A much awaited Arrival

The problem with getting Married during a Pandemic was - Not everyone could come and with Our International borders closed it meant that Our D- DILs Mom could not be present at the Wedding.

Which meant … 

There was One Very Important Person missing from the Wedding Photos!

So on a Sunny 4th of July we all dressed up in our Wedding attire.

And got those all Important Mother and Daughter Photos.

Was all the work in the Garden worth it for just a few hours?

To see Her SO happy?
That's a "YES" from me!

Wedding Day - The Ceremony

The Tecoma Pavilion is one of the oldest structures at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

Built in the 1880's  it was originally used as a rest house, a place for Gatherings and Celebrations.  

Now fully restored it met the Brides one criteria.

 

The Wedding Venue had to be Historical.

A warm day (32℃) with blue skies and a backdrop of our Beautiful City the setting was complete.

Vows were said

along with an ancient Hand-Fasting Ritual 

using Ribbons handwoven by the Bride and Groom.

The origin of the term "Tying the Knot"

Yellow - 

For Joy and Cheer and Happiness.

Green - 

For Steadiness, Calm and Hope.

Blue - For the Ocean the Bride crossed to get here woven with the Red line of Fate that binds her to the Groom.

The Final Ribbon 

has a 12th Century Love Poem woven into it in the Original Middle High German.

Just the required Paperwork to be signed 

and Our very enthusiastic Celebrant declared them Married.  

Checking Congratulatory messages which flooded in during the Livestream

After Ceremony Photos:

A few moments alone at

The Tecoma Pavilion.

Heading off to the newly opened Arid Garden.

As close to Texas as our Bride can get?

Riding off into the Happily Ever After?

Our new Mr. & Mrs.

But Wait...

There is a Cake to Cut

and of Course -

It's not Official until you Update your Status on Facebook!

* * *

Footnote for those not living in Melbourne - COVID Restrictions:

2 Weeks prior to the Wedding Date some of our restrictions started to be eased.  We could now travel 25km from home and also sit in to dine with a small group and numbers attending weddings changed.

The day before - The Regional barrier and reasons for travel were lifted - DS#1 & DDIL could come! Restaurants could seat up to 40 depending on venue size with a limit of 10 per group.

For a wedding that was 2 Years in the planning - 

We had just 2 Weeks to actually pull it off!

This Week...

Can you take the hem up for me please?

I am used to being asked to take Hems up.

4 inches off the bottom of a Petticoat should not normally send me into Panic Mode.

And then just a Rolled Hem to finish it off.

I have done them Many Times, 

in another Life - when I was making Costumes for Toys.

But THIS was no ordinary Hem.

This was the Inner hem of Her Wedding Dress.

One of 7 Petticoats  

and She kept stepping on it. 

So it needed to come up.

* * *

Mum..  

Can you Sew a Lapel Mic into the Dress?

You can take the Clip off so it can't be seen.

Oh and the cord for the receiver has to be somewhere easy to access . . .

* * *

Can You make something with This?

Guipure Lace from my Mother's Wedding Dress and Chantilly from my Grandmother's.

Perhaps for your Hair-combs?

Maybe not for my Hair - I have another Idea.

Masks are Mandatory.

Even for Weddings, (don't worry, we are allowed to remove them for Photos)

I think this Works!

Mom and Grandma won't be forgotten.

* * *

Being Mother of the Groom and Stand-in for the Mother of the Bride means that this could not be done without a List.

Actually - Many Lists...

Some of My Lists even have their Own Lists...

We WILL get there!

Flowers for My Wedding Cake

 In Australia the THREE most photographed things at a Wedding are in Order:

1.  Bride

2. Wedding Cars

3. The Cake

Our Bride to Be doesn't understand the ritual of leaving home, Chauffeured to the Church in a Glorious Car bedecked with White Ribbons. 

All that see her on her journey wish her well. Often with a Toot of Horns or a Wave. 

So there will be no Vintage Cars this time.

However - There WILL be Cake!

I have been working on the Special Flowers for their Cake over the past few weeks.  

Cake decorators are pedantic about Botanical Accuracy when making Sugar paste Flowers and this time A LOT of research has gone into these blooms so I can get them as close as possible.

The Groom wanted Australian Flowers.  

The Bride?  Well of Course it would need to be Flowers from "Home" for her.
The "Yellow Rose of Texas" (Harison's Yellow Rose) and a certain little Wildflower that is close to her heart - The Texas Bluebonnet.

They haven't seen their Flowers yet so this is all I can show you.  I am happy with how they have turned out - Just hope that they are!

Life in Lockdown - Continues...

My Grandfather used to say that there was "No Rest for the Wicked - and Precious little for the Righteous".  Those that know me can wonder about which category I fit into - nevertheless I don't think my feet have touched the ground since my last post.

Back in an alternate Timeline (AKA - 2019) we were planning a Wedding.  Everything was falling into place nicely.  

Big ticket items were being Crossed off the List.  

Venue - Tick  
Mother of the Bride, 

Airfares and Accommodation - Tick

Wedding Dress - Tick

Florist, Photographer - Tick Tick

Celebrant - BIG Tick

and then the one thing that would really muck EVERYTHING up

 - A Global Pandemic.  

Back to Square ONE.

The Reception Venue closing down was bad enough.

But Closing Our International Borders means the Bride's Mother and Friends can't come.

We have watched restrictions bounce over the last 6 months from 

NO Weddings Permitted at all, 

through "Just the Minimum Five", 

to Ten allowed - including the Celebrant.  

We wait and Pray 

for Just a Little more wriggle room...

* * *

25th October UPDATE:

We can now plan for "Celebrant, Photographer, Couple 

and "No more than 10 Guests." 

That JUST scrapes in the immediate Family, 

2 Friends and a Bridesmaid.

A new Wedding Venue has been booked and we are almost back on track. 

Almost - there are a few other Issues we have had to deal with but I will cover those in another Post!

Another Wedding - A Perfect Day ???

17th January 2014

Temperature 46 deg Celsius (that's 114.8 F) 

The suit alterations had not been done ... 

And "all we had to do" - 

was to get him to the Church on time! 

The Bridal Party sat when they didn't have to stand

and Iced water was handed out with the Order of Service ...

The Groom had his own "Fan Club"

(not content to just sit and fan themselves my gorgeous Great Nephews decided everyone else needed cooling too.)

... now Husband and Wife.

Parents of the Bride - seem happy with the proceedings

(they don't know about the suits).

Then outside into the heat ...

Where we all scurried into the Sunday School Hall to try and cool down.

And the Best Man found he had other duties,

doing his best to keep the Maid of Honour cool.

The photographers decided to "work with what they had" and do some shots in the hall.

So Very Formal

But fitting to their "Retro" Theme

and not so formal

a bit more relaxed

Our Bridal Party.

Then On to the Reception where - - -

The Cake was cut...

The meal enjoyed

(especially Dessert)

They Danced ...

and danced some more...

Then time to say "Goodnight"

and Drive off into the "Happily Ever After"

Thank you for sharing their day.

How with Prayer and Perseverance it can be fixed.

Last week was one of those "Once in 100 years" weather patterns that seem to come around with remarkable frequency. A whole week of above 40 deg. C temperatures with no relief in sight until Saturday.

Our DS#1 was getting married on Friday and I still had to finish his wedding cake.
They wanted chocolate so making it well in advance was not an option.


The bottom tier, which was to be cut at the reception, still had to get it's 2nd coat of fondant.  I didn't have any option but to ice it very early before the temperature rose any further.

The flowers were finished and the first posy placed carefully on the top tier which was sitting securely on the 2nd tier, these layers were dummy cakes so I knew I could finish them beforehand.


I placed the cake carefully on the footed stand and decided I could assemble it at the reception venue.
Packing it into a box and then into the car we then set off for a 48 km trip. There are several roundabouts on the way and after going around a particularly tight one, I started hearing some odd noises from the back of the car .
I decided to pull over and check.

OH NO!

The cake stand had tilted with every right turn and righted itself when I straightened up only to do it again and again for every roundabout we drove through.

The scene that greeted me was heartbreaking.

The icing that was way too soft because of the heat, was mashed into the cake where it hit against the top tier of the cake.

Flowers were broken - some beyond recognition, and the feature flower had 3 main petals broken. The pieces embedded in the bottom cake or scattered around the carton.


(At this point in time I was a wee bit overwrought!)
I had a little bit of my kit with me but not nearly enough to rectify this kind of damage, fortunately, we had pulled into a Bunnings car park and we were able to buy some super glue, artist brushes and a packet of coloured chalk.  Now to get to somewhere cool so I could work - and the only place close by was the Bride's home.

Should I say at this point she had NOT SEEN her cake?

We pulled into the drive - the outside temperature was stifling -
A cool drink, Empty table, a pair of Tweezers, Cornflour and some space was all I needed.
This is where the Prayer comes in - but then I think the Good Lord already knew I needed His help.

Cake Decorators have the same saying as Quilters -
If you can't fix it...
Embellish it!
or hide it - whatever works!

I was able to 'plaster' over the dent, glue one petal back together and hide the rest of the damaged flowers by taking a bit of Gypsophila from the second tier posy and placing it over the broken petal.


I had decided to wrap the cake in "Rustic Twine" - yes STRING of all things (to fit in with their country theme) and that saved the day to mask any other dents in the icing.

So here we have it -
In place in front of the Bridal table
with strategically placed posies and all wrapped in string.




And what did the Bride and Groom think when it was all finished?

I think they were pretty happy!


... and no one else knew anything had happened at all!