every day the predictions changed. At last the week of the wedding arrived and all preparations took a gear shift upwards. There were flowers to be prepared, lolly table jars to be filled, table gifts to be made and labelled and lots of food to be made for all the visitors that came from near and far.
My dear Mum, Marie. She flew out from South Africa to share this big event with us. We put her to work! She didn't get out of the kitchen much... Thanks Mum!
Four kinds of table preserves were made: Marmalade, Rhubarb and Date Chutney, Raspberry Conserve and a South African favourite, Tomato and Ginger Jam.
On the morning before the wedding, Sara and I took a road trip to the flower farm in Geelong. We filled her little Yaris to the brim with roses, babies breath and all sorts of beautiful blooms. We didn't get as many flowers from our garden that we'd hoped to; Winter had been too wet and the flowers didn't want to co-operate! We were very fortunate to be helped out by local florist Clare Cotton who generously picked beautiful lilacs, crab apple blossoms and silver suede from her personal garden. Thank you Clare.
The old shed became the heartbeat of wedding preparations. Eskys were filled with ice and drinks were plonked into them in preparation for the Friday night BBQ. It was all hands on deck. My brother Lionel and nephew Delisle got the drinks sorted and hung pretty paper lanterns in from the willow branches. They put up new fairy lights hung a great big love heart wreath on the shed wall.
It was then all hands on deck as Sonja directed the traffic in the bouquet making stakes. How lucky to have such talented family members lending their expertise! Pity it was such a cold October day... she was rugged up for the cold and didn't stop all day! You're a legend Sonja. Thank you.
Floral arranging was tackled by one and all, including business executives Alan who discovered he has a new talent.
Martyn Lindsay also has a back up if he decides he needs a new day job!
Shed helpers, Adele Lowsley, Michelle Steel, Eugenia Lindsay, Genevieve Hawea and Alan doing their thing.
The Bride and bridesmaids bouquets done! And they looked fabulous!
Sonja and Sara working on the bridal bouquet
Saturday arrived and the weather was ok. Just. A slight shower or two in the morning and all was good. Make up, hair, photographers, showers, champagne.... the morning zipped by and it was time to leave for the church.
Bridesmaids dresses below. Pastels. Interesting fact... When my Mum Marie got married to my Dad in 1963, her bridesmaids also wore pastels, just like these!
The little bluestone Anglican Church on the hill.
The beautiful entry to the little church. Flower pots with pastel flowers were brought to the church the day before, and Frans would garlands of ivy around the railing.
At the rehearsal the night before, the bridesmaids and Sara decorated the pews with simple organza ribbon and babies breath
Everyone seated and waiting...
Frans' sister Lee and niece Tammy played and sang beautifully while the congregation waited... Lee almost got to the end of her repertoire and had to start again. Almost...
Still waiting... "Where is she?!"
Well, it's a long drive from the farm to the church... At last Frans and Sara arrived. She looked beautiful.
Here was a Dad with a tear in his eye...
Getting down to the serious stuff. The wedding was conducted by our good friend Glen Scott. Glen has known Sara since she was 15 months old. It was lovely that he could perform the marriage ceremony for her and Stephen. Thank you Glen.
Two little girls who stole the show... Amelie and Valeenah
Meet Mr and Mrs Stephen Giangiulio. Yes, it's a mouthful! I have to think twice each time I write it out.
Ok, here are the proud parents of the Bride
Sara looked stunning! And she was so happy.
And here are the beautiful bridesmaids: Jessica Giangiulio, Emma Tekii, Emily Poste and Katie Gill
Sara with her Nanna, Marie Mills
A close up of the bridal bouquet
Proud parents of the groom: Crocie and Doris Giangiulio
After the service, photos were taken in the main street of Birregurra. The local store owner brought out a complimentary bottle of bubbles and glasses for the bridal party to share. What lovely local cheer!
Then on to Yeowarra Hill for the reception where we were served a delicious dinner. What could be prettier than a vista like this to greet the guests? What was on the menu? Canape's, Caramelised onion & Goats Cheese tarts, Prawn Linguini as starters. Lamb shanks on mash with roasted parsnips and Vineyard Chicken wrapped in Proscuitto as mains. The fabulous cake was served as dessert and the lolly table was a great drawcard for both young and old.
Lovely vineyard bubbles...
It has to be said, that the cake made by Yolanda (a workmate of Sara's) and owner of Suganana was a masterpiece! The two photos below were taken by Yolanda's hubby, who is also a very talented photographer. You'll find more of Yolanda's work on her Facebook page.
And then it was time to party!
First dance...
Some little people just couldn't make it all the way through...Here is Amelie catching a little shut eye. She then proceeded to dance the night away.
Anika.... She didn't even make it to the cutting of the cake!
A day later and the lovebirds were off! Away to Vietnam for 3 weeks.
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And slowly slowly we've been cleaning up all the wedding debris.... Next week we're back to farm stuff! Stay tuned.
NOTE: I'd like to say thanks to all the photographers who's pics I've used...
Jeff Chen, Johnny Ly, Sonja Leonard-Wright, Gabrielle Sham, Mark Eckert. If I've missed your name, please let me know! Thank you.
