Wedding at Minnie Water
A beautiful couple hosted a very small and intimate gathering for their wedding in the reserve overlooking Minnie Water. I arrived at the holiday home half an hour before the ceremony was to start. Once we were all ready we walked down to the reserve to stand under the shade of a large native tree. It was a perfect setting for the hot and sunny day that emerged from the clouds.
Half an hour before I was about to leave home, I asked my 87 year old dad who I care for, would he enjoy coming for a drive? He gets a bit housebound and I thought he would appreciate company and the scenery of the one hour drive to Minnie Water. But, and it was a big but, it meant he would have to sit somewhere for up to two hours on his own. Was I being reckless? He didn’t think it was a problem! Dad has early stage dementia. With notes to remind him of what is going on, he functions well. So, with one large note in hand explaining were I was, how long I would be and my phone number in bold letters, I found him a place under the shade of the casuarina trees overlooking the bay below. He had hot coffee in a thermos, cake and … the note. He was as happy as a person could be in the peace and quiet, in a place of beauty with the ocean far below.
I was gone for not as long as I had thought (everyone was on time!) and returned to find him relaxed and full of stories of the people who walked by and stopped to chat.
My couple were married after saying the most beautiful personally crafted vows and having a simple yet gorgeous celebration.
I wrote as part of the introduction…. they were reflecting back upon their (many) years of being together and it’s clear to them and, I have no doubt, to all of us here, that they are a highly active and motivated couple with a goal to achieve what most normal people would think is unachievable. In fact, a recurring theme throughout their lives is “What would normal people think of what we do”. They are clearly not normal people. And this is what they love about each other, and this is why they have kept their marriage without much fuss.
While they are very happy to spend months planning details for going on a trip or entering some sort of competition, they wanted their wedding to be simple and as easy as possible. This day is for them to celebrate their being together. It’s true, they do have many friends that they would like to celebrate with, and they wanted to seal this celebration with a very simple KISS… keep it simple sweetheart; with a few close family and friends who understand their kind of craziness. And, besides, spending thousands of dollars on a wedding means less money for buying new (gear).
There was so much to love about this couple—the quality of being true to their needs for simplicity, ease and fun was just one reason. I wish for them much love and adventure!
