In pursuit of the perfect wedding

I love weddings. Everybody else’s. Unlike other women, I’ve never really had the white wedding and princess fantasies. Instead of dreaming of being rescued by a gallant, dashing, hero, I often wanted to be the one doing the rescuing. So much more fun. This whole waiting around for the guy to get off his arse, pull up his socks and figure out what to do is not my thing. Back to the weddings, though.

The reason I like them is not because of the dress, or the bridesmaids, or any of that pap. It’s the insight you gain of that couple and the cultures they represent, especially from their guests and relatives. At this point in time, I am planning to go to a wedding in India. From what I’ve heard, they’re huge. Massive undertakings, full of colour, music, dance and food. Expectations run high. Hope they aren’t dashed to the ground.

Until now, the best wedding I’ve been to is also one of the most modest and least ostentatious ones I’ve ever seen. I am friends with both the groom and the bride and this certainly makes a huge difference. Santi and Mira managed to grasp the essence of a fun wedding. Not many people do. Lesser mortals wish to impress their relatives or fulfil some pie in the sky cockamamie fantasy, which they have imbibed from movies and novels.

Making a concession to Santi’s relatives, who weren’t all able to come to Australia from Mexico, they had two weddings. One was in Brisbane and one in Mexico City. I’m still smarting over not being able to go to the one in Mexico. Having a lean year means no travelling. Alas, we’ll all have to be content with the little bit of Mexican flourish and spice that Santi imbued into the Brisbane reception.

Instead of boring everyone stiff with breathless descriptions of the scenery and the bride’s dress and beauty, I will upload a few pictures. It took place at Newstead Park, overlooking the river and managed to keep the entire ceremony to under twenty minutes. The guests and the bride took longer to arrive, than it took for Santi and Mira to tie the knot.

The best part was waiting for Mira to make her entrance. This gave all her guests a chance to mingle and get to know each other.