tuned to roam
Lets go back a few months ago, when the weather was a lot cooler, the sky was a lot darker, and the days were a lot shorter. Actually, much like how its starting to feel now. Basically, those few months when life is a lot more conducive to cosying up with a feather down duvet, a movie (or three) and copious amounts of popcorn. I decided it was time for a holiday, so I spent a few days using my underdeveloped secret planning skills to plan Laney and I a surprise weekend away in Ohakune, New Zealand. A beautiful small town located in the lower North Island, dominated by the majestic Mt Ruapehu.
As I mentioned, my secret planning skills failed me. Laney managed to find out where we were going and what we were doing before we left. Not by any fault of her own. As it turns out someone had forgotten to turn off the notifications on our laptop, resulting in untimely booking emails popping up on the screen whilst she was using it. Note to self: Use email account not linked to computer when booking surprises. Or just turn off notifications.
The little cottage like house we stayed in was appropriately far away from civilization for a truly quiet, relaxing weekend away, just what we love. Cute, quaint, homely, perfectly simple, cosy, isolated, all appropriate adjectives used to describe this place. Needless to say for most of the weekend we survived by staying inside and consuming large quantities of takeaway pizza. (-Note. for the best pizza you can buy in Ohakune, definately check out http://www.mizzoni.co.nz/. You wont be dissapointed).
Before heading up the mountain, currently covered in a thick shroud of grey cloud, we decided to head out and explore the township. As we found, if you can manage to forget that time exists and fully immerse yourself in the adventure, there are always some real gems to discover! Just forget about everything, and go for a walk. Explore!
I eventually discovered that the place we were staying in housed a well used Play Station 2. And the game? None other than the legendary Crash Bandicoot. I was a happy man that day, and Laney would have been annoyed she had lost her husband for the afternoon if not for the fact that there was genuinely something quite romantic about sitting inside next to a gas heater playing crash bandicoot together. If you get the chance to, I highly recommend it.
Even though Laney had managed to find out that I'd planned a weekend away, seen the place I had booked before we arrived, and figured out that I had managed to get Friday off work for her...there was still one surprise she didn't find out about...
Let me preface this by first saying that we didn't follow a lot of traditions for our wedding. We didn't want for our guests to feel like they were just attending 'another wedding,' (but that's a post for another time). One of the traditions we didn't follow however was buying seperate engagement and wedding rings for Laney. I regretted it later, and she did too although she's far too sweet to ever say anything. So, to remedy the situation I decided to surprise her with one. It wasn't big or flashy, it didn't cost 2 months wages to buy, it was just delicate and beautiful and suited her perfectly!
Finally a surprise that was actually, well, a surprise! Moral of the story? When planning a wedding, think very carefully about what you want to include in the day, but just as importantly, what you don't want to include. I wish I hadn't broken that one tradition. On the other hand, we were more than happy to break all of the other traditions and do OUR wedding OUR way.
What do you want on your special day?
What don't you want on your special day?
Remember, it's YOUR day, and you can do it YOUR way, no matter how off the beaten track it may be! Have fun with it! We did, and our cherished memories list far outweighs our regret list approximately 500 to 1! Like Laney's rings, make sure your wedding reflects who you are are as individuals and as a couple. And most importantly, when it's all over and done, make sure you go on holiday and enjoy some pizza/bushwalk/crash bandicoot bonding time together. It's important.
Sincerely yours,
Joe W.