When I was younger I had this wedding fantasy.  It was amazingly perfect, but aren’t they all? A predawn ceremony, on an island, on a lake, outside, in the middle of winter, on a Tuesday … in Northern Canada. Imagine walking to the ceremony on lake ice, with little candles lining the snow cleared path, with the glorious blue of predawn light contrasting the warm glow of candles. The perfect fire and ice combination. Reality – I am getting married on a Saturday, in autumn, in a church, in Australia. We have had to change the date and venue three different times, and as each of those failed dates pass, it hurts a little. We waited eagerly for immigration to come through in time for each of the dates, and it didn’t. But I am not knocking the process, if anything it has brought us closer; not just geographically, but as true marriage preparation for our lives together. We are told we can and should have the wedding of our dreams, but for me the planning of this wedding has been more about realities than dreams. The reality of a budget, the reality of time and space and context. The best part is … that’s OK. The process has stripped down our expectations into the ones that are really great. I realize that if I had my dream wedding of fire and ice, I would be in the wrong place, at the wrong time with the wrong man. I am just happy to be with him, that’s what it’s about after all. It’s finally working out, everything is coming together, not how we envisioned it, but in many ways better. Our friends and family are being drawn together with this not pushed apart. People are coming out of the woodwork to help us. We are feeling connected more to each other and our community. The saddest news this week is that my sister, my maid of honor, the only attendant I have, will not be able to make it across the ocean to be at the wedding. I don’t know what this means, except that I don’t have an attendant. But I am not worried or stressed, it will work out, something will. It always does, and if it doesn’t, the wedding will still go on, and at the end of the day, I will marry my best friend.

Ms Gingham says: Thanks to Rebekah for sharing these lovely words with us. We eagerly await the next installment of her wedding journey story.

Rebekah’s words: “I am from Durham, North Carolina and my husband is from the Melbourne area, we met online 2 years ago, and we decided that it would be the easiest for me to move here. Which is a fun and exciting adventure. Australia is now my home and I love living here.”