My lil brothers' wedding

My little brother got married in Melbourne over the last weekend.

We flew up to Melbourne on the 26th of March, arriving the next day. The flight was surprisingly good! It took just over 6 hours to get there and the kids slept through most of it.

We were quite a large entourage: 6 adults and 4 kids. My dad rented a car at the airport and we were met by my brother and his fiancee. It took over an hour to sort everything out.

The first day we spent settling in. We had a yum cha lunch at Sharkfin House for the extended family. After lunch we split up into smaller groups. On our side we took the kids to the Melbourne Museum to see the dinosaur exhibits that Madison had been wanting to see. It was marvelous! They had life sized dinosaur bones aplently! There were also other exhibits that ranged from historic relics to animal life.

The next day I got to go shopping! Chris, Anthony and the grandma took the kids to Scienceworks museum. I think they had fun there too.. but I certainly enjoyed my day out. Visited the Queen Victoria Market, walked down to the CBD and visited a few old haunts. Forgotten what Melbourne weather was like though! I walked down in a sleeveless top and capris because the day started out warm and sunny, but by the time I got to the city it started to turn cloudy, cold and wet!

Chai organised dinner for the wedding party. He booked 9 Peking ducks for dinner! We got to meet the extended family: MH mum and sisters, Chai's fiancee's family ( who had just arrived from Malaysia), Chris' brother and mum. He had a few friends that flew in from Singapore for the wedding too; presumably they were the groomsmen.

The next day we travelled down to the Mornington Peninsula. Chai and HT booked a place called Summerfield's for the wedding. It is a beautiful country house set in picturesque grounds. By the time we got there they were busy setting up. The kids were also involved in the wedding rehearsal as flower girls.

The wedding was held on the 30th March, Easter Saturday. It started with a traditional tea ceremony right after lunch. Chai and HT served the elders tea, followed by them being served tea by the kids.

After the tea ceremony the wedding couple took professional pictures around the estate while the site for the Christian ceremony was set up. The kids had another rehearsal. As the time for the ceremony drew closer, the sky got darker... and it started to rain just minutes before the ceremony was supposed to occur!

But.. the wedding couple was truly blessed.. in 30 minutes the rain stopped temporarily, just long enough for the ceremony to be held. It was a beautiful ceremony. They had a live singer and guitarist to play during the ceremony.

Towards the end of the ceremony it started to rain again... everyone rushed back into the house and the canapes and drinks were ready to be served.

The ceremony was followed soon after by a 3 course dinner. The reception was so prettily decorated! There were flowers everywhere, and the focal point was a decorated bird cage in the middle of each dining table.

They had a 3 piece band at dinner that entertained continuously till close to midnight. Chai and HT presented a dance to the dinner crowd  just before dessert was served. After which they invited the rest of the guests to the dance floor. And to my surprise.. my dear Madison was such a party animal! She and Elizabeth took to the dance floor... and were shaking their booty with a guy waaayyy older than them. Whom I was told was already drunk!

The next day we were all invited to a post wedding brunch at the wedding house. It was really beautiful too. They had a long table set up for over 20 people, and we were served a 3 course brunch with champagne. By the time we were done it was midday.

We took the kids to Gunnamata to ride ponies, before driving back to Melbourne for dinner.

The last 2 days were spent pottering around Melbourne; we paid a visit to Barbeques Galore where my parents bought a massive outdoor gas BBQ pit for just under AUD $1700, and an outdoor dining set for another $1300. These were to be shipped back with my brother's stuff.

The flight back to Singapore was completely different. It was packed with kids... mostly screaming and fussing all the way back. The flight was also delayed taking off. We were supposed to have arrived at 2045h but landed close to 2130h. By the time we cleared immigration, caught a taxi and arrived home it was almost midnight.

I can't believe how time flies though.. the wedding is officially over and my brother will be back for good this weekend with his wife! I think my mum is really happy and excited for this...