Australia - Melbourne

So the wedding day arrived. Caroline stayed in the flat, with Lisa and I, overnight, and then left (earlish) to go to the house that her parents had rented. So we had plenty of time to get ready (you'd have imagined!). I needed to feel a little more human - traveling is great, as you don't care what you look like - until a day like this comes along. So I got my hair 'done'. Suddenly it was 4.00 and L and I headed done to the gardens to help to set up. Place names seemed like an easy task until nothing matched. The names I knew weren't the ones on the seating plans (everyone in Aus has strange nick-names), or the place names. we got through and were even on time to see the bride come in.

L knew all the details, but i knew none, and we still both thought Caroline looked amazing in her dress. Very simple, beautiful. L had a reading and I took lots of photos. Quite a short ceremony, but in a lovely setting and very personal.

L and I decided to give the happy couple a 'unique' present. More fool us! We bought 2 albums, one for them to put cards, place names etc, in from the wedding, and the other to be a guest book. I took photos of everyone there and we got them all to write messages to go with the photos. Not knowing anyone there, it was quite difficult, but they were all very helpful, and put it down to us being mad Poms. I missed most of the drinks reception, but we managed to finish in time to enjoy the meal, speeches and disco. I think we got to bed about 5am!

Caroline and Jarrod stayed in a hotel, but they came back to the flat in the afternoon on Sunday. (No honeymoon straight away in order to spend some time with the family for the UK). We had a lovely day with a BBQ, Guinness based cocktails, and Inter-Continental trivial Pursuit (ie USA, Aus and 'Europe'). Need-less-to-say we (girls/Europe) won.

The following day L and I picked up the hire car and spent a mad day trying to put the album together before we left. Very stressful - with too much printing, editing, sticking, chopping etc etc. We were backwards and forwards all over Melbourne, and it all ended in a mad rush back to the flat that evening before they all also left. It was somewhat of a farce, until we had to say goodbye and then there were tears. It was truly lovely to have spent so much time with C and L. the most since Uni, and we were all a little sad. Only one thing for it - go out and get drunk! We were staying with a friend of C, so we took her out too. Lycee vodka cocktails and banana pizza is all I'll say! We were a little later leaving for Sydney than planed the next day!