Merry Christmas Eve! A Wedding & Singing Carols

Wednesday 24 December

A pretty special Christmas Eve this year - featuring a wedding, a beach walk, catching up with Petra, carol singing by candlelight, a chance encounter and a lost handbag!

I spent the morning prepping for Christmas Day while Louis went swimming and Amy hung out with the hoodlum hounds.

After an early lunch we set off for Lacebark, a beautiful wedding venue where my young couple were getting married in a registry style elopement. Originally it was going to be just them and I would provide the witnesses, but on the day her mum and their 2 boys came along too. Louis was witness, along with mum and the whole thing was over in just around 10 minutes… no fuss, just simple vows and a moment for them to cherish.

Louis took a few PR shots for me to update my website & socials - this is my favourite celebrant dress - a Monsoon frock from an op shop - cost about $8 and has done at least three weddings already!

Lacebark was a gorgeous place with about 3-4 outdoor areas for ceremony and/or reception plus a large indoor space with a garden outside. It was so well manicured and the couple who owned it were lovely - plus they had a POP out the back of the property which we may just have to park at one day!

It was super hot all day, so Louis and I took the hoodlums to the beach for a paddle when we got back - they loved it but would rather have been running free. Sadly, their recall is pretty poor and the end of the beach we were on is where the horses go so we did not risk an incident.

Back home, we donned our Christmas finery and drove into town to meet Petra and go to the Carols by Candlelight event at Victoria Square. A cheeky ramen and a Ben & Jerrys near Riverside Market where Petra found us and joined us - loving her purple hair which matched the new B&J Ultraviolet ice cream promotion!

That food set us up for an hour or so of singing at Carols by Candlelight - such a lovely Christmassy event with so many people and such a fabulous array of outfits! I was walking around taking pics and got spotted by Jez’s sister Esther (as always, 2degrees of separation here in NZ!) Amy pointed out a woman in a top that looked just like my dress, then instantly regretted it when I went over to get a selfie with her - she and her friends were much more excited than Amy was!

We found ourselves a seat on the wall around the memorial just behind the trees at the back, but by 9pm there was standing room only, plus a bunch of people settled on the far bank of the river as well as everyone in Victoria Square. When the evening got darker and the candles were all lit, it was just magical!

Amy has crowd phobia, so we made a rapid exit at the end to avoid the throng - however I managed to leave my handbag… realised halfway back to the car, retraced my steps and found a lovely lady sitting guarding it. I’d say it was a Christmas miracle, but to be honest, it’s the kiwi way ❤️