Preparations

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were hectic but still calm, the payoff for being so organised.

We took Zoe with us to pick up the wedding dress, and to buy a few last minute bits on Wednesday, Martin started work on the Father of the Bride speech and Laura went to play hair dress ups at the hairdressers with her veil. We even found time to take Zoe to the beach at Long Rock for another paddle in the mud (tide still out).

Wayne and Laura wanted us to do lunch around our house on the sunday after the wedding, so Thursday was the day for all the food shopping, followed by the house cleaning to be done, while Martin worked on his speech some more. Laura even found time to chill out with a few friends!

Friday was a really busy day though. Kathy, one of the bridesmaids with the worst fitting dress, had arranged to take the thing back to the dressmaker, but wanted Laura's moral support. Laura wanted my moral support so 9 o'clock found us winding our way through the countryside once more to get this dress refitted. A bit of a wasted hour followed because it was obvious when I saw the dress on that there was little that could be done short of a complete remake, there was hardly any match between Kathy's body shape and size to the dress at all. Still we were given a few pin guides and I was told to sew her in on the day!

Next we loaded up the car with all the bits and bobs that had been stored in my room for months and took them over to the wedding reception venue.

Thats when the hard work started. The marquee had been closed up, and by now the sun was up in earnest. It must have been 50 degrees, and in the heat we had to lay up all the tables with favours, matchbooks, theme labels, bubbles and a host of other exciting goodies.




We had to check the seating, make the layout guides, and then put 86 covers and tie-backs on the chairs! Wayne and Martin joined us in time to put the seat covers on, but it seemed despite my bestest teaching methods, no one but me (and a bit towards the end, one really helpful waitress) had any idea of how to tie the bows on the tie-backs. 50 odd bows in that heat, just about keeled me over. Blowing up a 7 ft champagne bottle balloon just about did the same to Wayne!


We finished just in time to get to the church for the wedding rehersal by the skin of our teeth!! The vicar (a lady) was a really lovely funny lady and had us all at our ease. Kath was doing a reading, (Corinthians) but really wasnt pleased to be upstaged by 8 year old Robbie who followed her with his rendition of I married my best friend today'.

Finally though everything was ready.... well apart from the 1..or maybe 2 ... or actually a whole list of things Laura started to remember needed doing, including a rush change of name label as we had called Uncle Stan's wife Jean instead of Doreen .... not a huge mistake until you realise that was his first wife's name!! Looked like Martin was taking a trip out to shops and venue early in the morning, but right then, it was a steak supper, some chocolate and fizzy for the girlies while the men had a bit of a gathering in the pub - one last quiet sherbert for the groom, then an early bath and bed ready for the big day!!!