Although our children seem to be endlessly attending weddings - (our son has 3 in 4 weeks!) Col and I can't remember the last one we went to.
So I shall now bore you rigid with photos from our Wedding Of The Year!
The venue was The White Horse Chilgrove, a quirky pub frequented by H, J and their dozens of friends from the Guildford area.
Helen had planned everything herself, she's very keen on natural and recycled so her flowers were from The Homegrown Flower Company . We detoured between Suffolk and the venue and picked up 4 buckets full of gorgeous proper garden flowers and then spent nearly 3 hours putting them in the dozens of bottle,vases and jam jars that H had collected from here, there and everywhere. Many she had sprayed with glitter and some were wired to hold short flowers which we hooked over the the chairs in the marquee. They looked gorgeous.
All the hand tied bouquets were from the same place, but they were delivered on the wedding morning. Here we are on Thursday afternoon- Brides new sister in law, C the Grooms mum, me and H, all without our finery!
The top table early morning. As the staff were laying the tables we were putting the party favours - ( 250 little heart shaped biscuits that I had made earlier last week) - into bags, tying them with ribbon and then adding name labels that H had stenciled for the place settings. Me, grooms mum, Col and our youngest's partner got quite a production line going!
Looking through the pub at some of the tables
The rain was TEEMING down as we dashed from pub to the wedding ceremony
which was in a marquee behind the pub. Me and C ( Grooms mum) had fun trying to light candles during the ceremony which H & J then used to light another candle as a symbol of two families joined together. We had hoped for sunshine for an outside wedding but the wind and rain made us glad of a marquee with sides
J waiting nervously for the bride with the Humanist Officiant. ( H and J did the official legal bit the day before at a registry office with just 2 friends as witnesses)
And here she is. The readings were the traditional Irish blessing that starts " May the road rise up to meet you".
An Apache wedding blessing " Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for each other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth for the other. Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your life together. And may your days be good and long upon the earth."
Another reading was from the book Captain Corellis Mandolinby Louis de Bernieres
"Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your root was so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being in love, which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two."
Luckily an hour or so later after drinks and canapes the rain stopped for the photographer to take photos outside.
J couldn't decide between his best friend or brother for best man so had both.
The grooms family in this one. Grooms brother is married to H's best friend ( from uni days) sister! Which I think is how H met J nearly 10 years ago.
Bride and Groom with beautiful bridesmaids
Our youngest and her partner, she has been making funny faces at the camera since she was about 3!
H and J having a fit of giggles for the First Dance
We bailed out at around 11 pm and headed 5 minutes up the road to our B & B. The pub has 15 rooms but H though we would prefer to be a bit further away as the partying went on 'til after 1pm!
We had 2 very long but wonderful days with family and new friends.
Back to earth with a bump as our youngest moves into her new flat and we get the house ready to sell!
Back Soon
Sue
