 Waking
early on Friday 25th to a glorious sunny day, despite
the late night owing to my writing a poem to add to the
speeches, first I meditated, then I ran through the plans
of my Russian/Welsh wedding day to come. Rob was preparing
over in Cambridge where now we live.
The rich colours of my outfit meant that my hair and makeup
could be strong and dramatic. My hairdresser, a self-confessed
perfectionist, made my hair look ultra-chic and my makeup
artist gave me a wonderfully sultry glow. No delicate
English Rose looks here, thank heavens!
Back at the house, with mum's tireless help, I donned
my gorgeous red, raw silk gown and teamed it up with a
delicate gold filigree lace bolero. The effect was intended
to echo a 14th century Russian wedding dress but with
a New Millennium feel. Corinne Martin, my most excellent
Best Woman (other more traditional titles didn't suit
her) co-designed and made the outfit.
The yellow orchid and rose bouquet matched the whole outfit
perfectly and I wore my hair up with a single orchid and
wild pearl-style clasp. Corinne wore a gold satin slipdress
with red chiffon over-gown which matched my colour scheme.
She had a floral decoration in her hair, worn like me,
in a pleat. Her ensemble was completed with a fetching
bindi on her forehead, and pretty clutchbag all contributing
to the East meets West theme.
 Meanwhile,
outside, my car, a jeep belonging to my friends, awaited
with air conditioning thoughtfully turned on before driving
the short distance to the register office. Ingeniously
decked out, this Cherokee Jeep was festooned in red and
gold with huge red paper bells attached, for fun.
Rob, my husband-to-be was already at the register office
when we arrived and was chatting amongst our friends.
He and his best man, Paul Bushen, and my brother, Bernard
(who gave me away as my father died some years ago), were
dressed in forest green frockcoats and top hats, with
paisley print waistcoats and gold cravats.
The register office was once the haunt of John Milton
and is one of the oldest buildings in the town, dating
back to the 16th century. We went in with our guests as
we did not want a formal entrance down the "aisle".
As we finished exchanging our vows, Rob glanced warmly
at me with laughing eyes which spoke far more than words.
A coy kiss sealed our pledge as man and wife.
Just after signing the register, George Norris played
the guitar and sang us the charming melody Come Write
Me Down. As a wedding present, George kindly recorded
this together with other songs for us on CD. All too soon,
we were out in the bright sunshine for photos in the lovely
rose gardens outside.
 Back into the colourful jeep
again and on to Great Moulton Chapel, which is on the
site of the Museum of East Anglian Life. No wedding reception
has been held there before, so it had taken quite a lot
of planning. I had been there the night before, my newly
manicured hands in cotton gloves, heaving furniture around.
But what followed made it all worthwhile!
The idyllic pastoral setting, with the old mill house
and pond nearby with pigs and chickens closeby created
a perfect time warp, in keeping with the atmosphere we
both wanted for the wedding. The children were in their
element chasing after butterflies, escaped piglets or
otherwise just enjoying the wide lawns to play on.
After more photos and chilled wine under cloudless skies
we feasted on authentic Russian food within the wooden
panelled chapel. Inside we used simple, although eye-catching,
flower arrangements on stands at each corner with posies
on the tables. We had no top table as such, to keep it
informal and relaxed. Our caterer had gone to amazing
lengths to ensure we ate real pirozhkee (mini filled pies),
blinis (savoury pancakes), and even a hot stroganoff!
I had lent her my own Russian cookbooks and she had trawled
the web for recipes. There's dedication for you! The meal
was partly accompanied again by George who sang and played
Let It Be Me and In My Life. A brief call for quiet came
and he performed I Knew The Bride When she Used To Rock
And Roll, a catchy number that had the children dancing
and those still seated, toe tapping. It was so touching,
he had learnt it at my request, and all this added to
the happy mood.
Near the speeches slot, I sang my to my 40 guests and
George accompanied me to Gershwin's Summertime (we both
had much fun recording this together earlier this year).
As a professional singer, I've sung at loads of other
people's weddings, so why not sing at my own? I then asked
for a moment's quiet for people to think about our new
lives together prompted by ringing a Tibetan priest's
bell. During the silence, Rob and I faced each other holding
lit candles (a reference from Russian Orthodox Church traditions.
 I don't have known Russian
forbears, but I have a great passion for all things Russian,
including their music and poetry.
We finally passed round a carved Welsh
Love spoon. The Lovespoon is a direct reference to
Rob's Welsh ancestry and is a traditional symbol of love
and marriage in Wales. The idea was that each guest could
add their own special blessing by thought or prayer as
their turn came to handle it. We also asked people to
sign a role of honour, which will form the centre piece,
along with guests' photos, of a wedding montage I am making.
This is so much more visible and immediate than a dusty
old wedding album that might only come out once a year.We
then had two readings; Eskimo
Love Song and then Marriage
Joins Two People In The Circle Of Its Love by Edmund
O'Neill. Next, came the poem I wrote:
For Us
by Nattanya Harfield
At the deepest hour, the now time,
We can look back at the good and the bad
And smile upon all that weathered us so
When time, never ours, will allow us to share
A hope and a memory, a laughter, a tear.
I think Rob liked it. He squeezed my hand and gave me
a wonderful smile. Even if no one else's, that moment
was ours. Speeches then followed and then the cutting
of our cake, expertly made by Sue, Rob's sister.
I found myself relaxing into my wedding day - a pleasant
surprise. I'm quite often a fusser, running around and
worrying that everyone else is okay, but the romance and
the other-worldliness of it all took hold. People commented
on Rob's lack of nail-biting and pacing around just before
the wedding. The truth was that most of the flying around
had been done in the weeks before and now all that was
left was to enjoy our day in the company of our happy
guests.
 We left with the last remaining
guests at around 6pm, traveling to our hotel, hilariously
via Tesco's. Corinne wanted a newspaper and a cold drink
before dropping us at our hotel. We got some priceless
looks from the Tesco shoppers as we and our multi-coloured
car rolled up.
That evening, Corinne, Mike (her husband) together with
Rob and I had a quiet meal together at the Limes Hotel,
Needham Market. Thus our evening "do" was a
very modest affair. Happy but exhausted, Cognac's and
coffees in hand, we watched the sun lower through a golden
haze on what had been, quite truly, the happiest and surprisingly
mellow day of our lives.
Do Differently: Ring ahead to find out if the hotel
has a late night disco on downstairs! Luckily, I had my
ear plugs with me and was too tired to care or complain
in the end.
Groom's Comments: Excellent fun, and we got married
too!
Editor's Note: Nattanya will be known to many readers
as Lynn Adams, which was her name when she married.
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If
you would like to contact Nattanya and Rob, you can e-mail
them.
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