Jake and Helen's Wedding

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They say it’s good luck if it rains on a bride’s wedding day - but snow - in April?? Poor Helen, I thought as I rolled out of bed this morning. So much for her drinks in the garden. The snow was really coming down and looked as if it might hang around for a while.

After spending a quiet morning writing and putting notes into my calendar about when I could travel, I had a long bath and dressed for the wedding. The dress I had brought was light and the jumper I had brought to wear with it was light as well. Brrrr, I thought as I waited outside for the taxi, this is going to be one cold afternoon.

For those of you who have seen “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” you have an idea of what an English wedding is all about. That film perfectly captures the essence of the day. The men wear morning suits; the women wear hats. What they do not count on is snow. Luckily, by the time the wedding started, the snow had stopped. It was, however, still very cold.

Jake and Helen got married in her parish church - a lovely village church that, of course, was built of stone so the bridal party and their guests were certainly kept awake by the chill. It was a lovely service ending with a rousing rendition of “Jerusalem”, without which, an English couple just do not consider themselves married. For those of you who don’t know this hymn, watch “Four Weddings” again. It is the hymn they are singing at the first wedding when Hugh Grant realises he does not have the rings.

The reception was held at a castle. We had all been bussed to the party in an old London red bus - again, very drafty. At this point, however, we were all drinking champagne, so the bubbles helped to dissipate the chill somewhat.

A lovely party with more than enough booze. It’s just not an English wedding if everyone at the event is not pissed and jumping up and down on the dance floor to old disco classics. We carried on until well into the night. I managed to get to bed around 1.30 - with very sore feet and a fractured voice from singing all night.

There is a God! When I woke this morning, the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. Normally, when one is handed a day like this, one feels compelled to venture out and walk and explore. However, I am in an industrial park miles from the city centre. Too bad! Guess I’ll spend the day at the spa. I have booked two treatments for myself and, in between, plan to spend the day reading and writing. Sigh…

Tomorrow, it’s back home in time for a relatively hectic next two weeks. Lots of lunches and dinners and theatre events. Why did I ever think that not working was going to be boring???

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Photos

Jake and Helen
Coming down the aisle.

The Church
A beautiful country church. What this photo does not show is the chill in the air.

The Castle
Where the reception was held.

Speeches
Phil was the best man.

Phil, Simon and Mike
The groomsmen -- two of whom still work for ZPro.

Past and Present ZPro
Mike, Phil, Me, Lachy (all the way from NZ) and Jake.

And The Party Carries On
The groom and the best man.