Wedding stories: The day before

Our wedding venue doubled as our holiday house for the week of the wedding. This was perfect as it was in such a beautiful serene setting we couldn’t help be relaxed. The day before the wedding we had yet more girly indulging planned. Two fabulous manicurists came to the house and we lounged around having toenails and fingernails painted. My bridesmaids made sure I was spoilt rotten and ensured I was supplied with a steady stream of fruit, champers and chocolate. For me getting married was all about the treatments.


Lewis still managed to steal the show and no-one wanted to have the nails done as that meant giving up cuddling rights. Eventually both he and Zannah succumbed to the strain of it all.



I was feeling pretty chilled until our wedding planner (love saying that even still) mentioned that all FIVE weather sites were predicting afternoon storms the next day. There are five weather sites?!! As my eyes bulged on stalks and bridezilla started to make her first murmurs, she calmly said “Now you don’t have to decide right now, but we need to know soon if you want a marquee?”. My guts sank to my feet as my vision of tables with glowing candles under the stars was dashed by a potential tropical downpour.

Eventually I caved in and let them put one up – but just to the side out of the way as I was convinced it wouldn’t happen. After all, every day for the past week had been completely cloudless.

Steve had also organised a lunch with his extended family who had flown in from all corners of the globe, NZ, London and Shanghai. I know his Sis and Mum pretty well but there was an element of stranger danger as I met his Dad and wife, and brother and girlfriend for the first time. After the initial awkwardness – “Hi I’m Helen, I’m crashing your family ... tomorrow”, all was fine. We went to the Spirit House at Yandina. Set around a lake full of waterdragons and turtles, it’s a lush exotic restaurant and cooking school for Thai food. Luckily everyone was too busy eating the divine food for there to be any uncomfortable silences.

That evening we had drinks at a Noosa pub for a reunion with the Singapore gang, mates from NZ and some Brissie locals. It was shaping up to be quite a party but our “minders” aka best man and chief bridesmaid made sure we didn’t turn into pumpkins. As it was I think I might have been a bit enthusiastic with the mojitos. Steve went to stay with his brother while I went back to the house and pottered around aimlessly, amusing myself trying on my Nubra - possibly the sexiest underwear ever (if chicken breast fillets are your thing) and panicking about my lack of coherent speech and the predicted cyclones. Yeah I know, it was just a storm before…but still!