The 2nd Wedding Party

Arriving back from NZ was not a time to relax, but a time to prepare for our next party. Having the wedding in New Zealand meant a lot of Aki's friends could not make it, so this was the Japan version. It was certainly very different to the NZ party, but no less fun! Before the party I was much more relaxed, watching the Chiefs win again, while having a couple of beers with Mark. Aki went to get her hair and makeup done and I met her at the party venue (bringing her dress and bouquet on the train!). We got ready and the time came to enter. We stood outside the doors and listened to the anouncement inside, the the music (Rocky Theme) started, the doors opened, and we were met by 80 people cheering with cameras flashing and streamers popping. We walked around lighting candles on the tables then went and cut the cake. Terry and Saki then introduced us and welcomed everyone. We then sat down and the guests came to congratulate us and take pictures together, while we tried to eat. We had a quiz game (true/false questions about us and NZ/Japan), with lots of cool prizes. Some of Aki's musically talented friends performed some great songs for us. The night concluded with some quick speeches then we left and presented each guest with a delicious muffin.

After the wedding, we carried on with about 25 friends at a nearby Chinese restaurant. We finally got home about 1am, with a few of us drinking until late.

Overall it was another fantastic night that just went too fast!

NZ....after the wedding

With the wedding over an done with, it was time to relax and enjoy our last week. We celebrated mine and Cathy's birthdays on the 29th. The next morning we started our road trip which saw us going to Mount Maunganui, Rotorua and Waitomo. Finally, Aki and I had a few days to enjoy with family and friends (and we got in a round of golf and some shopping). Here are some more memories from our second week back home.....

Love & Marriage - Our Wedding Day

Friday, March 28, 2008 ~ Hamilton, New Zealand

This was it. The big day had finally arrived. Aki had stayed the night with her family at their hotel in a drama fulled night (some idiots decided to have a noisy party next door), but eventually they all got some sleep. My sleep wasn't too bad considering what was going on and I woke up feeling very excited and a little nervous about the day. The morning was a little busy as we went to mass then got the last few things ready at the golf club. By lunchtime it was a matter of waiting for the time to come around, while Aki, Roshanna & Shiho started getting their hair and make-up done.


It was soon time to get prepared, with both the Trotter home and the hotel showing scenes of people rushing around to shower, dress and try to relax. Aki's Mum had a busy time helping three girls put on their Yukatas, leaving little time to get herself ready!


At about 3:30, I arrived at the church with Mum, Dad & Steve, where I really started to feel a few nerves. It was great to see everyone there, some friends and family I hadn't seen for years! Before long, everyone was seated and ready for the arrival of the beautiful bride.


As I stood at the front of the church, looking back at Aki, it was hard to control my feelings. I actually had to force myself not to look at her just so I could keep a dry eye!! The ceremony began with Hajime (Aki's brother) walking her up the aisle and giving me her hand. Father Alexander did a great job of the service, with his humour helping us all relax. The ceremony was perfect and we were soon walking out as a very happy married couple!

The photos came next, with many shots with our families, before we headed to the Hamilton Gardens for the remainder of the pics.

While the Gardens were a bit dry, it didn't affect the photos too much as we had shots in the Japanese, Chinese & Italian Gardens. By this stage our jaws were tired and mouths were dry from all the smiling, but Ian soon sorted us out with a few bottles of water! Kendall was a great help as she carried Aki's train where ever we went, and she got a few tips from the photographers as she took her own photos!

We arrived back at the reception to see everyone patiently waiting (with most accomponied by a few drinks). The whole night from there on went very fast, with dinner, speeches (a great memory!), dessert, cutting the cake and first dance all happening extremely quickly. That left very little time for meeting everyone that was there, but we did our best! Our sincerest apologies to anyone who we did not talk to, just know that we tried hard but time was against us!

We left the reception at about midnight, going back to Aki's familie's hotel where she changed , then Aki and myself went to our own hotel where we enjoyed a fruit platter and crashed out ;)

We hope you all enjoyed the day as much as we did! If you have any pictures, we'd be very happy to see them, especially from the reception! You can email or post them to me or my parents in NZ. Probably see you all in January for Steve & Roshannas Wedding.

Much Love to everyone!

Aki & Brendan