Family After the Wedding

Family congratulating us after the ceremony

My Uncle Bob lives in paradise - yes, FNQ (Far North Queensland). He has a large rural block with space, fruit trees and tropical weather. What more could you want? Unfortunately his partner Marie could not be at our wedding because she broke both her hands the previous week. Marie was the first person I've met who had drunk unpasteurised milk.

Giles talking to Uncle Bob

Geoff is Giles' Dad. He rides one of the biggest scooters you will ever see ever. Geoff travels, reads crime novels, runs a community centre, plays in an orchestra and many other things. Listening to the stories of his days often makes me feel tired but I do often aspire to be like him, especially being retired.

Geoff (Giles' Dad)

Do you wonder why I work in technology - genes!

Taylor is my brother in law. He married my younger sister Katrina (aka: Trina) a few years ago. The first time I remember actually having a conversation with Taylor was a day when Katrina and I were on a mission to find people to join our NTUPNGSA (un-ta-pung-ga-sa: Northern Territory University Papua New Guinean Students Association) Independence celebration. We'd heard that he had returned to Darwin after working for Air Niugini in PNG. We needed a guy to dance and we knew his brother did that regularly in Drum Drum (a PNG dance group with far too much unnecessary tribal drum banging) so we thought we'd just convince him to join. We rocked up at his house and knocked on his door (the front one - the wrong one) and asked for Taylor. His lovely mother went and got him. Katrina told him what he needed to do and when. He wasn't that hard to convince. I must say I am now very suspicious about our real intentions on that day :o)

Taylor, Trina and Mum

Standing on the banks of marriage

The Alexanders

The Maddens

Annabel + Vicky deep in conversation... and Geoff in foreground

Damana celebrates and finally exhales

Life should be like weddings - lots of kisses

This is one of those photos that you look at the think that it must have been taken in front of a backdrop in a studio, like the lunar moon landing (which happened on my mum's 21st birthday btw). This is real though. I can actually recall the sound of the water, the clinking of champagne glasses and the chatter of birds and guests in the background.

Standing at the banks of the Mossman River

I always thought that the kiss at my wedding would be so conscious and thought out but when you get there, you forget about everyone else in the world. Maybe it's one of those life lessons, embrace the moment and don't think so much you crazy over-achieving perfectionist geek! :o)

Klimt had nothing on us!

Giles + I at a very happy moment in our lives

Smooch

Remember he said not to talk to much

Her face is a map of the world
Is a map of the world
You can see she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl
And everything around her is a silver pool of light

Annabel + Vicky opposed

What most people will not know is that my mother came to my treehouse room at Silky Oaks before the wedding to see if Bek and I were going OK and ready to the ceremony. There was something about her presence that calmed the stressful situation and made us smile and laugh, all the way on the buggy to where the ceremony was held. She also picked the hibiscus I wore in my hair at the wedding, from a hibiscus bush next to our room. My Mum is pretty cool and the epitome of a nice person xox

Trina + Mum after the ceremony

Sharing our wedding day with Annabel was meaningful in so many ways. The year Giles + I moved to Canberra (1999) was also her first year at ANU, Canberra. We shared a dodgy little bomb shelter of a flat in Chifley on Medley Street. I was a crazy, manic, selfish little child who had just left home and who knew the world revolved around me. Annabel smiled through the "experience" and moved in to the university dorms (B&G) in 2000 when Giles and I moved to Narrabundah. She never brings it up. That's a good sister-in-law :o)

Annabel taking a bite

Tristram was our unofficial photographer on the day of our wedding. He dropped his last fabulous digital SLR off a mountain. Not sure what he was using at the wedding but he took a lot of fabulous photos. He was also the MC at the reception. Tristram is spontaneous and charismatic - the perfect host.

Tristram not taking photos

Family eating, drinking and
celebrating after the wedding ceremony

I don't know about the rest of you but I sure hope these two are next. There aren't many more perfectly matched couples in the world than Annabel and Dave.

Annabel +Dave looking down and up

Annabel + Dave

Giles and I went off to have photos taken by the professional photographer. He kept telling us to stop talking and being so happy because you want to have your mouths closed in your wedding photos :) He was teasing us and being funny. We did receive a few photos with our mouths open and you really should listen to photographers... at least the good pros. After photos and click click click, we both returned to the rest of the guests and a lovely celebratory glass of champs.

Giles and I returning to the party