Was it really ten years ago? That day in our front yard up on the hill? If you were there, your first memory is probably of the heat - I think everyone secretly hated us for picking the hottest day of the year to get married. Or maybe you remember the view - the gum trees and the Ipswich pink and dusky in the evening light behind us. Maybe it's my vintage frock you remember - my mum's wedding dress which had been altered? I'll bet you can't forget the Pullenvale old-time dance hall where we had our reception, and the power black-out which left us with lots of candles for mood lighting and a cold dinner. Do you remember what we said in our vows? Of course you don't!
What I remember is feeling pretty emotional when I said my vows (I might even have had a little weep... oh I think I did! That's right). I remember Ilma's speech quite well - the only religious bit of the service -when she quoted 1 Corinthians 13:4. I have a lot of respect for that passage and I have only learned to understand it over the last ten years... I remember having lots of people I loved at the wedding, and who helped out, including Leis who "threw together" a perfect bouquet from the flowers in a bucket I thrust at her 1/2 and hour before the wedding, and Mel pinning some flowers in my hair 15 minutes before! My mum and Maria were missing right up until the wedding started - because they had went down to the hall to put flowers on the tables, and all of the candles had melted and wilted - and they spent the next half hour laughing and rolling candles and putting them in the fridge to harden up again!
After the ceremony, I was so happy that I couldn't wipe the smile off my face (and I had been worried about how I would keep smiling for the photos!). Confetti in my hair. The celebrant pointing to where I had to sign.
I had collected old fashioned wide-mouthed champagne glasses from garage sales and op-shops for months beforehand, because I wanted one of those champagne towers (you know, where they stack 'em up and pour champagne in the top glass, and it trickles down to fill the glasses in the tiers below - just like in a tacky Whitney Houston video). The sad thing is that I can't remember if anyone actually built the tower??!! Anyone, anyone....?
It was so hot and my groovy vintage gown was so tight that I couldn't breathe. Jeremy looked quite dashing in his three-piece suit, as I recall. Jude's old Morris with white ribbons ferried us to the hall, which smelled of eucalyptus because of the big green wreath my godfather and I had made as decoration. We danced the Latvian "mugurdancis" as our first waltz...(or was it the "plaukstiņu polka"?). The pavlova for dessert was fabulous. I was so nervous during the speeches! My dad had concocted something wonderful about the Latvians and the Dutch and their struggle over Tobago.
Gerry, as the perfect MC, had a joke for everything, including making the guests raise their hands for "many hands make light work" when the electricity went out. I remember Oom Ton, who had been an electrician, scratching his head when looking at the antiquated fuse box, and Suzanne ringing the SEQEB emergency line to get a crew of electricians out to fix the problem...
The rest is a bit of blur to be honest. Through a haze - I was "stolen" (not exactly kicking and screaming), and sat behind the hall drinking beers with my captor. Pretty soon the evening was over, and somehow we ended up outside the hall, holding hands in a circle, singing "Pūt Vējiņi" - how did that happen? Who thought of that?!! It was a nice end to the night though.
I remember that my brother, who had flown over from Latvia for the wedding, walked home after the reception that night. There was a full moon and walking past all the fields and horses and nighttime cicadas must have been beautiful. When we got in the car that took us into the city afterwards and being so relieved that it was all over! And overjoyed that we were married and that we were about to continue our lives together in this new way.
So there y' go, there are some, but definitely not all of my memories of the 27th December ten years ago. We didn't celebrate wildly on that exact date this year - because let's face it, the 27th December is a really bad date to have a wedding anniversary. Two days after Christmas, three days before New Year's... so we are going out tomorrow night to have a champagne or two. Happy anniversary to us! Now are we ready for the next ten years? You bet!