Kirstie's Wedding

Erle and I all dressed at the cave at Monkey Bay.



Bride and groom with the proud Mother.



Nyle and Shane, Nyle was the only one with a stylish hat.

The senior ladies of the family, Rowena, mother of the bride, Mother the Matriarch of the family, Nyle, my daughter and me. Only one missing is Jan my sister-in-law.









The groom waits with the chief bridesmaid Poppy


The bride walked down the steep path looking beautiful.




Kirstie and Kiera step down the beach aisle to the altar.

The Newly weds now greet their guest and start their lives together.

Kirstie and Wayne's Wedding.

My youngest niece Kirstie got married on Saturday to Wayne at Rarangi Beach where they both live. Kirstie has lived all her life by the sea and Wayne who was brought up in Nelson is also a man of the sea, so where else would they chose to be married, but on the beach at Rarangi. The ceremony was held at Monkey Bay, a tiny little cove at the end of Rarangi Beach, accessed by climbing up a hundred steps then walking over the hill and down into the small hidden beach with several big caves that have been gouged out of the rocks by pounding seas over the years. It was just inside the largest cave that the family set up an altar of totem poles with paua shells and ribbons, greenery and flowers, all very natural. The guests all stood around in the shelter of the rocks while the rough sea pounded into the shore, as we awaited the arrival of the bride.
While waiting I took a photo of the groom and the marriage celebrant and photographer and what I thought was a big stuffed toy. This turned out to be Kirstie’s dog, Poppy who was one of the bridesmaids!
The other bridesmaid Keira, Kirstie’s tiny 2 year old daughter appeared at the top of the cliff in her lovely white gown, and was led down the steep path by her Aunty Rochelle, then the bride made her appearance a vision of white as she carefully stepped down the track to her beach wedding with her gown wafting in the wind. She looked radiant, together Mother and Daughter walked up to the altar, the other bridesmaid Poppy who was dressed in Purple and white, had to be restrained from leaping up in welcome!
It was quite hard to hear the vows spoken because of the roar of the sea but we all heard enough to know they are now married, the ring bearers carried the gold rings each on a piece of driftwood, decorated with pretty white agates (a semi precious gem that can be found on the beach, if you search real hard) and small shells. Guest had all been given small bottles in the shape of a wedding cake which we thought was a popper that would spray confetti over the couple, but it turned out to be a bubble mixture, everyone blew millions of pretty gleaming opalesant bubbles towards the bride and groom and they quickly drifted skywards til the air was filled with the bubbles, it made a wonderland! Truly it was a special occasion, very beachy, just as she wished it to be, even if the weather did not co-operate as much as it could. The wind was gale force strong and freezing and the sea was rough sending spray into the air, rather mystical.
I had a pretty outfit that was light and filmy so I looked in our caravan, in which we will be sleeping tonight, for a jacket to wear for warmth as I walked over the hill, the only suitable thing was Erle’s new Dressing gown made of warm, soft silky black material. So, much to everyone’s amusement, I went to my nieces wedding wearing Erle’s black dressing gown! I took it off for the actual ceremony and the photos. That will be a first and last, but at least I was cosy warm.
Many photographs were taken in Monkey bay while all us guests left for the Community Centre at Rarangi for the Wedding Breakfast, though firstly we all had a great time with lots of nibbles and dips with grapes and mussels as we sampled the Marlborough Wine and the spirits that Kirstie makes. She is very good at brewing homemade spirits, rum, bourbon, vodka, whisky, black Sambuka and my downfall, Malibu a delicious coconut flavoured liquor. There was also a very nice punch. I decided to have a small amount of the nice punch topped up with lots of Malibu, emmm it tasted so good! So I had another. Later when I thanked Kirstie for making the Malibu, she told me it was 40 percent proof and the punch had masses of alcohol too so I was drinking almost pure alcohol, me who hardly drinks at all, who would have believed it, this drink was tasty and I started having fun fun fun. It was so nice to spend some time with my daughter and her husband and all the nieces and nephews and cousins, while sipping my Malibu, I was a happy girl by the time the main food came out, I didn’t really want a lot to eat, but I did enjoy the spit roasted wild pork, it was very tender. I socialize around rather noisily, taking lots of photos of the family looking so well dressed, for a while before Erle thought he should take me back to the caravan! I arrived with a lovely roast pork sandwich clutched in my hand, but no camera, I managed to forget that completely! (Fortunately, it was found the next day, safe on a high shelf, I obviously, wasn’t too stupid.)
We both collapsed fully clothed on the caravan beds, and slept for several hours. I awoke feeling good again but Erle did didn’t feel well at all, so got into bed for the night, but I brushed my hair, freshened my perfume and headed off to the wedding dance in the Rarangi Golf Clubrooms!
Everyone was surprised but pleased to see me, I quickly was up dancing and having fun, and unfortunately I decided I should have another glass of punch with lots of Malibu in it. Feeling the lack of my camera, I picked up disposable cameras from several tables and went around the room like a professional photographer swooping in on total strangers and friends and family alike taking what will almost certainly, be great photos, I can hardly wait to see the results of this, no one much had taken any pics on these disposables left for guests to take candid snaps so I had plenty of them to play with!
I managed to stay dancing wildly, for about 3 hours before I felt the need to depart for the caravan; don’t tell anybody, but I drove my car the 500 yards along the road, it’s a wonder I could even see the road!
Its been a great wedding.