Almost this time last week, I was on the banks of the Tweed River at Tumbulgum, marrying my running friend Susan to her gorgeous man Stephen. It was the most beautiful location, with Wollumbin (Mt Warning) towering into the bright sky behind us. Susan and Stephen, who are both mad keen stand-up paddle boarders (SUP) were initially due to marry on the beach at Lennox Head in March 2020 but of course, we all know what happened then… So, when Susan called and asked if I’d be available on January 6 this year, I was ready to go. Susan and Stephen have seven kids between them, some who live in outback Queensland, so the Christmas break was the perfect opportunity to have them all in one place at the one time, with their partners - and one cute grandson. It was extremely casual. So casual that all I had for location was a pin on a Google map! When I turned up with my roadie (my husband Steve) we were just about the first ones there. So, I found a picnic table with some shade, laid out a tablecloth, set out my documents and got out my NSW Govt QR code for COVID-19 tracing and off we went.
The ‘bossy’ celebrant (Photo: Peter Watson)
It was such a lovely, intimate ceremony on the riverbank, with just 11 family members and a handful of friends. There were some tears (of happiness!), a few laughs, and lots of hugging (they were a family bubble after all). Because they didn’t have a photographer, I took a few group photos of all the family before they headed off to Husk Farm Distillery at Tumbulgum for lunch. My roadie and I went to the lovely town of Murwillumbah for a look around and some lunch at a café there called Keith. I really enjoyed the day; it made me feel all warm’n’fuzzy inside because this is what I want to do - bring joy and happiness to people and I really think that happened on Wednesday. As they say in the newsroom: sweet!
The happy couple (Photo: Peter Watson)