... The Wedding of Rupert and Kelly

This day was a long time coming. It had been announced a year in advance that it would be held in Zanzibar, and that alone was cause for anticipation of the big day. But there was more too it then that. In late 2010, after the completion of 18 months traveling through the Americas (yes plural, south, central and north), while Rupert was in the UK he collected the ring, which had belonged to his grandmother. In February 2011 whilst he was visiting me Rupert confided to me that he had the ring, my only advice was to get on with it. I never queried Rupert after that, as I knew that he would only be a man of action when people stopped asked him when he was going to do it, so I just waited for the news, and waited, and waited. If my memory serves correctly, it was sometime around mid August, I received a three word text message "She said yes!" (approx 10 months he'd held on to the ring).

It was a month or three later that the announcement came that the wedding would be in Africa. As the families involved were gathering from Australia and England, as were many of the friends, others still from around the globe, Africa was to be the somewhat central meeting point, and would combine to be a two week wedding adventure. I had not at that time decided I would depart my days of employment, but my response was instantaneous, I would be there.

I won't go into a blow by blow description of the ceremony, but to set the standard, the dress code had only one condition, everybody was to be barefoot. That is not to say it was an affair fit for hippies or gypsys. I beleive it is probably the most respectable I have ever seen Rupert (though he could have had a shave), and Kelly looked more stunning than words can manage to describe, so instead, here is a picture ...

Official duties for the day were as follows:

Bride: Kelly Brennan & Groom: Rupert Kaye

No photo by request

Bridesmaid: Agnieszka Szremska

Best Man: Nigel Denton

(The one on the right) 

- photo Matthew O'Reilly

Sorry Nige, didn't get a photo of you on the day.
Folks, a more respectable picture of this fine upstanding gent, he is on the far left of the group picture at the bottom of this post.

Photographer: Narelle Fisher

Hair stylist: Annette Steward (with some assistance from three cans of hair spray)

Giving away of the bride: Lorraine and Steven Brennan

The day was fantastic, the conditions perfect, and the company of guests was a fantastic crowd. The Imani Beach Hotel also did a sterling job particularly as this was the first wedding they'd ever hosted, and the first time they'd served a single group so big.