Back in the Mountains

It's our first weekend back in Vancouver & the hiking trips have kicked off.

Today we hiked Dog Mountain from the top of Mount Seymour. There was still a fair bit of snow around making it slippy - so for a short hike (5km), it was surprisingly challenging.

Good to get a view of Vancouver. Here are some pictures:

CS

Tales from our honeymoon

Our honeymoon was set in the surfing capital of Europe - Biarritz - which also happens to have spectacular food & wine & a relaxed atmosphere.

Our accommodation was gorgeous. A secluded & private cottage about 15 minutes outside the town centre:

A few honeymoon highlights for you:

- An eight course dinner at a Les Rosiers, a Michelin Star restaurant (thanks for the recommendation Tash)

- A four course dinner at Le Sin, while watching a thunderstorm out to sea (you see a theme? Eating was top of our list)

- Tasting several different wines & cheeses at our cottage. Four euros for a stunning bottle of red is too good to ignore

- Surfing at Cotes des Basques several times

- Attempting to surf at Erretegia. The waves were 6-8ft - I didn't last long, and was terrified for David's life (may be not a highlight for me; but David classes it as one of his highlights)

- Watching the very talented surfers tackle large waves in Capbreton

- Hiking in torrential rain (neither of us can sit still for long) - we didn't see a single other person during the three hour hike

- Sipping coffee in cafes & watching the world go by

- Watching thunderstorms from our patio

Here are some photos for your enjoyment:

CS

First day of married life

Our first day of married life was awesome. We hit the surf as soon as we woke (which admittedly was near 2pm).

Our wedding party joined us for a day at Woolacombe Beach, and many braved the sea:

The second half of the day was spent at a BBQ at our Woolhanger cottages - as an early celebration for me & my twin brother's 30th birthday:

We were spoilt with some early birthday presents as well, which is always a treat. Thanks Kim & Will!

A fun-filled day and an excellent start to married life.

CS (Soon to be CG...when our visa work is finalised)

Our wedding

Today was our wedding day; a life-changing and magical 24 hours. It was a spectacular occasion and worth every minute of planning over the last few months.

Our venue was The Woolhanger, a remote location on Exmoor, that was conveniently located near the surf. Here is a picture from the day; thankfully the sun shone for us:

I had a relaxing morning getting ready after being woken by Mum singing outside my window (thanks Mum!). It was a stunning morning and I got ready slowly alongside my three bridesmaids & Mum.

Meanwhile my fiance was delivered a surprise wedding gift from me: a surfboard he has wanted for years with the photo from our wedding printed on the bottom. This present has taken months of planning and it felt awesome to deliver it as a gift for David's pre-wedding surf. Check it out!

Yep - they surfed in suits! (Not their wedding suits I should add).

After a chilled morning, the moment came for me to travel to the venue. I was expecting to get a lift in my Uncle's car. Dad then told me that the vehicle had broken down...before suprising me with this! 

It was a very welcome surprise, and the horses (called Director & Dictator) were gorgeous. I was promptly whisked off to the wedding ceremony in the carriage. 

The ceremony was fantastic. Relaxed, happy and full of smiles. We had readings from Bob (David's Dad) and Steven (my twin), along with piano music from Kat (Steve's girlfriend).

Here are some pictures of the ceremony itself. David spotting me:

Me spotting David:

Us saying our vows:

Our confetti moment:

Post ceremony, we got a relaxing 15 minute horse and carriage ride around the grounds, and we took Matilda, our gorgeous flower girl, for the ride. Here is me and Dad posing by the carriage:

Professional photos then followed before a bit of downtime to catch up with our guests. While we didn't take many, here is a sneak peak of our wedding party photo:

This was us relaxing on the upper lawn, catching up with people:

And my lovely bridesmaids, having fun:

A three course wedding breakfast ensued, followed by the cake cutting and speeches. I have to say all three speeches were truly brilliant, and had me, along with our guests, in stitches. Here are more photos (pictures tell the story much better than I can in words). Our wedding cake:

The speeches: this is the moment when Dad presented David with a tie (you may have noticed he didn't wear one for the wedding):

Our guests reaction to the speeches:

After the meal came the party. And what a party! We had an awesome jazz band called Victoria Klewin and The True Tones. They aren't your usual wedding band: they play at jazz festivals and the lead singer is performing at this year's Glastonbury Festival. The band sung 'Dance Me To Heaven', one of their own songs, for our first dance:

Later in the evening, with booze flowing freely, the love of my life let his hair down and revealed his true dancing talents...and a frantic dance-off with his cousin Emma ensued (someone must have video footage of it?). The other wedding guests responded in kind by unleashing their own personal talents. Here are some of my favourite moments:

It's interesting to know that these two gentlemen didn't know each other before the wedding:

To end the night, the pair of us snuck off with a bottle of whisky in one hand and a surfboard in the other, to toast our perfect day:

Thank you to our wedding party & guests for making our day so magical. It will stay with us forever.

CS