Friends Getting Married

I just returned from a visit to Brisbane to watch two good friends of mine, Woody and Liz get married. The wedding was a delightfully personal and idiosyncratic affair, exactly what we were all hoping for – an entrance archway covered in pink leopard skin, the groom in a chinese silk suit with odd socks, the bride in a fabulous brown silk gown and wig whipped up by her old friend Euan, the ceremony culminating in the bride and groom being joined by a pair of jewelled cuffs joined by a slim chain.

Fabulous.

The wedding was inspired by a combination of love and bureaucracy – Woody’s going to Seattle to work for Amazon on the E3 visa that has been created in the wake of the Free Trade Agreement. By getting married, Liz gets a working visa too and so they get to carry on their relationship. Excellent!

Both groom and bride gave excellent, heartfelt speeches and a highpoint for me was their acknowledgement that while this course of action was open to them, it wasn’t open to the many gay and lesbian couples they knew – US immigration doesn’t accept same-sex marriages as valid, even if it were possible for Anthony and I to get married in Australia.

They also talked a little about the irony of their taking advantage of an agreement they’d worked hard to oppose, and a number of other political matters – again, all very much Woody and Liz.

It was a lovely wedding, followed by a great party. I wish my two dear friends all the happiness in the world and great luck in their new venture!

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