Billygean.co.uk

Sunday, July 16, 2006

The one with the wedding

What do you say about your own sister's wedding? How do you put it into words how you feel when you see your sister and her new husband coming back up the aisle?

We were hideously late to the wedding. Like half an hour is-the-bride-going-to-turn-up, angry-texts-from-Rob's-mother type late. This was not really because Suzanne's courset had 18 bra hooks, or because she has a lot of hair that needed curling, or even because I had to get my shoe re-heeled at 8am. It was because we left late and that's all there is to it.

Oh and because the photographer faffed so much outside our house that all our neighbours came out to see:




At half past ten I tugged on Dad's hand and announced to everyone that we were going to write Dad's speech now. So we shut ourselves in the study for half an hour and did just that although I think Suzanne was rather terrified.

What struck me most about getting ready in the morning was not that Suzanne was stressed about said corset, or garter or hair but that she wasn't stressed at all about the service. The committment, it wasn't an issue. How beautiful is that?

The ceremony was perfect really. And you all know I wouldn't just say that. What the vicar said, it made sense. The readings were about love, and honour, and I think almost everybody in the room welled up when Suzanne's voice shook during the vows because everybody - and I mean everybody - could hear how much it meant to both of them.

However at this point twin-Rachel and I sat in the wrong chairs and the vicar had to tell us to move. Classy.

Everybody oohed and aahed as we walked back up the aisle. Mostly we heard how beautiful Suzanne looked - and she really, really did - but of course we could not escape the whisper of "sisters" as Rachel and I walked up the aisle behind her.

There was much confetti throwing outside and champagne drinking and old cars. Probably only around 15 of the guests said "you much be Rachel" to be, however, we did also get called a "dynamic duo" which I thought was particularly ridiculous.

It was time for photos at the Botanical Gardens. Oh the photos. I thought getting in on the photographer's phtos would mean mine would automatically be good. So not true.

How beautiful is this though?




See how the light shines on her face?...

...This is how:

Yes, that's a foil board the best man had to use to shine it on her face. And it actually worked!

The photographer wanted us to get close...


So Rachel shut her eyes


At this point he pushed my head into hers, but not before LICKING HIS FINGER AND THEN RUBBING IT ON MY FOREHEAD TO GET RID OF STRAY HAIRS. Of course, this only angered the hair.


Rob's family:


(some of) my family. Roughly speaking, that's (from the left) two cousins in the background, two nans and one nan's new husband (remember that blog?), southern Auntie Sheila and my cousin katie in background, two small children are my cousin Laura's children (some of them), my dad's brother steve's wife julie poking up behind my dad, my dad, Suzanne, Rob, uncle Peter, me, uncle John, Eilneen, Aunti Terry, cousin Laura's daughter (one more) Jenny, behind her, my uncle Chris, Aunti Shirley, uncle Dennis. That's probably 25% of them. Pretty good going.


Both:


The meal was nice although I believe Mike was rather hungry as the first course and the last course were composed of fruit and most of you (some of you?) know how Mike feels about fruit.
Rob were rather jittery pre-speech but proved rather good conversation and people-watcher:


Next came the speeches. The video of my dad's is 200Mb and is on my computer but nowhere will bloody well host it for me. Rob's speech and Steve, the best man's speeches were really very slick and it amazed me they could say such moving things so easily and geuninely. I guess my Dad's was still my favourite, though, because there was so much emotion in it, from the shaking hands to the erm apes dressed like a bride and groom he pulled out.

(That's right. We couldn't decide what to get Suzanne as we didn't want something generic. They're going to Monkey World soon. So we went to Build-A-Bear and got these, but apes:)



Aquote from his speeche if you will, my personal favourite:

My dad: I was going to mention some comic things my girls said and did when younger, but I could only think of Gilly as she was a born comedian from a young age. I will wait to say those. Where's Mike?

[pause]

When you're ready Mike.

Me: Dying.

And then there was the obligatory cake-cutting, although this was made interesting by Suzanne having to mind the dowel that was holding the cake together:

Beautiful really, picture-perfect. I think they placed their champagne like that deliberately.



After this Mike, Hannah and I took a wander. And I must say, since my blog has become a sort of wedding blog, that Hannah is just great. She comes in at last minute and talks to everyone and dances for hours. She knows Mike because she's dating his best friend, me because we did dance soc together, and Suzanne because she's a medic. Anyway Hannah took this:



And then what left is there to say, except my eyes welled up every now and then, as I watched my sister and husband dancing their first dance. Admittedly this could be because I had previously removed my shoes on said walk with Mike and put them hastily back on undone and danced with Rob's dad to Aerosmith's Don't Wanna Miss a Thing.

Other couples floated onto the dance floor gradually, and suddenly it was ten o'clock and I was getting on down to Sit Down by James with my dad, an anthemic song that embodies mine and Suzanne's youth. And then we moved into Abba and Grease Medleys and a million small children flooded the dancefloor.

And then everybody there danced the night away.

by billygean.co.uk at 10:57 PM |