This time last year my Bridesmaid and I were being pampered by my lovely hairdresser, who had opened the salon especially for us, while my friend Lisa rushed around making tea and sandwiches for the assembled hoardes of Ghengis Kahn at Tribble Towers.
Hey, this is a small house. An extra five people in it is a lot of people! Not only Lisa, but we had my Bridesmaid and her partner and D’s Best Man and his wife.
Eventually there was just my Bridesmaid and myself left in the house (everybody else moved on to D’s Dad’s so that we could get ready without D seeing my gown). We vegged for a while and then we got ourselves ready for my now Mother and Stepfather in law to collect us.
Arriving at the scene of the crime – John Ray House, Braintree, Essex
My only scare of the day: The Best Man dashing out to the car park and saying:
“Gemma; D doesn’t want to see you…”
Liz and I exchanged looks of horror; my heart was almost literally in my mouth.
“… in your gown, until the ceremony. He’s asked that you wait in the hallway until he’s called through.”
Phew. Talk about hair-raising!
(There is actually a photograph of D placing himself in the “Naughty Corner” with his back turned. Sadly I don’t have it on my laptop!)
So Liz and I stood there with our teeth chattering, greeting guests and getting photographed a lot until we were told it was safe for us to enter. We were both interviewed briefly, and then this happened:
I’d chosen this melody – Watermark by the fabulous Enya – as it always reminds me of happy times spent with my sister. It was the only entrance music that felt “right” to me.
The marriage itself was a very relaxed affair; vastly due to the very nature of our guests, but also – in part – because the lovely Registrar kept losing where she was in her “lines” and making everybody giggle.
First kiss as Tribble and wife
There was confetti (mostly dumped straight into my cleavage by my new Mother-in-Law amidst much laughter) and then there was the reception:
The White Hart Hotel
There was the meeting of new friends:
There was also a bit of Doctor Who silliness, courtesy of my good friend David:
Well… they ARE!
Much fun was had by all, and Tony (who is a counter tenor) even performed a little bit… and then we all sang Spike’s Let Me Rest In Peace as we were driven by the Best Man to our various neccessary locations.
It was such a beautiful, happy day. No pomp, no circumstance, no fuss. Just two people in love getting married bathed in the love of a small gathering of friends and family.
With this ring…
I can’t believe that we have now been married for a whole year – and it’s been the happiest year of my life. Thank you, D, for loving me just the way I am.
