Southerly by David Haywood

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Southerly: Wedding Bells

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  • Islander,

    Great Barrier is the only place I've seen big flocks of kaka...as well as the rats & cats, there are also pigs - which get hammered by anyone who can handle a rifle (but they can still cause enormous damage.)
    And as for the locals - hardy, amazing, amusing, very capable folk, some of whom can also be dangerous and/or irresponsible. There's a cahe of stories my whanau can tell - and the rock story is par for the course- choice!

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report

  • Jeremy Andrew,

    It later transpired that the music was actually 'Where Do I Begin?' -- the theme to the 1970 film 'Love Story'.

    Ick - a turgid movie adaption of a terrible novel based on a stupid premise. I mean, seriously "love means never having to say you're sorry"??!! Only someone who has never been in a relationship could write crap like that!


    Weddings however: I enjoyed ours, a compromise between the wife's (more particularly her family's) desire for a trad churchy bash, and my atheistic desire not to be too much of a hypocrite on a day that I'm supposed to making solemn oaths.
    Of course, I still prefer my preferred plan B - take the money we would have spent on a wedding and take a trip round the world - getting hitched in as many notable cities as possible, roping in as many local witnesses and taking lots of pix for each one. Culminating with an Elvis wedding in Las Vegas (the latter of which a friend of ours did - so jealous!).

    Hamiltron - City of the F… • Since Nov 2006 • 900 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    "love means never having to say you're sorry"

    I think my parents went through the entire 1970s with bedsheets that had a couple holding hands and silly slogans like this.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Danielle,

    OMG. Kyle. Please tell me they still exist in the parental home somewhere, and that you are able to sell them to me.

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report

  • Carol Stewart,

    OMG. Kyle. Please tell me they still exist in the parental home somewhere, and that you are able to sell them to me.

    Danielle, I'm happy to sell you my pet rock .. and I think I've still got my 'Hang in there, baby' kitten poster too.

    As for the wedding in the cave - yeah, it was pretty memorable. It involved an hour-long walk along the beach - at low tide, of course - the more infirm guests arriving by helicopter, a large and magnificent sea-cave, and guests dressed as marine denizens. There was a jellyfish, several pirates and octopi and Rule Brittania. The broadcast spawning went on well into the night ..

    Wellington • Since Jul 2008 • 830 posts Report

  • Simon Pound,

    lovely writing Mr. Haywood, thanking you..

    **Reply**: You're welcome, Mr Pound! -- DH

    MFAK • Since Nov 2006 • 20 posts Report

  • Julie Fairey,

    I identify with a lot of the sentiments expressed in David's post, and the comments, or at least I did. In the process of planning my own wedding I discovered that I actually love the damn things, and now, over three years later, I still find myself ocassionally walking into a place and thinking "hmm, this would be a good place for a wedding, you could put the cake over there..."

    Josh's civil union party was fantastic, I really really loved it. Although I was so hideously, secretly, ill with morning sickness that I threw up in a garden by where we parked the car. If I can have a good time whilst trying to hold my stomach contents in then that really is an excellent wedding-type thingy indeed.

    Puketapapa Mt Roskill, AK… • Since Dec 2007 • 234 posts Report

  • Josh Addison,

    Julie: You're too kind. I suppose I should share with everyone the secret of a successful wedding/CU/whatever ceremony:

    Cupcakes.

    Onehunga, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 298 posts Report

  • Isabel Hitchings,

    Cupcakes.

    Is there anything that isn't better with cupcakes?

    Christchurch • Since Jul 2007 • 719 posts Report

  • Julie Fairey,

    Oh the cupcakes were amazing! How many types were there Josh? I can't remember, just that there were all these different flavours, each one delectable. The Mr was in a cool suit and the Ms was in a beautiful grey dress, and the best man had buckles up his legs. There was just this wonderful feeling of happiness in the room. It was grand.

    Ahem.

    See, wedding mad I am!

    Puketapapa Mt Roskill, AK… • Since Dec 2007 • 234 posts Report

  • Josh Addison,

    Is there anything that isn't better with cupcakes?

    An autopsy? Or maybe not, as long as you managed the crumbs properly...

    Frankly, I have no idea what flavours we had -- I ate one of the chocolate ones and that was it. I didn't touch any of the catered food beforehand, due to nerves. The whole thing had the feeling of putting on a show (like I said above, when you get down to it, it was really for the benefit of everyone else). At least there was someone to tell us the lines, though.

    I totally get that, if you wanted it to be all about you (and fair enough if you did), you'd go for something as small as possible.

    Onehunga, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 298 posts Report

  • Isabel Hitchings,

    See, wedding mad I am!

    I do get liking weddings - I am totally in favour of wearing fabulous frocks, eating good food, getting presents and having a party with friends. It's the institution of marriage itself that I have doubts about.

    I've often said I should throw a party with the theme Isabel-wears-something-stunning-and-everyone-gives-her-homewares.

    Christchurch • Since Jul 2007 • 719 posts Report

  • st ephen,

    Very timely, all this. We're still side-stepping the wedding thing after 15 years and two kids. Everyone says "just have a party!" - but I hate parties. "Too many people and dancing" is pretty much the definition of a party, no? Take out stupid speeches, religion, ceremonial rituals and celebrants and it doesn't leave much. Just the suit - playing dress-ups once in a while is fine by me. But I'd feel bad about inviting people just to come and see me in a suit, rare event though it may be.

    I think the appeal of being married without getting married may be similar to the appeal of having a third child without actually, you know, having it. So maybe we'll just adopt someone else's wedding...

    dunedin • Since Jul 2008 • 254 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen,

    Why so much angst about weddings?

    You get together with friends and family to celebrate the love you have for your partner. Is there anything better than that?

    And yes I love brides in wedding dresses, wedding dresses are one of the few items of clothing that look better on real women than on models. And my darling looked amazing in her dress. I even didn't mind wearing a suit (no tie though, there are limits). My best man was my best friend and a woman. We had a string quartet, because we were really into classical music at the time. We chose the Wintergarden and had dinner afterwards with all our friends at our favourite restaurant (Bowmans, when Richard owned and ran it).

    I've enjoyed all the weddings I've been to (even the really boring long religious ones) because everyone is celebrating one of the most amazing things that happens to us humans - we fall in love with each other. What's not to celebrate.

    And for me the difference of the wedding event is what makes that celebration special. Weddings are different from other events and even the unusual ones described above show that difference. And I love that.

    So enough with the wedding angst, set aside your cynicism for the day, relax, enjoy the celebration, enjoy the pomp and ceremony, whatever kind it might be, you're there to celebrate love!

    cheers
    Bart

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Kirsten Brethouwer,

    I liked my own wedding. Green dress, on the wharf of the fish netting workshop in the viaduct in Auckland (pretty grungy but waterfront nonetheless), took us 3 weeks to organise, a whole lot of generousity and creativity from friends. The celebrant came from the Rationalist society, he was delighted, didn't get to do many weddings anymore. No parents or family except for my brother. They were too scattered over the globe to all get together at the same time at short notice, so we just went ahead and did it with available friends anyway... took a lot of drama out of the affair and looking back still the best wedding I've been to, which was really just a party in the sun and rain of an october sunday afternoon on a fishing wharf in Auckland. bit late posting this.. i just enjoyed reading all your stories above.

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 35 posts Report

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