Crashing on...

So in the same spirit as the last entry, here we go...

Part I - The Wedding Bit

So we awoke in our hotel bedroom on the morning of our wedding. A quick dash to the mall to get some last minute essentials (primarily socks for the bride to wear with her surprise wedding footwear) and then the bride of the moment was off to get her hair cut and her makeup done for the day.

So that left me in charge for the first time in ages.

I gathered the British posse and we made our way to the venue (for reasons way too boring to go into we stayed in a different hotel for the couple of nights before the wedding and would be staying at the venue for the night of the wedding). We then plonked ourselves down and waited... and waited... and then went to the bar... and drank... and waited. The wedding was to commence at four, so there was a lot of waiting.

BM did a good job of checking my nerves and looking after me. I had a couple of things to arrange (this was the first chance to talk to the DJ), but largely I was surplus to requirements.

Then the time came. We toddled off to BM's room and got ready.

Then we went out to the setting for the wedding and we waited again.

And finally the time of the wedding arrived. My balls shrunk and my gut dropped into my toes as the BM and I took our places at the mini lapa for the ceremony.

The music started and I could sense behind me the bride approaching. I was routed to the spot as I waited for her to draw up alongside me. I turned and there she was, looking every bit as spectacular as I imagined she would be.

Her father took the microphone and started the ceremony. We both waited expectantly wondering what he was going to say.

To be honest, he started badly. He started some rambling analogy about defining ourselves in relation to other things. I saw momentary dread on the then w2b's face. Luckily he seemed to pick up on this and gave us the brief version. Then it was on with the rest of the ceremony.

We needn't have worried. Despite his strange views on life, the universe and everything. Despite his disconnectedness with the real world and tendency to live his life academically. Despite of all the aspects of his personality I would learn later in the holiday to dislike. Despite all of these things his words were perfect.

Then it was time for our bits. My salivary glands refused to work and I gasped my way through the words. W2b's eyes began to tear and she squeezed my hand for reassurance - guessing, correctly or otherwise that I was struggling (I don't to this day know whether I was nervous or overcome with emotion). She said her parts with a strong voice but with tears trickling down her face.

We fumbled with an overly complicated arrangement of rings, ribbons and roses and finally placed them on each other's fingers. More words and we kissed.

Then we made our way down to the "congregation" for w2b's father's surprise musical bit. He'd told us previously that there would be a part in the ceremony for music. He had a couple of suggestions for a song and we tried our best to track down the one that sounded least offensive (some Pavarotti and Bryan Adams thing). Little did we know he'd brought a track along himself.

We were told to stand in a circle and hold our hands. Then we were to close our eyes and listen to the music as all that were gathered wished their best wishes to the couple. So we stood and waited and the music started.

And there it was. Celine Dion. Singing "The Power of Love".

I snuck a look at my new bride. She snuck a look back at me. We shared a half offended, half amused smile. Then I started to silently giggle. My wife's eyes widened as she tried to tell me silently to stop. Then she started. Our shoulders began to shake. We looked around and others in the circle were looking around, amused.

And it just went on and on and on.

By the end, the only people not laughing - either at the music or the reactions were my wife's father and his partner.

I imagine he still thinks that the wife's shaking was due to being overcome with emotion.

Part II - The Present

I'll try and keep this brief as I think I've gone on a bit with the bit above.

The dogs have gone. We found a nice new family for them. Even though we know it's the best thing for them, it was still hard. There were tears and there was guilt.

The wife is feeling a bit rotten, counting down to the end of the first trimester.

The house isn't finished.

Still loving being married and can't believe my luck at the person I've found.