It was a special weekend for the newly-weds, Mr. & Mrs. Perkins. Shane Alan Perkins, Josiah’s buddy in the Japan Keirin racing and also current Australian cyclist who won the gold in the sprint for the last World Cup I wrote about recently married Kristine Bayley, who was also an Aussie cyclist and is the sister of two-time Olympic gold medallist brother, Ryan Bayley.
I was of course very excited not just because I’d get to meet some of the best cyclists in the world but also it was my first Aussie wedding and first garden reception.
Josiah and I hired a Chrysler for this special date that took us to the Overnewton Castle at Keilor, Victoria.
I felt special.
Mr. Mafiaman escorted us to the special event.
My husband was looking dashing in his Bespoked outfit.
I was feeling classy in my MNG dress (so-so), but what made me feel really good were my Jimmy Choo’s and my earrings that matched my diamante shoes (see banner header). The last time I wore those shoes were during my wedding.
For some reason during this time, I had grown to be a little chunkier. Over the weekend, I had indulged myself in a few hours of intensive pole-dancing classes and it was just hours before this photo was taken. Hence, I looked chunkier even with the amount of food I had been absorbing. I think I look like a sprint cyclist in this photo above.
Well, I wish I could even ride a bicycle a quarter as fast as the charming Anna Meares, a former Olympic gold medallist and she is the best female cyclist in Australia. She had even won two golds at the recent World Cup here. You might recognise her in the Toshiba advertisements on the pillar of the LRT outside Sungei Wang Plaza in Kuala Lumpur. It was truly an honour to be talking to the very humble Anna and learning about how she got involved in cycling.
These people really amaze me. It makes me feel like I seriously have not achieved anything yet, and I really have not.
Overnewton Castle is a beautiful place just about 15 minutes away from the CBD and it was amazing, as if we had driven hours away from the city. There were lots of greens, hills, and lots of land.
Three of them are top cyclists and their partners can also ride the bicycle. Since I can’t ride well, I decided to stay out of the photo and be tagged as “A Cyclist’s Wife”.
Red carpet awaiting the beautiful bride.
Here comes the bride in a red hot Mustang GT350.
A very cute baby cyclist Aidan walking down with the lovely bridesmaid.
The person officiating the garden wedding ceremony spoke about the love the couple had. She spoke with such flair and love in her voice, made our hearts melt learning more about the couple as they stood before us exchanging their vows.
Perko kissed the bride, Kristine.
They not only look good together but they were perfect for each other. With her and Aidan in Perko’s life, Perko has sped to many successes in all the races he had been in the past year.
A picture perfect with Kristin, Ryan Bayley, Anna Meares and hubby, myjojo and I. Everyone looked lovely in their non-cycling outfits!
The perfect occasion to sip on wine and enjoy the ambience.
And always the perfect occasion to snap a photo in the ladies’. Standard. Stop laughing! 
One’s photo is never enough. One mirror is never enough.
Two mirrors are never enough, how pretty and Victorian this mirror looks. I love it.
A photo with the lovely newly weds.
What made the wedding truly special was the fact that it was a cozy and intimate one with only 9 tables X 10 persons, just the right number of people to address to make them feel important.
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Our wedding favour – a coaster where we could replace the white inserts with a photo from the back. It was also a good way to let us know where we were to sit. How lovely.
Some decorations – heart-shaped chocolate and some crystals.
Two cameras were placed on each table.
This was the message. Indeed, we did take lots of photos with the cameras of random things. In Malaysia, the hosts might never see their cameras ever again.
It’s picture time!
This couple I would term as the best coordinated couple or best dressed.
A really funky pair of shoes from the gentleman seated on my left, Jason.
Jason’s wife, Jenna.
Quite unlike an 8-course meal in Chinese weddings, Australian wedding dinners consist of entree, mains and dessert.
Entree: Mushroom ravioli with a ragout of forest mushrooms with semi-dried tomatoes in a creamy sauce with fresh herbs and parmesan.
Mains: Breast of chicken served with sundried-tomatoes, brie and spinach wrapped in prosciutto served on meditteranean potatoes with a champagne cream sauce.
OR
Mains: Succulent sirloin steak served medium on potato gratin with either bearnaise sauce or green peppercorn sauce.
Dessert: Chocolate truffle pudding served warm with double cream.
Food was absolutely yummy and filling. They were also very consistent across all individuals on our table, I assume they must be really very consistent all across the room.
Quite unlike Malaysian-style weddings, Aussie wedding (I suppose), have their main long table facing the people. The dance floor is at the other end of the room.
After desserts, there were alot of dancing and it was almost 11pm at that time. The couple had their first bridal waltz joined by the bridesmaid, groomsmen and both parents.
The dancefloor was filled.
Everyone was absolutely delighted. It was a wonderful affair and most importantly, a significance of the love of the newlyweds.
I am not sure if you might have attended enough weddings to compare the ambience and usually it’s the one where the couple is deeply in love, the wedding is most enjoyable. This was one of those weddings.
Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Perkins!
“In Malaysia, the hosts might never see the camera ever again.” So, so true.
OMG THE FOOD!
Most of the weddings I attend when I was a kid serve horrible looking food.
Kim, maybe u have grown chunkier or maybe the dress doesnt suit u..u look better in flowy dresses and casual clothes without trying too hard.
Beatrice: I have indeed grown chunkier and the time of the month allows for this. I consider this quite a simple dress actually. Haha.
Yes, in Malaysia, the host will never see the camera again..btw both you and Josiah look good as well. How I wish I could have a wedding like this one.
Hi Kim, this post is really well-written with loads of interesting information shared, after reading it, i almost felt like i’m at the wedding lols… also, i think u looked awesome in the dress with an hourglass figure
Not only tat u won’t see the camera…. u also will get loud karaoke sounds, sang by some auntie and uncle, which u may not know… and u also will be seeing people ‘tau pau-ing’ away all the left-overs…. ooo… i dun wan tat in my wedding…. how i wish to have wedding like theirs????
no kim, you dont look that much chunkier! you look very healthy and that’s all that matters. australia tends to pile some weight on newcomers and in the first two years of my stay here, i piled on some 20kgs! now that’s chunky at it’s truly best. anyway, you’ve captured the australian wedding perfectly. i’m very proud you’re malaysian.
Seetha: You’re on your way! Compile tips..
YK: Thanks..
Shiau Lee: Oh ya man, tell me about that. But sometimes that’s really cool and symbolic of a real chinese wedding. Hehehe. Tah pau is okay actually, at least they’re not put to waste lolz… hahahah right??
Yii Zhu: Oh good motivation, healthier? Hehe. Now you’re scaring me. 20 kgs, yikes. I hope they’re muscles. I am proud I am Malaysian. I won’t change a thing about that.
When I do get married, I think I will have western menu like that. So much easier!
do you have to keep on emphasizing about that you are married to Josiah the cyclist? and what is the brag about jimmy choo’s? be humble is the key for success…
chelley: Good idea, I was hoping for that actually but I couldn’t match a venue with a separate menu.
mr ben: When you’re living on “that sport” and it’s a part of your daily lives and something that keeps one going… I highlight it because it’s just really part of us. I cannot avoid it. It’s a whole new world to me seeing the people he meets and his interesting world. Loosen up man. I’ll be in the same lingo as the person I marry who enjoys whatever sport or hobby. Loosen up man. Jimmy Choo’s? I don’t have many expensive shoes and it’s one pair that I truly love and it’s precious to me, hence highlighting it. I don’t have many expensive stuff, that one thing I have, I treat it like gold. Loosen up man.