Aussie wedding

Yesterday afternoon (yes, it was Thursday), we attended a cross-cultural wedding ceremony. The son of my husband's Australian boss married a Californian girl at the beautiful little historic Hope Memorial Chapel here in Parker, Colorado. It was a gorgeous 60-degree day, and we had a great time witnessing the laid-back ceremony as the Aussies "endured" some of our American traditions as well.

John and I consider photography a hobby and we love weddings for the opportunity to take numerous photos as we experiment with camera settings, lighting, and artistic subjects (or so we think).

We took 239.

Here are just a few of them...

The bride and groom kiss in the doorway of the chapel after several kids (and excited adults) took their turn ringing the bell with a traditional pull-rope. The Parker folks honked their horns in approval as we gathered on the sidewalk on Main Street.


The red, gold, and brown colors in the flower arrangements were a beautiful complement to the antique pews inside the chapel.


Mother of the Groom and the flowergirl (her granddaughter and Niece of the Groom) await their turn in the family photos in the yummy late afternoon sunlight.


The reception was at the rustic Hudson Gardens cabin in Littleton.


And besides the pretty photos, we used the opportunity to capture just a bit of the cultural flair and fun:

Okay, so this isn't quite award-winning photo quality, but I just had to document the main course: Roasted Herb-rubbed Kangaroo Strip Steak.

That's right, kangaroo. Think hop-hop hippity.

It was very tender and tasty! This followed an amazing Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Apple and Creme Fraiche (yeah, I'm not sure what that is, but I'm just telling you what the menu said), then a Caesar Salad in a Pecorino Cheese Cup. The roo (as the Aussies refer to it) was accompanied by Sauted Zucchini and Red Peppers, and Garlic Roasted Fingerling Potatoes. And ketchup.

Yum!

All of it was so good.


A pair of glass kangaroos adorned the top of the cake, which was an amazing white almond cake with butter cream. I'm salivating just remembering it...


Again, no awards for this one, but after we were served cake, we helped ourselves to some sweets at the Australian Candy Bar. Think 'salad bar' but with much more high fructose corn syrup. All of these beauties were imported (or perhaps transported by family and friends in attendance) from Oz, and we sampled at least one of each.

All in all, a beautiful, delicious, fun evening, and reportedly much less expensive than a weekend wedding -- that's our kind of party!