Deb & Peter’s Handfasting Ceremony

For those of you who brought us fruit trees as gifts, this is just to let you know that they have been planted and are going quite well.

The worm farms are chugging away producing a fine vintage of worm-wee which the plants are drinking up thirstily, and all the environmentally-friendly packaging and wrappings are putting much needed carbon back into the soil (via composting).

Thanks heaps to you all…..

Love & Lite,

Pete, Deb, Sophia, Jess & Maggie

“Where’s the park? Has anyone got a copy of the invitation?”

Here’s the bridal party (and horse) rambling through the suburban streets.

Sophia smelling the roses.

The ‘Men in Black’. Waiting for the fashionably-late Bride.

“Here comes the Bride”

The Ceremony

Tying the knot

After copping flack for not updating this blog, I have gotten it together to post the script for the ceremony.

Some of you folks couldn’t hear Deb on the day, and have been waiting to hear her lovely words, so here they are in all their glory on the Handfasting Ceremony page.

The photos are on the way.

I’m not sure exactly what else we can put up here, other than stuff related to the day… but feel free to drop in from time to time (or subscribe to the feed, and that way you’ll know when its updated.)

We’re also hanging to hear some feedback from all of you who came, so please leave comments and let us know how much fun you had!

Its Nine O’clock on saturday morning, and the sky is clear, the sun is shining and we’ve got nothing better to do today than celebrate! Hooray!

We are in the park for the ceremony folks - but just in case the “showers” predicted come through, bring an umbrella and other appropriate rain gear.

Also (for those of you who have been waiting eagerly) we have a case of very fine Mead from a small family-run business in South Australia: Martin Mead . So there will be some mead-tasting for those who veer that direction….

Well, there’s not much else to talk about now. We’ll take some photos, shoot some video, and then I will endeavour to post up here as soon as the hang-over clears.

See you in a few hours…..

P

Its now quite late Friday night.

The Marquee is up.

The Food is in the cool-room.

The tables and decorations are set.

The Beer is on ice.

The music playlists are set.

Folk from interstate and afar have arrived in Melbourne.

All that’s left is to get on with it!

As of this moment we don’t know if the ceremony will still occur in the park, but we will asses the situation first thing in the morning. The forecasts have been altering all week, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Friday’s fine day came early, our friends and family from the flooded region of East Gippsland would not have made it up for the weekend.

So if you do read this, check tomorrow morning for an update - we’ll also SMS, phone and email everyone. If it does look like hideous weather, the ceremony will be held at home where the reception is planned (see your invitations).

Oh, and dress warm - it’ll be cold either way.

See y’all tomorrow…..

Well, we had our rehearsal on Sunday and all went well. It was a glorious day - praying hard for something like that on Saturday. I know that BOM are saying showers, but computer-simulated forecasts aren’t as reliable as they make them out to be.

But a few things got worked out, and we’d thought we’d let y’all know….

1. Meeting: When you rock up to the park on Saturday, head straight for the BBQ area. Its on the eastern side of the creek, at the Bowls Club end (opposite end to the Uni). You should all still have your invitations - maps and Melways references were on that; if you need more info, let me know directly. The ceremonial space will be just nearby, but chapas and nibblies will be at the sheltered BBQ area. We would ask that you go there (there is an ulterior motive for this…)
2. Time: Please allow yourself plenty of time to get there. We have said 1:15pm. We really do wanna kick the ceremony off at 2pm, so please allow yourself that 30-45 minutes (again, we have our reasons…)
3. Parking: there’s a fair bit of parking scattered all over the place surrounding the park. However, as most of you are responsible, mature adults you probably will be taking public transport to save the environment and drink more in the evening….

Now why am I being so pedantic about the timing and the gathering area? Well, two reasons.

Whilst you all gather and gossip and sip on your champagne and nibble on your nibbly-bits, my good friend Daniel (some of you know him) will be coming around with the rings, and ask you to give them a little blessing. The purpose of this is for all our friends and family to put their loving energy and goodwill into those talismans that will for us symbolise not only our commitment to each other, but also to the wonderful energy of the ceremony. It doesn’t need to be some grand, Shakespearean soliloquy about eternal love and whatnot - just a sincere, genuine well-wish from your heart. This is how you too will be a part of the ceremony and it saves time later, so the ceremony will be shorter, and we can get back and start eating sooner…..

The other thing is that the ‘Men in Black’ - Daniel, Damon, and Jay - will let you know when it is time to head to the ceremonial space. We will be standing in a circle (chairs in the centre will be for the immediate family, elderly, infirm, lactating mothers, expectant mothers, etc). Before entering the circle, you will be asked to step through a gate of smoking censers. Also known as “smudging” or “smoking”, this is a ritual act of purification that is common to nearly all cultures (yes, even the Christians! What do you think Frankincense and Myrrh are used for?). Please allow the smoke to ‘bathe’ you before taking your place in the Circle. There will be plenty of folk there who are familiar with such acts, so watch, learn and feel free to ask! There’s no trick to it, and it won’t ruin your dress, hair, nails, etc. perfectly harmless - but other than cleansing your aura, and the space, it triggers something hidden deep in one’s Collective Unconscious that we are about to do something sacred (which of course is what we are doing, more or less….)

Of course, all this will be explained on the day too… but we thought it would be important to let you know in advance.

Keep tuned to this site for further updates as the week rolls on….

5 more sleeps….

See you on the day!

Pete

A little under two weeks to go, and I’m just starting my exam period.

There are no major changes to the proceedings for the day to report. But I do have the inside gossip on the weather, and it will most likely be windy. So rug up. Rain on the other hand may well hold off for us - but keep an ear out on forecasts and consult your local witch-doctor/shaman/medicine man/rain-maker for more info on this.

Just to remind everyone that Steph has some suggestions for gifts, and she is waiting for your calls. Of course, you may well have it all under control…

I would also remind everyone that it is a 1:15pm kick-off. There will be pre-ceremony drinks and nibbles at the BBQ area at the park. From here, you will be guided to the space when we are to begin the ceremony. A few words on that on the following blog entry…

Again all I can say is “watch this space…”

See you on the day!

Just a word on the weather….

We know that Melbourne is known for its unpredictable meteorological behaviour.

In the event that the Drought breaks on the day of our Handfasting, the ceremony will be held under the Marquee at home, where the feasting is planned to occur (see invitation for the details!)

I will be posting a notice on here the night before if it looks dicey - so keep an eye on this blogsite for news and updates!

See you on the day…