I think it's fairly well-established knowledge that I'm a bit of a wedding nut. I watch Don't Tell the Bride religiously, have wept buckets over Tom Fletcher's wedding speech and am currently working on a paper that looks at The Wedding Season Quartet as challenging the normal romance novel by opening (as opposed to ending) with a wedding.
So understandably I was delighted to be invited to the wedding of two friends from uni. I met Jo in my first year where we bonded over sex-infused poetry seminars and late-night love of Moulin Rouge (I maintain that our version of Elephant Love Song Medley is a classic). Towards the end of that year she met Andy and that was pretty much it for the both of them.
Fast-forward to last Saturday and to one of the loveliest weddings I've ever attended. Set in the beautiful Ward Rooms in the University of Greenwich - with surprisingly good weather for September - everything seemed perfect.
From the banners with their family crests emblazoned on it (wings for the Piancastellis and a crescent for the Tattons) to the packs of cards, board games and (frankly exhausting) Dance Dance Revolution in their own games room, it was clear that this was a celebration of their past, present and what will clearly be a very happy future.
The ceremony itself was simple but lovely; Jo's dress divine and the vows . It was as if there was no-one in the room but them. And this is the key thing. In so many weddings you go to, or see, the bride and groom do the 'rounds' and do all the stuff they think they ought to do, whereas Andy and Jo did what they wanted.
They had a jukebox so that everyone could choose the songs to dance to; they spent time just chilling out with their friends and family (I'm referencing a fairly hysterical interlude where most of the party - men included - tried on heels of varying heights and attempted to stumble along in a straight line); they did Gangnam Style with Andy's 86 year old nan (who is a legend); and they provide an obscene amount of food, which is always a good thing.
And when it came to the first dance - to Come What May from Moulin Rouge - they danced with each other, with parents and then grandparents. When Jo's younger brother went to dance with her I (in a rather embarrassing moment) burst into tears and retreated behind my friend Cathy until I was able to pull myself together. And when she looked up at him and he looked down at her... Well, who says that true love is a fable?!
Their laughter, lust for life and love for each other is what makes them who they are and is what makes them a perfect couple.
I wish them all the best, all my love, and all the adventures they could ever wish for...with a pack of dice always in their hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment