Bianca and Bruce's Wedding
27th December 2003

 

Bianca is my cousin Peter's daughter, and she and Bruce have been heading towards this date for six-plus years.

Grace was to be the flower girl, a role she had been preparing for for a full year since we heard the happy news of the engagement last Christmas. Here she is in the final fitting of the dress a couple of weeks before the big day.
Picture 126 Picture 127

90 minutes before the ceremony. The bride is serene, and the flower girl is very excited.
Picture 001

Five minutes before the ceremony. Everyone is in place in the Shore Chapel. Bruce and the groomsmen try not to look nervous.
Picture 002  Picture 005 Picture 004

Grace is first down the aisle. "I had butterflies playing soccer in my stomach." You never would have known it.
Picture 008 Picture 009

 Ingrid and the other bridesmaids follow, then comes the big arrival. Bianca looks divine.
Picture 011 Picture 012

Reverend Pickering gave Bruce and Bianca some plainspoken lessons to live by. Don't they look relieved!
 Picture 013 Picture 016 Picture 017 Picture 019

Presenting ...
Picture 021

Outside the chapel the Harbour Bridge seemed just a stone's throw away, and added a graceful curve to every photograph.
 Picture 031 Picture 042  Picture 027 Picture 036 Picture 032 Picture 024 Picture 037 Picture 026 Picture 025

The father of the bride has a special relationship with the flower girl.
Picture 028 Picture 029

And so does Bianca.
Picture 041_edited

Everyone was looking their best.
Picture 033  Picture 035 Picture 003   Picture 038 Picture 039 Picture 040   Picture 043

The reception was at the Crystal Palace, the first building to be finished in the new Luna Park.

The flower girl takes a 15 second rest on a large round couch before jumping back into action.
 Picture 044 Picture 045 Picture 046  Picture 048

Picture 047 Picture 049 Picture 050

Our table was right in front of the Double B projected on the wall. The lighting matched the invitations, which matched the flowers, which matched the cocktails ...
 Picture 051 Picture 052  Picture 054 Picture 055 Picture 060 Picture 053
 

Jack--brother of the bride--was the MC, and didn't he look grand in his white jacket! Lead by Bianca, everyone spoke eloquently and from the heart.
Picture 056 Picture 057 Picture 058 Picture 059 Picture 063  Picture 064 Picture 065

The cake was a decadent chocolate wonder. It looked like a stack of boxes from Tiffany's.
Picture 061 Picture 062    Picture 066

"You're the one that I want" sung Bianca, the karaoke queen. Bruce gamely joined her and the wedding party "ooh ooh oohed"
Picture 067 Picture 068

And then, at about 11:00pm, the surprise that Peter and Helen had somehow managed to keep quiet for weeks. For those of us who had been glued to Australian Idol for the last few months it was jaw dropping to see the winner, Guy Sebastian, in person and singing four of his songs. He sang beautifully and was completely gracious and unaffected. Grace was one of the lucky few who got her picture taken with him (thank you Kirsten) plus an autographed CD.

 Picture 069 Picture 070 Picture 071 Picture 072 Picture 073 gs_gg_85_11 Picture 074 Picture 075

The bride and groom left in a spray of fireworks.
It was a night to be remembered for a very long time.
Picture 076

Thank you Peter and Helen for a magical evening, and to Bruce and Bianca for giving Grace the most memorable day of her young life.