WEDDING TALK
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There is wedding talk in the air again. Two of our children are married and two are starting to talk about it. The google searches have begun.... Somewhere soon dreams will have to meet budgets. Dates will have to be chosen. Spreadsheets and family meeting will begin , job's will be assigned and excitement will erupt.
The weddings of two of our children provided very happy memories that still make me smile Most wedding memories revolve around emotion , perfection, plans that didn't go the way they should have and just straight surprises.
The year is 1966. It is my eldest sister's wedding . I was her flower girl . I had never been to a wedding before , l had no idea what a wedding was, let alone a flower girl . Also, nobody at all explained that my sister wasn't coming home afterwards ! l was three years old .
l got the idea very quickly that this was a big deal to my parents as she was their first wedding. Back then , if you could afford it, you got your hair done for a wedding at a salon. Since the groom was a hairdresser, this was always going to happen. Nobody talked to me about this , what happens at a hair salon. Nobody took me for a visit to the salon either. God forbid, nor explained what a big hair dryer was that you sat under!
Like any wedding , there is a timetable to eventually get everyone where they needed to go . l well and truly put a spanner in the works here. l was so terrified and traumatised by the big hairdryer that l screamed through its application. But by no amount of explaining , conjouling or bribing could they pacify me . The poor hairdresser had to dry my curled hair with a hand dryer. That kind of mucked up our timetables. I wasn't in trouble when we got home but l felt like l was . l clearly remember sitting on the couch in the lounge room and my feet not reaching the edge of the seat and being a bit teary . A kind family friend named Shirley, also a mother came and sat beside me and held my hand saying "Its ok little Liz ..its going to be a lovely day ".
It was simpler then . There were no hens nights, nail or spray tan appointments and generally no chicken and champain breakfast , catered lunch for the bridesmaids or photographer in the home. l don't remember any of the Wedding mass or the reception, but l do remember my parents cleaning up at the end of the night when l was feeling very tired and wishing they would hurry up . That was my first Wedding !
The next wedding was my other sister's . l was seven and her and l were best buds. I was the baby of the family , eleven years younger thatn my closest sibling. Mum and Dad had no plans for another bub but l came along , surprise ! when Mum was forty. This sister believes she dreamt me into being . She nagged and nagged Mum for years and years for a baby sister . She also prayed for one. My sister had a serious cardiac condition as a child and when Mum announced the pregnancy she fainted.
l was sick for her wedding and weak . l had been in bed for two weeks with some childhood virus, either mumps or measles; l don't recall which . l recall that l wore a lovely maroon long sleeved velvet dress and a white fluffy muff around my hands. I had an up do for my hairstyle which just accentuated my inceadibly grey completion. l recall nothing of the service or reception except tbat l flat out refused to speak to the groom on the day because he was taking my sister away . Sitting at the kitchen table afterwards sharing my sadness with my brother He said " l don't blame you l just wanted to punch him too" ".
The year is 1982 ..it is my own wedding. I had left teachers college to marry . I hadn't worked while l studied so l wasn't very financial so it was a bit of a budget affair. l am not a good looking woman, but l felt beautiful that day and was a marrying the man l loved so very much so that made it perfect to me .
We had hired cars for the wedding from a location in the city. It was my brothers job to call ahead and then with others collect the cars. For some reason they absolutely refused to rent them to him or allow him to collect them . No one else was available to solve the problem. Luckily , my bridesmaid's Dad worked for Mazda and without me knowing there had been an issue , three big white Mazdas arrived to transport us all to the church.
My Dad and l had disagreed about tbe music at the reception. Mum was sensible and diplomatic, she never entered into it.
l was 18 and it was a young wedding with a table of our friends who were also 18. We didn't have MPV players or mobile phones or utube playlists then . I wanted a DJ with some music we had chosen. Dad wanted...wait for it ..an organist!!!!. Dad said not to worry about it as he would sort it out. We didn't want to have a wedding dance either , just music and all to the floor to dance together . Well you guessed it ..you can imagine how wild l was when we walked into the reception after photos to the dulcid sounds of an organist ! And of course, my father had cued the master of ceremonies and the organist , you guest it , to play a wedding dance, mind you that neither of us had rehearsed for . Ever the control freak Dad
The weddings of two of our children provided very happy memories that still make me smile Most wedding memories revolve around emotion , perfection, plans that didn't go the way they should have and just straight surprises.
The year is 1966. It is my eldest sister's wedding . I was her flower girl . I had never been to a wedding before , l had no idea what a wedding was, let alone a flower girl . Also, nobody at all explained that my sister wasn't coming home afterwards ! l was three years old .
l got the idea very quickly that this was a big deal to my parents as she was their first wedding. Back then , if you could afford it, you got your hair done for a wedding at a salon. Since the groom was a hairdresser, this was always going to happen. Nobody talked to me about this , what happens at a hair salon. Nobody took me for a visit to the salon either. God forbid, nor explained what a big hair dryer was that you sat under!
Like any wedding , there is a timetable to eventually get everyone where they needed to go . l well and truly put a spanner in the works here. l was so terrified and traumatised by the big hairdryer that l screamed through its application. But by no amount of explaining , conjouling or bribing could they pacify me . The poor hairdresser had to dry my curled hair with a hand dryer. That kind of mucked up our timetables. I wasn't in trouble when we got home but l felt like l was . l clearly remember sitting on the couch in the lounge room and my feet not reaching the edge of the seat and being a bit teary . A kind family friend named Shirley, also a mother came and sat beside me and held my hand saying "Its ok little Liz ..its going to be a lovely day ".
It was simpler then . There were no hens nights, nail or spray tan appointments and generally no chicken and champain breakfast , catered lunch for the bridesmaids or photographer in the home. l don't remember any of the Wedding mass or the reception, but l do remember my parents cleaning up at the end of the night when l was feeling very tired and wishing they would hurry up . That was my first Wedding !
The next wedding was my other sister's . l was seven and her and l were best buds. I was the baby of the family , eleven years younger thatn my closest sibling. Mum and Dad had no plans for another bub but l came along , surprise ! when Mum was forty. This sister believes she dreamt me into being . She nagged and nagged Mum for years and years for a baby sister . She also prayed for one. My sister had a serious cardiac condition as a child and when Mum announced the pregnancy she fainted. l was sick for her wedding and weak . l had been in bed for two weeks with some childhood virus, either mumps or measles; l don't recall which . l recall that l wore a lovely maroon long sleeved velvet dress and a white fluffy muff around my hands. I had an up do for my hairstyle which just accentuated my inceadibly grey completion. l recall nothing of the service or reception except tbat l flat out refused to speak to the groom on the day because he was taking my sister away . Sitting at the kitchen table afterwards sharing my sadness with my brother He said " l don't blame you l just wanted to punch him too" ".
The year is 1982 ..it is my own wedding. I had left teachers college to marry . I hadn't worked while l studied so l wasn't very financial so it was a bit of a budget affair. l am not a good looking woman, but l felt beautiful that day and was a marrying the man l loved so very much so that made it perfect to me .
We had hired cars for the wedding from a location in the city. It was my brothers job to call ahead and then with others collect the cars. For some reason they absolutely refused to rent them to him or allow him to collect them . No one else was available to solve the problem. Luckily , my bridesmaid's Dad worked for Mazda and without me knowing there had been an issue , three big white Mazdas arrived to transport us all to the church.
My Dad and l had disagreed about tbe music at the reception. Mum was sensible and diplomatic, she never entered into it.
l was 18 and it was a young wedding with a table of our friends who were also 18. We didn't have MPV players or mobile phones or utube playlists then . I wanted a DJ with some music we had chosen. Dad wanted...wait for it ..an organist!!!!. Dad said not to worry about it as he would sort it out. We didn't want to have a wedding dance either , just music and all to the floor to dance together . Well you guessed it ..you can imagine how wild l was when we walked into the reception after photos to the dulcid sounds of an organist ! And of course, my father had cued the master of ceremonies and the organist , you guest it , to play a wedding dance, mind you that neither of us had rehearsed for . Ever the control freak Dad
But miss him incredibly xx
