In which there is a wedding
Friday, 24 February, 2006
Well, last Saturday Haoran and Sarah got married. The wedding was out at Quaker's Hill. I didn't realise how far out Quaker's Hill is—it's like the edge of nowhere. I looked up WhereIs to find out how to get there. Mental note: Always double the expected trip time with WhereIs because they really haven't got a realistic sense of traffic. For example, in theory it takes 12 minutes to get from my house to where I do counselling. In practice, because of all the stop lights, stupid inner-west intersections and crazy Sydney drivers, it usually takes between 20-30 minutes. Mental note 2: Always look up the WhereIs route on a street directory before you get in the car to go there. Mental note 3: Get an up-to-date street directory that has all the new motorways in it.
So we're running late already but I'm not too concerned because WhereIs predicted a 40-minute travelling time. We go along Stanmore Road and then I realise that the place where WhereIs is telling us to turn right, there's a “No Right Turn” sign. We turn right at the closest available opportunity and then find out we can't turn left onto Paramatta Road. We drive in a circle to double back. The clock is ticking.
Finally we're on the M4 and cruising out west. The toll is cheaper than the M5 and I think, “We should really get an e-Tag.” We need to get an e-Tag anyway so that we can use the Cross City Tunnel so it won't take me forever to get to counselling. But our license plates, which are currently registered in the ACT because that's where we bought Hush Puppy, need to be changed over and surely that needs to be done first before we can get an e-Tag.
We're nearly at our exit and Ben says, “We need to get some petrol.”
I consult our out-dated street directory and realise that the route to the church is curiously lacking in petrol stations and that we probably won't make it. We drive past a sign on the M4 that says “Service station—3 km” and decide that it is probably better to miss the exit and get petrol rather than break down and have to call the NRMA.
The clock is ticking. I am painfully aware that it is getting close to 10 and the service will be starting. We get petrol and get back on the M4. I scan the street directory to see if I can find a way to get off and turn around.
Then the great mass of convoluted tangled freeways that is the M7 rises in front of us. Of course it's not in my street directory. I decide to take a chance. “Take that exit,” I say to Ben and we veer off onto the M7, only to discover that we can't then get back on the M4 and go in the other direction but instead we're heading out to Richmond and worse, we don't have an e-Tag to pay toll.
“You have to call them,” says Ben, remembering the similar experience we had in Melbourne.
“Okay but I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE!!” I scream. I try to work it out and where we should go next. We take the first available exit. I imagine Sarah walking down the aisle as we frantically fight the clarity-challenged roads in Sydney's outer west trying to get there to be part of the wedding feast. We follow the road north and I work out the route we can take to Quaker's Hill. It's not as far from here as I think. We park outside the church, get out and realise that Sarah's just about to walk down the aisle and we haven't missed it. We approach the building, only to realise that the whole congregation is standing, waiting for her, and that the front of Quaker's Hill Anglican Church is all glass so everyone can see that we're late.
It's a good thing I don't get too embarassed about that sort of thing. Ben and I hang back respectfully, waiting for Sarah to walk down the aisle before entering the building.
“She's walking down to Pachelbel's Canon,” I whisper to Ben.
“You are such a snob,” he whispers back.
(My apologies to Haoran and Sarah for being such a snob!)
We slip in the back. There are no more programs available as the church is packed with people. We find a seat on the site behind Brad as the congregation stands to sing the first song. Jo is leading the singing as well as being a bridesmaid. The band is excellent—particularly the drummer. We notice that everyone is fanning themselves with nice Asian fans. (Later someone tells me that all the women were given the fan which I thought was a wonderful idea given how hot the day was [My fault; I shouldn't have prayed for no rain.] Though the men probably needed the fans more than the women.)
I'm just so thankful that we are there in time to see Haoran and Sarah saying their vows—with Haoran getting a little teary!—Lorien reading the Bible; Paul Grimmond opening his address by quoting The Princess Bride; Duncan's characteristic sneeze punctuating the service which will be forever after commemorated on the wedding video that Ben A took (it's on our wedding video too); Craig Blacket taking to the pulpit to pray, wearing Westie clothes, not wedding clothes (T-shirt and shorts!); and Sarah's sisters singing a gorgeous rendition of “Won't Give In” by the Finn brothers during the signing of the register.
I was a bit disappointed that we weren't invited to come take happy snaps of the happy couple during the signing of the register but it was nice that the bride and groom stood at the door and shook hands and hugged people as they came out (“Don't we get hugs?” said Haoran. “I'm afraid I'll wreck something,” I said, but hugged them both anyway) so we got to occupy their attention for a least a small part of the day. It was nice to see Guan looking spiffy in his groomsman's suit and Guan's Mary who made me laugh by saying, “I had a dream last night that Sarah said ‘No!’” plus lots of other people I hadn't seen in a while. And the morning tea was fantastic and so characteristically Haoran (I'd say Sarah too but I don't know Sarah as well)—Asian sweets, green rolls filled with sugar and coconut, fresh fruit and, of course, Krispy Kreme donuts. I also managed to grab someone's discard program and my own fan which was very much appreciated because it was so hot.
And then as the wedding party drove away and waved to us out the window, we got into our car and drove back home with no incidents and I spent most of the rest of the day sleeping.
Update: Hear it from the best man's point of view.
Blinks:
A way of funding writing in the future: pitch and idea and get people to support it.
Place where you can hire play equipment for parties, etc.
How to recalibrate the home button on your iPhone.
Unsolicited manuscripts accepted by Pan Macmillan with certain conditions.
Thought Balloon is a group blog in which the writers tackle a new theme every week? month? with one-page scripts. This URL is for their Phonogram ones.
How to sew a zipper on a knitted garment.
Issues organised by tale.
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It is not in the middle of nowhere - it’s just near my house!
Give Quaker’s Hill five years and it will be in the middle of Sydney (the way houses are springing up out there gives that impression, anyway).
Don’t worry too much about being late - I don’t think anyone noticed. It was nice to see you guys! And, you can watch the processional from inside the church on the wedding video (once I finish cutting it together).