So....We've set a date!
8 December 2012 :)
This time next year I will be newlywed! Wow!
So why December 8th?
Up until a month ago we had been planning on getting married in my mom's backyard. We had a vague idea of spring or autumn wedding with her beautiful flowers as a background. I liked the idea of being home with my sister and best friend. I liked being in a place that my dad had helped create. I thought I would feel dad's presence more in that space. There was nowhere here in New Zealand that said "get married here". I don't like sandy beaches (gah, sand EVERYWHERE and in everything) and I don't have any emotional ties to any town halls.
However, on an ordinary weekend in November, Dave and I went up to
Rapaura Watergardens for a free open day. It didn't take long before I was saying "I could totally picture getting married here". The majority of our time spent in the gardens was talking about a wedding. We tried to consider the pros and cons of a wedding in New Zealand. While I know it will cost more and I will miss the presence of many important people in my life, I really felt that this green, lush garden was where I wanted to start my life with Dave.
I was really worried about telling mom. I didn't want to hurt her feelings. She'd been thinking about her garden as a wedding venue for the last year. She was planning on moving plants and wanting to know my colors so she could new plants established. And, to be honest, there is a HUGE part of me that still wants that. I want to walk down the cobble path that her and dad built (okay, hired people to build) and stand under the pergola while I say my vows. And, to be honest, it probably would be the smarter thing to do. I'm worried about how cooperative the venue hosts are going to be. I'm worried about money. I'm sad that my best friend can't come to New Zealand. I'd love to leave the wedding details to my family in Idaho. I could just fly in a week or two before the wedding and everything would be sorted, right? No stress! But, that's also not really fair to everyone in Idaho.
So, in the end, we are going ahead with the wedding here in our little town. And I'm excited. Despite all my reservations and worries, I'm excited. Why?
POHUTUKAWA TREES!
The iconic "New Zealand Christmas" tree.
Barring any kind of bizarre weather patterns, the trees should be beginning their bloom cycle when we get married. I realize I'm setting myself up for disappointment by counting on nature to cooperate, but we're pretty certain that a week in December should see our coastline turning red. So, if all else falls through, I can take my fiancee down to the waters edge and get married on a rocky beach under a
pohutukawa tree. (and even without their red flowers, their gnarly trunks are picturesque enough)
We've chosen the 8th, to give us the comfort zone for flowering season to start and before Christmas fever sets in.
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This is my interpretation of
pohutukawa blooms
created in felt
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