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2017 ~ A year in review pt.2

JUNE

June was a month of rest, relatively speaking!  

Only one ceremony to perform for the gorgeous Anna and Kenny…

And what a blast we had, the hottest weekend of the year (full stop I think), another glorious outdoor ceremony, we all started melting slightly though and I had to lend the groom my fan as he stood there in full kilt and caboodle. 

We celebrated all things Celtic, as Scottish and Welsh roots combined; a handfasting, Quaich and fabulous reading by the Groom’s dad in his wonderful Scottish lilting accent. I was heckled by the unforgiving crowd as I told them obviously when it came to rugby…there was only one team…. but I redeemed myself as we wove through their love story and we ended with cheers and applause and just the best day!

Kev was their photographer and we caught some fabulous moments for them and left way later than scheduled because what had been a wonderful day turned into a fantastic quintessential balmy summers evening and we were loathe to leave the party, but leave we must and so at nearly 11 o’clock at night we chatted all the way home, full of the joys of such a wonderful day…. oh and the promise of another one yet to come…. I’ll introduce you to Gareth and Wayne in August!

JULY

 My busiest month ever!  8 ceremonies!  5 in 4 days. …Hold onto your hats!

The 1st day of the month (pinch punch) found Kev and I working together once again…bit of a habit this Mr T!

For the wedding ceremony of Sammi and Lee…SQUEEEEEE…. two beyond gorgeous human beings!!

Lee’s parents had been prepping their back garden for the best part of a year for their ceremony and we had everything crossed for a perfect summers day…we got it!

We had such a laid back and chilled day with a couple that were up for anything. I know that their wedding photos certainly captured their fun personalities and their insistence on including us in their wedding breakfast was gratefully received. It was a long but such a brilliant day, as we had to wait for the sun to set to try and get the perfect sparkler picture! Despite the mozzies trying to eat me we achieved it with the help of some of the bridal party.

Sue and Colin tied the knot a few days later in Felixstowe at the Orwell Hotel, oh we had such a giggle, especially as Colin is originally from the Black Country & I being a Brummie, could not resist the temptation to slip into a bit of local lingo part way through the ceremony.  Love has no boundaries, it’s fair to say that our two lovebirds found each other later in life and bonded over a mutual love of all things! There really is nothing that these two can’t debate or share or take an interest in and I know in each other they have found a new lease of life. They really are soul mates who have found their own equilibrium and now each other. A truly beautiful love story that I was privileged to play a small part in bringing to life.

  Sara and Tommy, their story should be made into a film, it had me in tears. Injustice and joy in equal amounts, how they met, fell in love, married, got torn apart by circumstances and had to endure a long distance marriage for the longest of times before being reunited on Christmas day…forever…We got to celebrate in proper transatlantic style as we welcomed a little bit of America to deepest darkest Essex and one of my favourite venues, Crabbs Barn.

I taught the Americans about Brown sauce and they taught me about fabulous cowboy boots as Tommy and Sara got to celebrate their anniversary in style with a ceremony they never really had when they first got married.

Boy… did those tears flow and a beautiful family inspired sand ceremony topped the day off as two did indeed finally and properly become one.

Welcome to Blighty Tommy…have you learnt the offside rule yet?

 My ‘mad’ weekend kicked off with the wedding of Dawn and Matt at Captains Wood Barn, in the beautiful woodland clearing. It was a bittersweet celebration of love and family as we remembered someone very dear who could not be there in any other way than spirit. I know you did him proud though Matt.

The kids behaved beautifully and some stunning photos captured the poignant moments of the handfasting and jumping the broom and the kids got to join in with it too…so sweet

 We were running slightly late due to the Bride’s transport not turning up, but the hairdresser saved the day by bringing her and her maids to the ceremony in her old VW camper van…phew.

The sound guy had a suspected heart attack whilst setting up, so some frantic calls were made to get that sorted as the paramedics attended to him (luckily heart attack ruled out, but he still had to go to hospital) and the heavens threatened to open part way through the ceremony, but luckily the rain held off until we were all safely back in the barn…. phew AGAIN! 

  No such luck though as I made my way across to Nicola and Jason’s venue. Danbury Country Park…Only 9 miles away, the difference in the weather was rather stark…it was excellent weather for ducks!

The heavens literally opened as the bride made her way to the ceremony area in her open top horse drawn carriage resplendent in her 50’s dress and beehive up do…Luckily they had had the foresight to erect a couple of gazebos for protection as I dived under one to conduct the ceremony…They stood under their wedding arch with an umbrella and it all went swimmingly…literally!!! 

We had such a laugh, torrential rain was never gonna dampen our spirits and as per usual, when faced with adversity there is nothing like rising to the challenge!

 The carriage had a roof that was hastily put up ready for their trip back to the farm for their party and everyone left, slightly damp but with the biggest smiles certainly a wedding day they will never forget… and anyway, it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day anyway…right?

Well the following day, the weather was still being resistant to my charms and was alternating between sunshine and showers…. We were aiming for an outdoor ceremony at Marks Hall for Helen and Matthew, but the weather gods were certainly not playing ball and after much umming and ahhing we had to plump for an indoor ceremony …2 hours later than scheduled due to the seating having to be rearranged and the registrar squeezed in for the legal’s…

A beautiful snowy owl flew in the rings and with a bit of revision the ceremony went well but all of the choreography went out of the window…. Being able to think on your feet is a major priority for all celebrants…Stay calm, there is always a Plan B or C…

They concluded their ceremony with the tying of a fisherman’s knot, an unusual take on the handfasting idea.

Two cords represent each as an individual -encompassing all of the unique and special gifts they bring to a marriage.

As the cords are fastened together, the actions represent the joining of two lives into one common purpose. Although the fisherman's knot is one of the simplest to tie, it is also one of the sturdiest. As stress is applied, the knot becomes ever stronger just as a marriage should!

 Monday saw me wending my way back into Suffolk and Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich, the honour of being the first celebrant at the venue did not go unnoticed… by now I had given up on the weather being anything other than what it was…. Normal for England in July…bloody horrible!!

But we enjoyed a fabulous ceremony as Jessica and Billy tied the knot with a handfasting in another fabulous historic venue. I’d met this lovely couple over a year before at a wedding fair, with her mum.

We had got chatting about what I could do as a celebrant and their eyes just lit up…They did have a registrar booked but were finding themselves being so restricted they were resigning themselves to not quite having the day they wanted…. Well it all changed in a heartbeat and they got exactly what they wanted!  Billy and Jess were absolutely wonderful to work with as we created their dream ceremony. I love it when a plan comes together for all involved and love wins.

  Sophia and Adrian rounded off the month for me. Mr & Mrs Pocket Watch and Petticoat had a weddingfest  to remember, in a field on a farm with a proper pucker festival vibe going on. We had singing, we had dancing, we had such a blast, and this was during the ceremony!

Live music during the reception, food and drink stalls, and a chilled out vibe that so complimented them and their families. Luckily we managed to complete the ceremony before the rain kicked in, but again, the bride was of the opinion, ‘so what, rain just means everyone stays in the tipi to dance the afternoon and evening away, win, win’!

A gift of a rose to the children with promises to love and cherish them, singing, dancing and an all round happy glow…magical….

AUGUST

I had to do a Sundance for Zoe and Patrick’s big day, it absolutely tipped it down in the preceding couple of hours and I thought we were going to get drenched at our fabulous riverside venue. But literally as I pulled up in the car park the sun came out and shone all afternoon, my wellies were rather hot and sticky in the end, but given the amount of rain we had suffered that week I thought they were a prudent and essential piece of kit, hey ho.

 Zoe and Pat are in a band and I was (still am a bit) well jel to know they know Dave Gahan and the rest of Depeche Mode in person, having toured with them a couple of times!  Our Greek twist on the Polish Bread, salt and vodka ceremony went down well and they managed to avoid hitting the guests with their shot glasses as they threw them over their shoulders, hehe.  I loved all the little touches they incorporated to keep their guests happy and entertained as they partied the day away. 

 Another first at a new venue, Tudor Barn saw Kelly and Ben kick off their married life with a lot of football references and a ref’s whistle.

We had everyone join in with the brides brothers favourite hymn as a child in tribute to a much love family member who is no longer with us…AND we even had the hand actions much to everyone’s delight and mirth.

I can admit it now, as I don’t think the groom is on FB…wellllll…Kelly and I cheated…just a little bit when it came to their version of the bread and vodka ceremony…She insisted I told her which shot glass held the vodka before the ceremony started, hehehe…she was determined to be the one to drink it!

For those not familiar with this ritual, a couple share bread so they won’t know hunger, place a speck of salt on their tongue so they wont no bitterness in their marriage. Then they exchange a silver coin each so they won’t know poverty in the marriage and finally…2 shot glasses are placed on the table, one contains vodka, the other water. The couple don’t know which is which and chose their glass blindly. Whoever chooses the vodka, rules the roost. A bit of fun, especially when once drunk the shot glasses are thrown over the shoulder and disposed of (luckily we use plastic ones so no damage to the environment caused)

Pauline and Sarah had a cracking handfasting ceremony at White Dove Barn in Suffolk, a beautiful intimate venue where friends and family joined them from all over the world. Having reassured Granny that their hands being tied wasn’t some weird 50 Shades of Grey homage, we giggled our way through the rest of the ceremony and I had a photo with someone who was dressed in a ‘louder’ outfit than me…and that takes some doing I can tell you!

  I had a very busy weekend next with a trip to Hertfordshire and London for 2 ceremonies. Firstly a windy ceremony under canvas at the Robin Hood and Little John just outside of Stevenage for Rebecca and Darren.

His gran presenting the groom with his granddads flat cap at the end of the ceremony was the sweetest of gestures and ensured that he was with us in spirit throughout the ceremony and indeed for the rest of the day.

A quick drive into London and to a rowing Club on the bank of the Thames for the most challenging of ceremonies!  Gareth and Wayne, 2 gorgeous human beings whose photographer very nearly got a mouthful from me! She got between us, was taking photos over my shoulder and then got tangled up in the balloons causing the ceremony to grind to a halt as we untangled her!!

I was given free reign like never before in the adlibbing department and I had people screaming with laughter as the boys tried to upstage one another and I had to call order. All in good taste and humour, but they certainly had me thinking on my feet!

Now… Gareth and Wayne, by their own admission … are somewhat prone to the odd argument or two…so I thought, to be on the safe side, we would include a truce bell ceremony AND a first argument box! 

The truce bell was rung during the ceremony by them both and then was to be used to, in the event of an argument, call time out so that they could go into

separate rooms and calm down a bit before CALMLY talking through any issues.

 If this wasn’t enough on its own they had a bottle of wine each too, and a love letter…to remind each other of who they were and why they had fallen in love and got married in the first place!  A great couple of fun elements to add to the ceremony indeed!

 It was a very interesting afternoon and evening as I stayed on to be Mistress of Ceremonies for the boys. The cake needs a mention on its own, an amazing creation, it looked just likes a piece of modern art and my photo doesn’t do it justice! Tasted fabulous too!!!

Carly and Ben had a wonderful chilled out handfasting at the Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket. Carly was glowing and the love was palpable. Everyone crying and smiling in equal measure and I HAVE to say my all time favourite entrance and recessional music choices…Coldplay A Sky Full Of Stars and Paradise…I was in musical heaven!

The bride wanted to acknowledge how important her granddad was to her and worried the entrance might be a bit too long a walk for him we decided that she would enter with her nephews but pause at the top of the aisle next to her granddad and give him a big kiss. The whole family just melted at that point and I must admit I had a bit of a tear in my eye too. I just love the little twists that we can incorporate into a ceremony that makes it perfect for each couple.