Thanks for visiting our blog, where we documented the run up to our gay wedding on August 17th 2012.
If you’d like to read from the beginning, the first posts start here.
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Chewing through the kms
The crossing from the north to south islands was stunning…
Like proper life-affirming slightly-teary stunning.
So far our visit to the South Island has been mainly spent in the van as we burn through the huge distances here. I don’t know why, but I always thought NZ was about the size of the UK, but as it turns out it is actually pretty massive. We allocated 3 days of driving to get down to the south, and even that will be pushing it. Still, the roads are good and the scenery is lovely (all my pics are on the camera, but hopefully Donny will post some).
Today the weather is fairly awful so we are just zooming down the west coast, and will soon be in the Southern Alps. Exciting!
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More about the North Island
The north island has been lovely, although the weather has been slightly chilly. In fact, chilly enough to prevent us from doing the Tongariro Alpine Trail hike, which would have been the highlight of the north island. Instead we had to fill the time with a hike through a still active volcanic valley. What a chore.
The scenery is amazing. We started off with tree fern forests (we call them dinosaur trees because they look like the belong in that era), but shortly outside of Rotorua we were surrounded by lakes and mountains. And then the scenery turned to desert landscapes. And this morning, we were greeted by ocean views. The only other place I have ever been that had such varied landscapes is in my native California.
So far on this trip, I have driven on the left in the first time in my life, and seen active volcanic terrain (steam literally comes out of the ground!). I have also managed to deal with a chemical toilet, and sleep inside a van. And most importantly, Chris and I are continuing to learn and understand each other a little better each day–what better outcome from a honeymoon?
Next, on your more rugged terrain of the south island.
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North Island Larks
Hi all. Currently on the inter-island ferry heading from the North to the South Island.
We’ve had two nights in the campervan now and so far so good. We’ve figured out how to refill the water and empty the chemical loo. But more importantly we’ve managed to cook a few decent meals
We’ve christened the van Aphasia (for no better reason that its a good comedy drag name) but haven’t got any photos of it to show you, or indeed any photos of our North Island sight-seeing on the phone, but here’s a shot of our view we woke up to on the first morning.
So our time on the North Island time was spent wandering through forests of tree ferns and poking around geothermal impressiveness. Now we are off to mountains, Middle Earth landscapes and a huge amount of driving to get down to the southern end of the South Island in time for a cruise on Doubtful Sound on Monday.
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Yum yum chilli and pepper crabs
So leg one of our journey is now over and I can officially say that I have not slept a wink so far in Singapore. We are 8 hours ahead of GMT so I imagine I will crash a bit later on the plane. Who knew time travel would be so difficult?
I thought I would add some pics of some of the food we had with Robbie at a seafront seafood place. I can’t describe how good chili crab is. The crab itself is succulent and sweet, but the chili sauce is what it is all about–literally finger licking good and the thing to do is dip these small fried buns called mantou. The pepper crab is another favorite–it leaves your mouth nicely tingly. Again, indescribably delicious and worth the trip to Singapore just to taste these dishes.
So leg one is complete, as the last pic shows. 12 hours flown so far. We are heading back to the airport in a few minutes for the remaining 9 hours before our destination: New Zealand!
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14 Hours in Singapore
After a pleasant (if somewhat bumpy) flight from London we arrived in Singapore and met out lovely friend Robbie for chili crabs…
And coconuts at the hawkers market.
That’s all our favourite things from Singapore in one evening! All we needed to do was see some ludicrous buildings and our stopover would be complete.
Up at 6 tomorrow for the next flight to Auckland. Ugh.
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We’re off on Honeymoon!
Rather excitingly, Donny and I are currently at Heathrow waiting for a flight to Singapore, and after 14 hours hanging out there we will head off for another really long flight to our final destination – New Zealand!
It’s such a long way, and such a long flight, but we are so looking forward to a couple of weeks of pootling around New Zealand in a campervan, doing a few hikes, seeing some serious nature and generally getting away from it all – about as far away from it all as it is possible to get!
The plan is to update the blog with a few photos and stories when we get a moment and a wifi signal. Here’s our first photo of us looking fresh faced and optimistic before a 13 hour flight… (ugh)
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Our Wedding Vows
As requested by my Dad during his speech, here are our wedding vows. On the big day itself, I went first:
Since I met you, I have climbed high mountains, clambered through narrow gorges and canoed into hidden lagoons. Your sense of adventure is an inspiration, and has given me the courage to try new experiences and embrace the unfamiliar.
Since I met you, I have quit my job, moved cities, set up my own business and produced my first play. I’ve achieved more in the last four years than the rest of my life put together – and that is thanks to your encouragement, and confidence in me.
Since I met you, I have been happier and more at peace than ever before in my life. Your love has given me the strength I needed to face up to difficult things from my past and present, and to know what feels like to look forward to my future.
You are the best person I have ever met, and you have asked me to marry you.
I love you because you always encourage me to be the best person that I can be, because you see potential in me that I all too often don’t recognise in myself. I promise to you today to live up to that, and to not settle for second best – either in my own life or in our life together.
I love you because you are the hardest working person I know. I admire your drive and your ambition and I see the places your career could go. I promise you today that I will be alongside you in that journey wherever it takes us.
I love you because you have the biggest smile and dirtiest chuckle I have ever encountered. I promise you today that I will never stop making you laugh.
Thank you for asking me to be your husband.
I promise you today that you won’t regret it.
—
And here are Donny’s
Chris,
it is a privilege to be getting married to you today.
From the first time I met you, I knew that you were going to be very special in my life.
To quote a card I wrote for you on our first anniversary together:
–“The day I found you in my life, was the last day of my feeling lost.”
And indeed, I was quite lost when we first got to know… each other.
I was still reeling from the end of one great relationship, and was anxious about entering yet another.
But, we started off as friends.
I still remember, when I invited you over to eat leftovers from a Thanksgiving dinner I made.
I didn’t want the evening to end, so I walked in the rain, to the bus stop with you, so that we could spend some more time chatting beneath the umbrella.
And then something happened.
Over time… you became my best friend.
And through the years, not only have you given me your friendship, but you have also given me the inspiration to continue becoming a better person.
And that is why you are not just my best friend…whom I happen to be marrying… but you are also my best man.
With everything you do, you have proven again and again, to be a wonderful partner in every sense of the word. Individually we are just two ordinary people, but together, we become an extraordinary team.
Together, we have made our house into a home, that is filled every day with laughter, love, warmth, and sincerity.
Chris,
I love you for the values that we share… and your generous and gentle heart.
I love that you understand me so completely—and have an intuitive understanding of me, even when I sometimes don’t even understand my own words or actions.
I love that you are clever enough to keep up with me, yet smart enough to let me win some arguments.
I promise to continue to surprise you in life, like I surprised you this morning.
You make me laugh and you are my best friend. And I hope to continue to make you laugh as well.
I will also be there to remind you that the journey is often more important than the destination.
And I will be there to refill the water jug when you forget, and to close cabinet doors after you.
I will always respect you… your wishes… and your opinions.
And most importantly, I will continue to encourage you to become stronger and more whole, both as an individual and as part of our dynamic duo.
Chris, I love you with all my heart, and I thank you for filling my heart with your love as well.
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Our Outfits
Choosing wedding outfits for a gay couple can be a minefield. Do you match? Do you complement? Do you co-ordinate? Should it be a surprise? In the end we decided to go for matching suits, but different ties. The suits we eventually settled on were we grey three-piece numbers from Charles Tyrwhitt.
The ties we chose were both gifts from Donny’s dad in San Francisco. Also, the silver pocket squares were also made by Donny’s dad so it was really good to have a little piece of his parents there, even though they could not be there in person.
Donny’s shoes were awesome, as I think you’ll agree:
Mine were somewhat less colourful, but super comfortable – which is a definite advantage of dressing well as a man – you can look fabulous and still have working feet at the end of a wedding.
As the day got hotter and later we lost the jackets to reveal my favourite part of the ensemble:
Our waistcoats had this fantastic electric blue fabric for the back, which just looked sensational (if I say so myself). It wasn’t a conscious choice to find outfits that matched the colour scheme of the wedding so well, but the fact that the suits we liked also had this amazing colour as part of the ensemble – well, it did rather seal the deal.
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A Surprise Beginning
Our big day started with something of a bang. Donny had told me he had ordered a minicab to take us to the town hall, so when I opened and the door and found this outside the flat…
… suffice to say I was taken somewhat aback. I don’t think I swore though. I’ll have to check the video again.
I don’t know whether it’s a good thing that I have a husband who is so good at keeping secrets. I guess it’s OK as long as they are right kind of secrets.
Anyway, once I picked myself up off the floor we got inside the carriage and made the 15 minute journey down to the town hall. During the ride my entire reserves of self-consciousness burned away so by the time we arrived at the town hall and were greeted by all our friends (yet another surprise!) I was ready to go and throw myself into the glorious tumult that is a wedding day.
I don’t look terrified there at all. As I think you’ll agree.