For a while there it seemed as though there was not much to chat about. It was ages till the wedding and all the planning that could be done, had been. We were just cruising along. Of course, just when you start cruising ........
About 10 days ago, we got to work to discover the airline we had booked with, to get to Hawaii, had gone into receivership. Chaos ensued! Luckily Michael and Sarah had a Facebook page set up to keep everyone in touch and this proved invaluable. As I may have mentioned, the flight we were taking was a popular choice with many of the wedding guests and we were looking forward to starting the party on the way there. This meant that there were many of us in the same position .... stuffed!!!!
First thing we did was contact the bank to see if we were getting our money back. General news was that if you had booked using a credit card you were pretty assured that your money would be refunded eventually. That was at least from the 'Big 4' banks. We bank with a smaller bank who were pretty reluctant to commit themselves to anything. It has taken until today (any a couple of fairly harsh emails) to get a commitment from them that .... yes, we will be refunded. Hooray for that.
Now we just have to have that money in our account before we can book an alternative trip to Ohau!!
Everyone is now pretty scattered across airlines and flights so it looks like the party will have to start once we land instead. That is fine. The main thing is that everyone gets there eventually and without being too much out of pocket.
I was awful to see the toll it took on Michael and Sarah. They were just devastated and took a lot on because everyone was going to be there for them. No-one even considered it was their fault, or blamed them. They went out of their way to keep everyone informed and updated. I am delighted everything has worked out for them.
The other exciting development is that the official invitations have arrived. They are fantastic. These two young people are so creative. The invitations are made to look like airline tickets and everyone just loves them. See what you think.
It's been a while, but here I am again.
The celebrations are beginning and a couple of weeks ago I was honoured to attend the hen's party. And what a party it was!!
It was held at the home of Kelly and she and Hayley were the entertainment organisers. Jamie and Jodie took charge of the food and I cannot praise them all highly enough. It was supremely organised and you could not have asked for more (except perhaps a little more sunshine).
The theme was circus/carnival and the bride was provided with a fabulous 'ringmasters' costume to wear. I must add at this point that apart from the date, the entire planning was kept a secret from Sarah. The outdoor area and backyard were festooned with balloon arches, flag garlands and masses of paper flowery decorations. It looked fantastic. There were various booths set up for games and Hayley's Dad had excelled in the construction area.
After settling in with some drinks and nibbles (cleverly presented in glittery top hats as bowls) we started with a dunking game called the 'Archiwetter'. As Sarah's surname is Archuleta you can see where the name came from! Sarah had to answer questions and get the same answer that Michael had given .. if not .... it was a tequila shot and a dunking. Very funny.
Next was 'The Inseminator'. Pop a balloon with the dart and then answer the question. Lots of laughs were provided not only by the questions and answers, but also by the dart throwing abilities of many of the guests (including me!!).
There was also a game based on 'Bobbing for Apples' but the apples were replaced by .... well you can guess! There was a pool of swimming plastic ducks which each had a number corresponding to a dare. The results were hilarious and the 'jelly wrestling' by the bride and her bridesmaid a highlight!!! A super dinner followed - huge platters of delicious treats. Everyone enjoyed tucking in to those.
The grand finale, of course, was the stripper who was appropriately dressed (for a while) as a cop.
A very nice looking young man who was a great dancer. I was lucky to have a prime position and thoroughly enjoyed the performance (complete with a kiss and a flash for the old girl).
When I left, the girls were enjoying a dance and sing. Hope Kelly is still on speaking terms with her neighbours!! It was a great day. I met some lovely new friends and look forward to spending more time with them in Hawaii. I also discovered an unknown liking for tequila!!! Thank you so much Hayley, Kelly, Jodie and Jamie for all your hard work. I am so grateful to you all for making our precious Sarah feel special.
