Weekend Wedding, Hunter Valley Part II

Everyone loves a wedding, don’t they? I guess the answer would be yes, unless you are really sombre and sullen, then any reason to party would always be reason enough. And if you are like most, then a place where food, wine and music converge is definitely a place worth being at. No matter how many weddings I’ve been to any no matter how many times I whinge and whine about being invited to another wedding, I always come away from each one happy that I attended. If a free meal, some booze and a reason to get dolled up is enough, then I don’t know what is.

At least this time, the wedding was nowhere near Sydney, so it gave most of us a nice reprieve from the stock city weddings that we had all gotten so accustomed to. And besides, breathing in a little bit of fresh country air couldn't hurt. could it? I know I was lapping it all up because a weekend away always goes quicker than you expect.

So I can admittedly say that, a wedding is always fun, it's a time where memories are made; whether it turns out better than you imagined, or it's dotted with little mishaps or tainted with calamity- you will remember it for better or for worse. And what better place to meet up with friends and make new ones. This wedding certainly was nothing different.

It was G’s (step)sister J’s wedding and we couldn’t have been more than happier to be there. Being the cheeky ushers that we were, we just couldn’t help taking random photographs of the chapel and ourselves in between handing out programs, bubbles and petals. The petals and bubbles were for throwing at the bride and groom after the ceremony, I was in charge of the petals and G the bubbles- he quickly gained the moniker bubble boy by the end of the ceremony.

After the vows were exchanged and pictures were taken, drinks and canapes of prawn cocktails and Vietnamese spring rolls were being served at the garden in front of the Barrel Room where the reception was going to be held.

The Barrel Room looks and sounds rather warehouse-like and crude when unadorned in the daytime, but come dusk when all of the fairy lights and candelabras are lit, the place turns into an ethereal den that's fit for the romantic occasion. To top it off, there's even a fireplace to makes things a lot cosier.

The Hunter was the perfect setting for such an occasion, there's just something about wine country that leaves an indelible impression on anyone who visits. More so than the wines and the produce, there's something about the people and the place that in seeps into your being.

I can't wait to crack into that wine we bought someday and reminisce about the time we had in the Hunter Valley.