If you want an idea of what went on, here is something that The Jay posted on i-do.com.au, which is some sort of wedding website, whose messageboards are massively busy and full of chattering women talking about engagements, weddings, flowers, births and whatnot.

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Hello everyone.

Well, Des and Jay (AKA Janelle) are finally married!

On the Tuesday before the wedding we caught up with all our suppliers and gave them everything they needed. It was a busy day, but it was so rewarding to know that everything was organized and that it was all out of our hands.

On Wednesday a buddy of mine rang and said that he’d finished our wedding present, a wishing well, and would drop it over Thursday. It looked amazing!

The day before was so lovely. My parents had gone for a drive to pick up a pig for the after wedding celebrations. Des and myself spent the morning together, with our Bestman, just sitting around at my parents house talking. My Maid of Honor arrived at about 10 wanting to do lots of things to help. Unfortunately for her, everything was already done apart from taking the wishing well to the reception centre. She gave us our Christmas presents. We opened them, both looked at each other and at the same time said “take them to the reception centre?”. They were cute little bears dressed in our football team colours and sang our team song. Perfect for our football themed wedding.

I relieved MOH of all her duties and she went to lunch with a uni friend of ours that she hadn’t seen for 6 months. We then jumped in the Bestman’s car and dropped the wishing well off at the reception centre. It was half way through being set up and looked great.

We had lunch together, then Des and his Bestman went off to their apartment. This let me have a couple of hours to myself! It was so peaceful and relaxing to have the house to myself.

We had a rehearsal that afternoon, which went really well considering it was stinking hot (a lovely 36 degrees). The dinner after the rehearsal was great too. The groomsman was suppose to arrive to this at 8 as he had to work in Sydney that day. We kept calling his phone to find out where he was. Eventually about 9 he gave us a call and said he’d be there soon. Someone on his flight had a heart attack and they were diverted to Melbourne airport before taking off and landing in Avalon. By the time he got to dinner he was all stressed out and appologising endlessly. Eventually he calmed down and it allowed all the bridal party and the parents to mingle in a relaxed atmosphere.

By the time I said goodbye to Des and got home to my parents house it was almost midnight. I sat with my MOH and played a couple of games of cards before heading to bed.

A lovely crow sat on the fence outside my window and started the day noisily at 6am. I could have killed him. So I was the first up. Slowly everyone else got up.

The forecast for the day… 29 degrees with developing showers. I spent most of the morning looking at the radar to find out WHEN these developing showers would start and whether to change our venue as our venue was outside in the Geelong Botanic Gardens. It looked like most of it would miss Geelong so we decided to stay with it.

My mum was doing our hair. She started with the MOH and then the MB. While she was doing their hair, I started to type up the rest of my speech. I had already written a poem for my husband, but I needed to write up a few thank yous. Then it was my turn for hair. It turned out beautiful. Pity my veil was going to cover it. All our hair was finished by 10.

10:30 the makeup artist arrived. She did the BM then the MOH. I went last again. I requested the makeup to be a bit darker than my trial and this time it was better.

My Bridesmaid did my nails. They were painted an ivory colour to match my dress. But because I can’t sit still for longer than 5 minutes, I wrecked half of them and had to get her to do them again after lunch.

The girls dressed me first. They gently lowered the dress over my hair and zipped me up. I put my shoes on (with some help!) and my garter. I then helped my BM and MOH get dressed in their lovely blue 2 piece outfits. My mum was putting the veil and tiara in my hair as my photographer and videographer arrived.

The photographer was taking some shots of me and my flowers. I had numerous photos taken my parents and bridesmaids, and brothers and sister-in-laws.

Before I knew it, it was 3 o’clock. I started rounding everything up and hoped in the car. The wedding wasn’t for an hour, but it would take about 40 minutes with the vintage cars to get there and the council had said allow 15 minutes to cross the bike race track. We had a green and yellow 1928 Chev and a blue 1952 dodge. Both are owned by the family. They looked amazing. Just as we hoped in the cars it started to rain! My mum was majorly stressing out. I was in the back with dad and we’re both like “There’s nothing we can do about it, we might get a little bit wet. No big loss.”

We had the smoothest ride in. There was hardly any traffic, got the green lights and didn’t have to wait to cross the track. I was soooo early. We waited a couple of minutes and the rain stopped. There was only a few drops here and there. The celebrant came out to the carpark at 3:45 and said as soon as you are ready, let’s go because it’s going to rain again.

We slowly walked around the buildings and up the path. I couldn’t believe we were there. It was finally all happening. My BM took off to meet the GM at the start of the grass and the quartet started playing Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. My MOH followed. She was almost at the end when I said to both my parents “Let’s go!” We were all smiling trying to walk in time. Laughing about the old days when my dad was marching with the fire brigade and could never keep in time. We got to the end of the path, turned onto the grass and we stopped for a few seconds to absorb everything. Everyone was smiling and cameras were flashing. It was amazing to see everyone make an isle for us to walk down.

My parents walked me ¾ the way down the isle and stopped. This was when the nerves set in. Des walked out, shook my dad’s hand, gave my mum a hug then walked me to the top of the isle. On the way up I managed to pick up a huge spiky leaf. Scratched my leg and it got caught around my ankle. We turned and held hands. The nerves stopped as soon as the celebrant started speaking and I remember thinking “Well here goes!”

The ceremony went really well. Just before the vows, the celebrant and Des helped remove the spiky leaf to make it more comfortable. My nan was called up to hold my flowers while we said our vows. Our vows made everyone laugh. It was also a lovely touch to have our mothers present our rings for us. Then we were pronounced married!!! We kissed and apparently not enough people had their cameras ready so we had to do it again and then signed the register. The celebrant had a lectern for us to sign on. This was great. It meant we didn’t have to worry about sitting down and get the train in the way.

As the final blessing “The Owl and the Pussy Cat” was read or should I say performed, it started to drizzle. We walked back down past the guests, who were blowing bubbles, to the quartet playing The Entrance of the Queen of Sheba. The rain got heavier and I think there is a photo or two of me with both hands up in the air enjoying it. We sheltered in the little hut for 5-10 minutes. The guests lined up to greet us before disappearing so they didn’t get too wet.

We quickly grabbed photos with the families at the gardens. It continued to drizzle on and off while we had our photos there. We then drove to the Town Hall. My brother drove the bridal car and was panicking that it was going to break down all the way. He parked it outside Town Hall and put the hand brake on. The photographer asked him to move it up slightly. He forgot the hand brake was on and tried to take off. He couldn’t! He thought he had totally stuffed the car. Eventually he worked out what he had done and had a bit of a laugh about it. We had photos with the cars and the old building. By this stage the rain had stopped and it was nice and cool. At one stage I was standing on the steps of the TAFE college and the wind caught hold of my veil. It looked amazing. The videographer and the photographer were trying to capture it. I hope it worked.

Finally the photographer asked my brother to drive to the reception center. He wanted photos with the stone drive way. My brother was hesitant at first as he really wanted to get the dodge home but eventually agreed. As soon as the photographer had taken 4 or 5 shots we let my brother drive the car home.

By this time it was 6:15. We had our photo shoot with the cake. There is one photo of me holding the knife up to Des’ neck. I did it as a joke and then put it down. But the photographer asked me to do it again so he could get a photo.

A few guests arrived early we spoke to a few of them before we retreated to the bridal room. It was nice to sit in there for 30 minutes and just talk with each other.

Then it was time for our entrance. We walked in throwing our arms in the air to New York City by They Might Be Giants.

People were chatting happily and everyone seemed to be getting along really well. The meals came out really fast and were delicious.

A friend of ours went around and took pics of each table for us. We managed to get around to about 4 tables by the time it was speech time. Every ones speeches were very amusing and a lot of laughs were had by all. The MC, a mate of ours, listened really well and linked each person’s speech nicely.

Before I could sit down after my speech, it was time to cut the amazing cake. The cake was a big hit. It was chocolate mud cake with white chocolate slabs and curls. The best part was the cake toppers which we got made by Carolyn to look exactly like us. Everyone loved them and kept taking photos of them.

Then our first dance. We danced to When you say nothing at all. It was beautiful. The dance lessons really paid off as we worked the floor. Everyone was looking and enjoying it. We ended it with a dip and kiss. Out came the bridal party and parents. Then the next song everyone was invited on to the dance floor as desert was served. From that moment on until the end, the dance floor was packed. There was no lull in dancing at all which I think is rare.

Finally we made our way around to all the tables that we missed before the speeches. Not long after that we were asked if we were ready to leave! I couldn’t believe how fast the day had gone. I told the manager at the reception place that I wanted another couple of hours! He just laughed.

The farewell circle was formed. Rather than throw a bouquet and garter, we threw footballs. This also got a good laugh.

Finally we made our getaway in a taxi off to the hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, they checked us in. I thought Des has told them our name and I didn’t hear. So when they gave us a room key I didn’t think anything of it. We head up to the room, open the door throw our bags on the floor. I noticed a box of chocolates on the desk and a card. I went over to see who the nice person was…. That’s when I noticed the card was written to someone else! We carefully put everything back and went back to reception. They gave us the correct room key and a bottle of wine to share.

We sat talking for hours afterwards about how well the day went before finally going to sleep.

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My recollection of the day is not massively different, although I didn’t have much help getting into MY dress.

Day 1 - Mon 8th Jan

Having flown into Launceston the night before, we were suitably rested and raring to get going. Our hired Lancer was going to do a fair few kilometres in the next week. To start with, an easy drive up the Bass Highway, stopping at a couple of choice places along the way to stock up on cheese and chocolate supplies.

Our first major stop was in Devonport - this is where we would have arrived if we had come on the Spirit of Tasmania, from Melbourne or Sydney. Lunch was followed by a quick stroll around, then back into the car to check out the lighthouse at Mersey Bluff, just a couple of minutes away.

There are few prettier drives than the one on the coast between Ulverstone and Penguin, so we took our time. Penguin is a lovely little town on Tasmania’s North Coast, where we were heading to visit a friend’s mum (Hi Joyce!). As you might imagine, there are penguins everywhere - in shop windows, on the sides of all the bins, and there is even a massive penguin statue on the foreshore.

Next stop, and our home base for the next two nights, was Sheffield. Billing itself as the town of murals, there are plenty of them scattered about the town, on walls, the sides of buildings and so on. Some good, some brilliant, and some just a little bit lame….. Nevertheless, we settled into the Sheffield Country Motor Inn with an esky full of deliciously nutritious supplies (featuring highly on the menu for the week would be two-minute noodles, tinned soup and tinned spaghetti).

It soon became obvious that I would get precious little in the way of decent sunrise and sunset shots due to Tasmania’s mega-long days in summer - it is bright between 5 and 9, which is a spinout for me.

Day 2 - Tues 9th Jan

Action packed day!!! We had booked two nights at Sheffield so that we had a good launching platform to tackle Cradle Mountain. The Cradle Mountain National Park is perhaps 50 minutes drive from Sheffield, so we set out early - the drive as picturesque as ever, with Sheffield sitting on the doorstep of Mt Roland.

Arriving at the National Park car park, we paid our $20 park entry fee and hopped onto the handy shuttle bus that delivered us right on the shore of Dove Lake, one of the many pretty bodies of water scattered around the day-walk area of the park. As we set out on the journey, it was still quite overcast and cloudy - you could not see Cradle Mountain from Dove Lake as it was shrouded in mist and fog.

A stiff 2 hour walk brings you to Marion’s Lookout, from which you get a magnificent panoramic view of the surrounding lakes and plains - also the base of Cradle Mountain, where the fog was starting to lift. More sensible souls might have turned back, but not us.

It took us perhaps another hour to walk to the kitchen hut at the base of Cradle Mountain (a short note that the name is somewhat misleading. There is no water, precious little shade, no toilet, and a distinct lack of buffet dining at the kitchen hut. It is what they outrageously claim is an “emergency shelter”). By now, the fog had completely lifted, and the towering peaks of Cradle Mountain appeared to get higher and steeper with every step.

Some lessons I learnt that day:

- The top of Cradle Mountain is some 1500m above sea level, and is roughly a 600m climb from the kitchen hut.

- The “60 great short walks of Tasmania” brochure claims that the climb to the summit involves “some climbing over rocks”, which is a complete load of crap. A more apt note would have been something like “involves approximate 1.5 hours of scrambling, sliding and squeezing your way over massive dolorite boulders, many of which are taller than you are, and may take considerably longer if you are unfit and need frequent rest-breaks like Des & Jay”.

- The climb itself is not especially dangerous or difficult. You don’t need any special equipment apart from sturdy walking boots, but a willingness to crawl and slide and a decent level of fitness is rather useful

- Forgetting to take any sunscreen with you is a really dumb idea because you will blister and peel for the next week.

- Taking a hat with you is a good idea, but a baseball cap won’t save your ears and the side of your face

- Taking just 600ml of water per person is a really dumb idea for a full-day hike / climb.

- Overcast conditions and a light shirt doesn’t mean you won’t get burnt.

- You don’t NEED all that camera gear. In hindsight, the tripod should have stayed in the car, and probably one camera body would have been sufficient

- Climbing up is more tiring, but climbing back down is scarier

The walking track in most parts of the National Park day walk area is pretty well formed for the most part, but can tend to stones and soggy boardwalks in some areas. However, about halfway up Cradle Mountain, the steep steps gradually give way to small rocks, then bigger rocks, then eventually big dolorite boulders which you have to climb over.

At 3:40pm, some 6 hours after we left the Dove Lake carpark, we arrived at the summit, exhausted and thoroughly sick of bloody boulders. The view from up there is nothing short of amazing, with 360 degree views of the surrounding land. It was also somewhat depressing that we could see our starting point, some kilometres away - this was after all just the halfway point of the journey.

A long arduous climb down, followed by a long arduous backtrack across the paths and slopes, the sun sinking lower and lower. Tassie summer days are long, but we were in a race against time to catch the last shuttle bus back to our car. It took us 6 hours to get to the top of the mountain, but only just over 4 hours to hike back. Luckily gravity tends to help you out, and the climb down wasn’t as bad as the climb up. Walking back over the hills was a bugger, but we made it with about 15 minutes to spare, thankfully. The literature says that the return trip is 6-8 hours. Obviously they didn’t allow for the likes of us…..

Another 50 minute drive back to Sheffield, and a restless night, punctuated by constant rehydration and moisturiser applications to badly burnt bits……

Day 3 - Wed 10th Jan

Everything hurt, but we still managed to find things to do today that involved walking and climbing. First stop after leaving Sheffield was a visit to the Mole Creek Caves. Now, I have been a big fan of caves after discovering Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains, so this was a must-see. On offer were 3 tours in 2 separate caves - as luck would have it, we booked ourselves onto the tour that involved the most steps, the Grand Cathedral tour at Marakoopa Cave.

Many of the cave decorations were similar to the ones I was used to at Jenolan, with minor subtle differences. For instance, the temperature of these caves was lower, a constant 9 degrees all-year-round, compared to the 16 degrees of Jenolan Caves. Perhaps as not well decorative or extensive as the Jenolan system, but these caves DID feature glowworms, which was a first for me.

Continuing East, we stopped at Deloraine for lunch. After a whopping great big Mexican lunch, we trundled along gravel roads to get to Liffey Falls. A blessed mere 45 minutes return walk from the carpark, I was able to get a couple of decent photos at the falls.

That was pretty much the programme for the day, so we proceeded back to Launceston’s Aberdeen Court Motor Inn, where we stayed the first night.

Day 4 - Thurs 11th Jan

Today we visited our second Tassie National Park - Freycinet National Park, home to the famous Wineglass Bay, a very pretty stretch of sand. The Freycinet Peninsula is over on the East Coast, a lazy 2.5 hour drive from Launceston. Yes, yet more climbing - who the hell drew up this itinerary anyway? It is a good 30-40 minutes of steep walking up to the Wineglass Bay lookout between Mt Amos and Mt Mayson, but the view is, as always, spectacular. Not in any danger of dying of thirst and being left in the open to be eaten by vultures, we soaked it in for a while before heading back down to the car, and driving to the nearby Cape Tourville walk, which is a comparatively easy 20-minute stroll around the lighthouse. Unfortunately it was hazy as hell today, so our views weren’t quite as incredible as they could have been.

We could have easily spent a day or two in Freycinet, but we were on a tight schedule, so it was back in the car and up the coast again, stopping only to pick up a dozen fresh oysters at the Freycinet Marine Farm - literally just an hour out of the water! We trundled into Bicheno, which is a quaint little seaside tourist town. We grabbed some fish and chips for lunch, and cruised around the town’s highlights, including the Bicheno Blowhole.

We’d stayed in some pretty basic accomodation up until now, but we checked into the delightful Fleurs by the Sea B&B. Not only did we have a comfy queen bed with a well appointed ensuite, we copped a great big spa bath in a separate room too! Very nice indeed.

That night we were booked on a Penguin tour. They bundle up to 20 people onto a small bus and drive you to a small privately owned rookery where the fairy penguins come ashore each night. Very cool, and very surprising that the penguins don’t get freaked out by people - they will literally run between your feet if you stay still enough.

Day 5 - Fri 12th Jan

Up early the next morning, we made a brave attempt at the included 5-course breakfast before hopping back into the car for another longish drive. Another 2.5 hours south to Port Arthur. Along the way, we had a look at the Tasselated Pavement at Eaglehawk Neck.

Port Arthur is Tasmania’s largest tourist attraction, and also the site of a tragic massacre in 1996. It was used as a penal colony for convicts from the 1830s until the 1880s. We spent a good part of the day exploring the ruins, and going on one or two of the tours available. We went to the Isle of the Dead, a tiny little island in the harbour where over 1100 people are buried. Seriously, it looks barely large enough for 200 graves, let alone 1100.

Very interesting spot, and certainly worth checking out.

We were in the home straight now as we headed to Hobart, which is about a 90 minute drive from Port Arthur. We were checked into the Wrest Point Motor Inn for our last two nights in Tassie.



Day 6 - Sat 13th Jan

Nothing much to do today except for exploring Hobart and its surrounds.

First thing on the list (after grabbing a quick breakfast with friends living in Hobart) was a trip up to the top of Mt Wellington. Finally! Something at the top of a mountain that we didn’t have to climb by foot! Now this was mountaineering that I could get used to. Again, spectacular view - you could see as far as Port Arthur, some 60km away.

Upon our return, we wandered through Hobart’s famous Salamanca markets for a while, followed by a fishy lunch in Constitution Dock, best known as the finishing line for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

That’s about it really, apart from the horrific 4:45am wake up call the next day so we could get to the airport for our 7am flight back home to Sydney.

Great week, and I wish we had more time - still, there’s always next time!!

Full Photo Gallery here - http://thesystemisdown.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=34

Well, 20 months of careful planning and preparations all came down to this, didn’t it? Notwithstanding the fact that weddings just make people fight, it was actually a relatively calm and ordered lead-up.

The day panned out rather like I imagined a big battle might - hours of tense waiting, followed by sharp bursts of action that happened before you could even blink, and, if you were rather lucky, an absolute minimum of bloodshed.

Suffice to say that it all went amazingly smoothly - but that’s what all the planning was for. A little sprinkling of rain to make it interesting, but it all cleared up for the actual ceremony. All our vendors did their jobs in a thoroughly professional fashion, and there were hardly any drunken or messy situations at all.

Some photos here - http://thesystemisdown.com/gallery/index.php?cat=7