 It
was nearly midnight before we left the wedding reception
after applying the finishing touches to the hall. The
main hall was all laid up and we had glitter and gold
confetti sprinkled on the tables. The marquee was drenched
in gold bows and balloons and the cake had arrived. This
was the first time I had seen the cake, but it still wasn’t
complete. I would see the ornaments and flowers until
tomorrow when I would arrive as Mrs Stone. I said goodbye
to Simon at the Vineyard and I returned to my parent’s
house. It was at this point that I started to get excited.
We had recently had a rough ride. Simon’s mum, Olive,
had died ten weeks before the wedding and I knew the day
wasn’t going to be the same without her. She had
looked forward to the wedding so much and been so involved
in the preparations, that I knew it wasn’t going
to be easy on anyone.
Since her death I had become totally unenthusiastic about
the wedding and couldn’t wait for the honeymoon.
The countdown from 83 weeks had been a long time coming.
Everyday of our lives since Simon’s proposal in the
bath had been filled with our forthcoming wedding and
now it was here.
I was woken at 6.30 by the sound of two of my bridesmaids
wandering aimlessly around my parents’ house. My
bed was covered with confetti from the night before where
my mum had taken the opportunity to shower me, just in
case she missed out on the day. My bridesmaids, Kayliegh
and Ellie, had woken up at 5.am, as they couldn’t
sleep, so being grateful that they had let me sleep for
another 1½ hours, I got up and had a cup of tea.
Mum and dad were up as well and dad looked exhausted.
He had been up until about 3am writing his speech. Then
mum dragged him out of bed early after deciding to go
and decorate the country lanes near the church with bows.
Kayliegh and Ellie decided to with them and as my two
other bridesmaids were still fast asleep in bed - I was
on my own. There was only one thing to do, watch Bugsy
Malone and drool over Scott Baio.
Elizabeth, my chief bridesmaid, surfaced about 7.30 and
went and had a bath. Mum, dad, Kayliegh and Ellie arrived
back home in time to catch me singing along to “You
give a little love”. As my tranquillity had vanished,
I ushered my fourth bridesmaid Alex into the bath so that
we could go down the cafe for a fried breakfast!
The morning seemed so relaxed. I had helped polish my
wedding car and my bridesmaids had done the vacuuming
for my mum while she was at the hairdressers. The flowers
had arrived and they were fantastic. My brother had collected
the buttonholes in good time and my hairdresser was doing
a brilliant job of everyone’s hair. The day was going
perfectly. That was until my conversation with our neighbour
on the front lawn came to a dramatic standstill as a wasp
flew down the nape of my top and sat on my chest. My neighbour
went pale as we both realised that if it stung me, it
would be visible when I had my wedding dress on. Then
just a quickly as it arrived, it flew off. Thank you Olive!
My friend Shannon was doing my make-up and it looked lovely.
I am not a massive make-up wearer, so I wanted it to look
as natural as possible, but still make me look glamorous
and she achieved the look I wanted. It was about this
time that I realised that the morning had disappeared
and we needed to start getting dressed. I had started
to organise my bridesmaids, helping them dress, when my
undressed and unwashed father decided that he was just
popping down the road to have a drink with Simon - it
was 12.15. We needed to be ready for the photographer
at 1pm and he was adamant he should go, so he did. At
12.45, all of my bridesmaids we groomed and dressed and
the photographer had arrived to find me in my dressing
gown and my father entering the bathroom. Where had the
morning gone!
 Before long the bridesmaids were off to
the church. Mum and Dad decided to give me my wedding
card. They had written a note to Simon saying that they
were giving him the most precious gift they could give
anyone and that he was to look after ‘her’.
Thankfully Shannon was on hand to fix the make-up. Mum
went off in the car and dad and me were on our own. It
was at this point that I expected to get really emotional,
but dad seemed a little preoccupied, so it passed quite
quickly and with great ease. It wasn’t until later
that he admitted that he had lost the car keys and had
to start up my Hillman Minx with a key he found lying
around. I later said to Simon that I thought this, like
the weather and the wasp that Olive’s intervention
had saved the day.
The day before had been a sunny day, however being a bank
holiday weekend it was destined to rain, but instead the
skies over Kent were completely clear and there wasn’t
even a threat of rain.
I arrived at the church and for the first time that day
realised how sophisticated everyone looked and how much
effort everyone had made. My bridesmaids looked stunning
in their crimson dresses which my Mum and “surrogate”
mum Sue, had tirelessly made. My car looked stunning after
the hours Simon, dad and Simon's best man Steve, spent
polishing it. Simon and his ushers looked gorgeous and
all the guests looked fantastic. Everyone had worked so
hard and I felt honoured that so many people had done
so much for our wedding day.
 The service was perfect. The
vicar made a point of mentioning Olive and my friend Paul
sung The
Lord’s My Shepherd, which was Olive’s favourite
hymn.
The photographer, Trevor Godfree, was totally unobtrusive.
He let everyone have a chance to take photos and respected
that it was our wedding day, not a photo-shoot.
On the way to the reception, we stopped off at a field
covered in bluebells to have some photos taken and it
was nice to have a moment alone with Simon. It was beautiful
and later proved to be an excellent decision.
We arrived at the reception to find that our guests had
already arrived and were making the most of the vineyards
idyllic surroundings. Mum and Sandra, Simon’s sister,
had spent the two days prior to the wedding, decorating
the hall and the marquee and it looked fantastic. The
food was excellent and the guests seemed to be totally
relaxed and enjoying every minute. My wedding cake, which
our friend Pam had made as a present, was perfect.
Before we knew it, it was time for the speeches. My dad
was hysterical. He took the opportunity to embarrass all
those people he could, by projecting old photos of them
onto a screen. Simon’s speech was really nice, he
said loads of romantic things about me, but he was very
funny as well. Our best man’s speech was perfect.
He said all the things I wanted to say about Olive and
summed the day up in beautifully.
 Our evening guests started
to arrive and we had our first dance to When A Man Loves
A Woman, by Percy Sledge. We then danced to Have
I Told You Lately, by Rod Stewart.
We made the most of seeing all those people that we only
get the chance to see now and again, and the night flew
by.
It truly was memorable and all those weeks prior to the
wedding when I was fed up, and all those weeks of preparation,
finally paid off.
The best thing of all is that we both enjoyed every second.
Do Differently: I never had a chance to dance with
my dad and regret that greatly. I also didn't have my
friend Shannon as a bridesmaid.
Groom's Comments: I loved the day. There wasn't
one thing I didn't enjoy. |
If
you would like to contact Katie and Simon, you can e-mail
them.
|
