The Wedding in Melbourne

I have been waiting for this wedding forever!
My amazing friend M got engaged last year and I’ve been looking forward to this day ever since. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Melbourne. Actually, I don’t even remember what the weather was like but there was so much happiness surrounding all of us there that it couldn’t be described any other way!
It started with an intimate wedding ceremony at the Old Treasury Building, filled with joy and laughter, which continued on to the lovely reception party. There were many toasts, dancing, and just all around good cheer throughout the night.
I personally was a little nervous at the reception because I was asked by M to do the speech. And if you know me, you know about my stage fright. Which is why I wrote every word down so my mind couldn’t go blank (unless the impossible happened and I forgot how to read…). 
I am so inadequate when it comes to words. But I did try to articulate how warm and amazing both M and J are. Maybe you can tell me if it came through because I thought I’d share my speech here so you could get to know a little about the newlyweds. Here it is…

Hello everyone. I’d like to thank J and M for letting me share this special day with them.

My name is Kaori and I am M’s friend from college. I don’t exactly remember when we first met because we had so many classes together, but M is one of those girls that is genuinely kind and makes everyone feel welcome in her circle of friends. I am incredibly lucky to have a friend who has such a big heart like her in my life.

Most of you know the story of how M met J. He was passing through Japan during his vacation and happened to meet M at a mutual friend’s place. When we heard from M how she’d met this “someone”…I’m sure we all had some questions.

Questions such as: (a) who is this grown man that takes over a month of vacation from work, which is unheard of in Japan, (b) is he really as nice a guy as M says he is? and (c) how do we know he’s not a serial killer? (So sorry J)

Well, when I finally got a chance to meet J, it was hard to stay suspicious because I saw just how happy he made M. Also, it is nearly impossible to resist his natural charm, which we like to call “J magic.”

Although, there was a time early on in their relationship, I remember M half whispering to me, “I can’t hold hands with J.” I thought this was because maybe he doesn’t like to hold hands…but no. M explained that it was because he is so expressive with both of his hands that it was impossible to hold on! We both had a good laugh over this quirk.

One thing about M is that, although she may seem a little shy or quiet, she is truley one of the bravest people I know. She jumped at the chance to go to grad school, even though it meant moving to a new country. She continues to challenge herself, be it sharing her art work at a gallery or taking up driving (pedestrians of Melbourne, you have been warned!) and I simply admire her for being so strong. She is the best mix of sweet and fierce.

As you know, M is an amazing teacher to her kindergarten children, so I’d like to close this speech with a passage from the famous Dr. Seuss. 

“People are weird. When we find someone with weirdness that is compatible with ours, we team up and call it love.” 

I’m sure anyone who has seen M and J together knows that they are definitely a team, even if they don’t hold hands all the time. I love you both and wish you nothing but the best in your marriage…to M and J! xx

Here are some photos of the beautiful wedding day:
The ceremony room at the Old Treasury Building.
The lovely bride walking down the aisle with her father (who looks like the emperor of Japan!).
The ceremony was beautiful!
Officially married!!!
Whoop whoop!
M and J stepping outside and cheered on by the crowd 🙂
We all took turns taking photos in front of the building.
Me in my dress I found for the wedding this spring and R in the suit he got the day before ;D
M and J in the traditional Japanese wedding kimono. We wrote messages on it at the reception.
We had an amazing table at the reception and it was fun getting to know everyone.
Don’t you just love the groom’s enthusiasm? x
Loved the Malaysian style toast of Yam Seng, meaning “drink to success!”
My vegetarian dish was delicious! So good!
Gosh, these two…they really are the best.
Completely out of focus but for some reason one of my favorite photos…very dreamy!
After their waltz they did the cutest rendition to this Frozen song! ;D
So blessed to be able to share this special day! Much love. x

9 thoughts on “The Wedding in Melbourne”

  3. Nice speech. Makes me regret not giving one at my best friend's wedding. Had cold feet before the ceremony so I gave it to him earlier. During the wedding, I changed my mind but didn't have it on me at the time. 😦

    M's father looks to tall to be a Japanese Emperor. The whole family is tiny! Yet so cute at the same tIme.

    All those Ms and Js made me think of Michael Jackson. 🙂

    Lastly, that toast made me think of Chinese, and sure enough it originates in China and is still done that way.
    http://www.bubblews.com/news/1213848-yam-seng-drink-to-success-a-chinese-toast

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  6. Thank you, Dru! I was super duper nervous. Like knees-weak-hands-shakin nervous. But some how got throught it, whew! I wish you'd have done the wedding speech, too! Although I bet they appreciated the pre-speech just as much 😀

    Teehee! M's dad was a nice height so maybe you're right. I've never been close enough to the royal family to tell how tall (or short) they are but they are all very compact in size. In a good way, of course.

    The toast originating in China makes sense, J is originally from Malaysia and all his friends and relatives from there were the ones who did the Yam Seng toast! It was fabulous. Every toast should be like this! Have you done this toast, too?

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  7. I regret not doing the speech for years. If they have a second wedding, I'm sure to do one.

    Yes, the Imperial family is compact in a very good way. Seeing Obama with the Emperor was very interesting.

    I have never done the Yam Seng before. The Chinese weddings I went to was full of drinking only.

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  9. I meant to renew vows.

    The friend I mentioned just had his first kid, a little girl. So happy for him and I should offer to buy his first shotgun. 😉

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