Weekend wedding celebrations in Mandurah

We just celebrated a special weekend.

Our close friends Youngy and Ally tied the knot after five years together. They had decided several months ago that they wanted a small, simple, no-fuss kind of do in Mandurah by the marina. So small and low-key, that aside from their two daughters, Micky and I were honoured to be their only guests. And we didn’t serve just as guests; we were their witnesses, music composers, and I was also hairstylist to the bridesmaids and had the slightly bigger responsibility of wedding photographer. There’s a first time for everything I suppose and what fun we had....

We were all ready at 2pm. We’d spent the late morning slowly getting ready to an 80's mix playlist. Then we walked the five minute trail along the boardwalk to the hut on the jetty overlooking the ocean which was the location for the ceremony (just in front of our hotel). I stumbled upon the location back in May when the four of us were there for the weekend. Micky and I did a tour of the Mandurah foreshore on some rented bikes and and approached this gorgeous lonely-looking, rustic hut on the end of a jetty which was partly secluded with beautiful ocean views, and I thought it would be perfect alternative for them.

It was the perfect day for them with perfect weather.

At 33 degrees, the sun was glaring but there was also a slight breeze coming from the water.

Ally wore a long strapless, silk gown with a cobalt blue sash and blue suede wedges to match and add a comfortable edge. The bridesmaids wore cute ivory dresses with matching blue sashes and ribbons and they all carried yellow tulip bouquets. The groom and best man wore dark suits with matching cobalt blue ties.

The service which was carried out by a celebrant-friend was lovely and sincere. 
There were a few tears floating amongst us. In fact, I don’t think there was a dry tear in the hut.

After the ceremony and signing, we celebrated their brand new nuptials with champagne!



Even little Lacey, (their 20 month old daughter), enjoyed a little skull!

I snapped another 100 or so photos.....

Keeping in line with the colour theme, I wore a cobalt blue dress to match the party which I'd coincidentally bought before the wedding was planned. Funny also as I'd bought the dress from an Australian womens' clothes shop appropriately called ‘Ally’.

Then we walked back to our hotel with passersby admiring the bride and groom and bridesmaids. In true laid-back Aussie style, the bride and groom and Micky got out of their wedding attire and changed into casual clothes and then the cakes were cut and we scoffed our faces on white iced chocolate wedding cake.

Later we went out for a wedding dinner to celebrate more.

Weekend in Mandurah

We spent last weekend in a new city called Mandurah with our friends Youngey and Ali and their one year old daughter Lacey. Our friends enjoy getting away every so often and taking weekend trips down here so I was eager to check it out. We shared a huge spacious two bedroomed apartment at The Sebel situated on the Mandurah Estuary with spectacular waterfront views over the marina.  I was stunned at the views from our own very wide balcony. Although the weather has cooled down lately, it was perfect for this weekend at 25 degrees.

On Saturday morning we took a semi-circular stroll along the boardwalk around the marina passing all species of birds including pelicans and shags. Unfortunately, we didn’t spot dolphins although it is a frequent dolphin spotting (and whale watching) area. We took Lacey to the park and stopped for coffee and just enjoyed strolling around in the sun.  We conveniently ended up at some market shops and I found a couple of small things to for our new home (another French style clock and some flowers!) Our friends are getting married here in October so Ali was excited to show me the exact spot where they had chosen to tie the knot in a very low-key ceremony which we are very happy to be part of.

The highlight of the day was hiring some bicycles from just outside of our hotel and going on a sunny cycling tour around the estuary with Micky. The area certainly has a relaxed holiday atmosphere to it as we took in the coastal features.  It was only when Micky and I were cycling around and stopped to check out a pretty rustic-looking hut standing at the end of a small jetty in a secluded area near some big trees and grassland that it dawned on me that this could also be a contending spot for our friends to tie the knot later this year… I was so excited to find it and tell Ali and the next day I showed her the spot and she fell in love with it – this was now the spot for their wedding!! 

We also cycled beyond the marina and around parts of the town. The city has experienced a large population boom over the last 10-15 years and is one of the fastest growing regional cities in Western Australia. We cycled past lots of newly built unusually modern houses (Perth is also full of them) - everything from the roads to the houses and Venetian-like bridges looked newly built. Mandurah is also fast becoming very popular with tourist and it clear to see why. We had Cicerellos for dinner that night, "WA's best fish and chips" apparently, it was pretty good but in my opinion not as tasty as good old-fashioned English fish and chips back home. My obligatory gherkin and pickled onion were missing for starters!! Youngey brought along a new board game called Balderdash so the four of us spent spent the evening playing this extremely hilarious board game in our apartment and laughing for hours. A great weekend, it was so needed. We'll be coming back for the wedding weekend and I think I'll also bring my mum here when she visits in December...

The Hut!