Image: Stephanie Wales Photography
So, bit of news for those who missed TAY earlier this week: Tegan and I have gotten engaged. And naturally, we’ve both been thinking about what comes next – and that makes for a perfect Off Topic this week.
Put simply: what’s the best wedding you’ve ever gone to?
I’ve gone to several, and most of them have been similar since there wasn’t a great deal of cultural or tradition involved. But there are two weddings that stick out in my mind, not because they were nicer or sweeter, but because they were functionally a little bit different.
One was up on a homestead, on a relatively cold day, in Canberra. The couple were good with their hands – both had gone through Cubs, Scouts, Venturers – and so they wanted something that was a little more homely, something that brought people together a bit more than a traditional procession would.
So the groom got an axe, cut a whole bunch of wood. The wood was then fashioned into circular logs that were varnished, which became makeshift tables that were laid out across the lawn (with lovely blankets for everyone to rest on). Every blanket was also fashioned with a homemade picnic basket, with scones, biscuits, chutneys and other tidbits.
Another wedding that comes to mind is my brother’s, as it was split into two receptions. My sister-in-law is Russian, so there was a separate reception that in Melbourne where more of her side of the family was able to attend. That was fascinating just because the procedure and style was so different to any wedding I’d attended prior.
It was also the most brutal: the standing policy is that each of the host families will go around the table and have a drink with each of the tables at the wedding venue. But the groomsman and bride don’t leave the head of the table. My mum and dad also don’t drink. So I had the glorious job of wandering around doing shots of Absolut on behalf of my entire family while people kept telling me to have some bread with olive oil before my liver collapsed.
Thanks, fam.
But what’s the best wedding you’ve attended, or what moments from weddings stand out to you? And did you go to any weddings where the normal orthodoxy was turned on its head?
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