An amazingly special wedding day filled with laughter, joy and much happiness.
My beautiful friend Mel marries lovely Gareth and I get to photograph it – a true honour!
This love story began at the Opera Bar in Sydney, after much eye contact across a crowded room, Gareth found the courage to buy Melissa a drink. They developed a friendship but knew very soon it was something very special. Gareth didn’t want to let her get away so proposed very soon after and then took Melissa to the UK to meet his family, but their hearts were in Sydney and they knew it was always going to be the place where they would settle and spend their lives together. They are looking forward to a wonderful life together and can’t wait for the arrival of their new baby.
Today you have someone who touches your soul.
You have someone who stands beside and not over you.
You have someone who loves you for who you are and not who you could be.
Today you have each other.
A Lovely Love Story by Edward Monkton – (Thanks to Kura for this reading at the wedding ceremony of Mel & Gareth)
The fierce Dinosaur was trapped inside his cage of ice. Although it was cold he was happy in there.
It was, after all, his cage.
Then along came the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
She melted the fierce Dinosaur’s cage with kind words and loving thoughts.
I like this fierce Dinosaur she thought.
Although he is fierce he is also tender and he is funny.
He is also quite clever, though I will not tell him this for now.
I like this Lovely Other Dinosaur, thought the fierce Dinosaur.
She is beautiful and she is different and she smells so nice.
She is also a free spirit which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur.
But he can be so distant and so peculiar at times, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
He is also overly fond of things.
Are all fierce Dinosaurs so overly fond of things?
But her mind skips from here to there so quickly thought the fierce Dinosaur.
She is also uncommonly keen on shopping.
Are all Lovely Other Dinosaurs so uncommonly keen on shopping?
I will forgive his peculiarity and his concern for things, thought the Lovely Other Dinosaur.
For they are part of what makes him a richly charactered individual.
I will forgive her skipping mind and her fondness for shopping, thought the fierce Dinosaur.
For she fills our life with beautiful thoughts and wonderful surprises.
Besides, I am not unkeen on shopping either.
Now the fierce Dinosaur and the Lovely Other Dinosaur are old.
Look at them.
Together they stand on the hill telling each other stories and feeling the warmth of the sun on their backs.
And that, my friends, is how it is with love.
Let us all be fierce Dinosaurs and Lovely Other Dinosaurs together.
For the sun is warm. And the world is a beautiful place
Ceremony: Lawn 33 Royal Botanic Gardens
Reception: Boy Charlton Pool Cafe
Flowers: Melissa’s Mum – Lesley
Melissa’s Dress: Rachel Gilbert
Music at the Ceremony: Chloe West
Celebrant: Carla Davern
Great tunes at the Reception by: DJ D Flat Aka C Sharp
Leave a comment or a message for Melissa & Gareth ♥
