Kangaroo Valley 2013. It was the night before Julia and Mike were married. We were sitting around the fire, and guitars were passed from one beautiful song bird to another, you see- the bulk of the wedding party guests were professional musicians. Marshmallows, Red wine and entertaining stories were shared enigmatically… There was a soft awareness that something very special was happening. It was this weekend that I met Jon (Julia’s brother) and Lydia.
Little did I know whilst I was being whisked away by heavenly five part harmonies sitting around that fire, I’d just met two people that would profoundly impact me as a person years later.
Indeed, fast forward 4 years and 32 days, and Im sitting with an equally beautiful group of people. (Contextually it made sense that a campfire made way for a beach side infinity pool, we were in Thailand after all…) Physically spent and emotionally full, after a wedding for the ages the day before.
Jon and Lydia live in Hong Kong, and after an extensive WhatsApp back and forth, we’d arranged to meet up when they came out to visit Sydney. Photos were taken, coffee was consumed and plans were made… Id be joining them in Thailand…. And from there, I have nothing but blistering warmth toward these two amazing people, their history and their journey. Their intense generosity and their enveloping inclusivity and hospitality.
Its been a tricky journey transitioning from travelling the world as a ‘single’ man, to being asked to do so as a married man. Jane is incredible and would always encourage me to go, though theres been an increasing feeling of isolation when I’m travelling, as opposed to the liberation I so dearly embraced when I was in my early 20s.
This trip was Made very special by the fact that Jane was actually able to use her leave from work to come and join me on a two week holiday. We adventured through three cities, Koh Lanta, Chiang Mai and then Phuket. At the very end of our two week excursion, Jon and Lydia tied the knot on the sand, stained a soft pink by the setting sun. As for the day itself, these photos below will do a better job than I can, after all, if a picture tells a thousand words, then there are 5230* more words in this story than Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.
Im aware that in the past few weddings here, Ive used this space to verbally cascade how grateful I am and how profoundly I’ve been touched by two people getting married…. And I’m aware of the dangers I face in being labeled melodramatic and insincere. Acutely aware, I proceed… As prospective people seeing these words don’t want me to dress things with pretty words and exaggerated responses… You, person reading… Would prefer that I be real. And I really, truly have to say that Im changed after these weddings. The way I treat Jane, to the way I understand even more deeply how much my parents care for me. The depth of the promises being made between a husband and a wife, to the depth of friendship between a groom and his best man. I walk away from days like this and think for weeks on end about how I can show more love to those around me, as seeing it play out in weddings like Jon and Lydias show me so clearly how incredible love is.
*5230 is a total guess used to embellish how much more I think the photos can explain the day than I can.
Sit back and enjoy… and If you are craving more photo goodness, I’ve thrown in some trip photos if anyone is considering a trip to Thailand.
