April 2002"We do seem to be on the final run."
by Gill Cheshire
...
We are gathered here together in the presence of family, friends and loved ones, for the purpose of uniting in matrimony
Andy Graham and Gill Cheshire
You have come here today to join not only your hands but, also, your hearts.
Love is one of the most powerful energies in the world. It drives us forward, gives us purpose and adds meaning where it sometimes seemed none existed. Marriage is the fusion of two hearts, the union of two lives. What greater thing is there for two human beings than to feel that they are joined for life, to strengthen each other, to rest on each other and to be with each other even in silence, etc...
As you can see we've been busy choosing the format of our ceremony, including the words we want to say and the poems we wish read. This has all been made relatively easy as the Registry Office forwarded us a booklet which breaks down the ceremony bit by bit and allows us a choice of words that can be spoken. All we have had to do is choose the words we prefer (all coded by a reference) and then indicate it on a pre-printed form. It has made the whole process simpler and means we are able to tailor our day to be more specific to us. We have also chosen two poems, The Art of a Good Marriage and Thoughts of Love. My mother will read one and a friend of Andy's will read the other. All of this has now been sent off to the Registry Office for their approval.
The flower making process still rumbles on. With more leaves made and the roses finished, I am now starting on sweet peas, daisies and freesias. Making sugarcraft flowers is a very long-winded process, but hopefully worthwhile. Never having done it before, I have had to make masses of flowers as I am not sure until I start fixing it all together how many I will need. I will not be doing this until much nearer the wedding so I cannot risk doing too few flowers, otherwise there will be one of those last minute panics that we haven't yet come across.
I really am having difficulty understanding what people panic about. Maybe it's because I like to be so organised that we dotted the "I's" and crossed the "T's" a long time ago for this wedding. The arrangements seem to be particularly laid back. We have meticulously planned everything in advance and, in fact, it was this time last year that we chose our outfits, booked the venue and selected both the photographer and harpist - all of the major things out of the way. So we are now a year on from those original bookings and just adding the finishing touches. I am sure when parents are not involved in the arrangements things run far more smoothly. You can make all the decisions without parents' input and certainly avoiding the invitation list squabble, which seems to be par for the course in wedding planning.
It does beg the question, what have we not done? Are we missing something? I am beginning to double check everything convinced that we must be missing something crucial as everything is running like clockwork. It cannot last. But two months to go and there is no sign of anything untoward.
Although most people have responded to our invitation there are two couples who haven't as yet. Although the wedding seems a long time off, in point of fact the numbers need to be finalised and the wedding venue paid for a month in advance of the day. It also would help if people did let us know so that we can finalise the number of favours we need and make them, work up the table plan and finish off the name cards. We have decided to invite some more friends so I have been busy sending out a few more invites, which will ultimately increase our numbers.
We do seem to be on the final run. We have booked another meeting with the photographer to again go over our requirements and brief him following our visit in January to the Castle. The visit has opened up a few more questions and I want to be specific in certain shots we would like. It's been a year since we initially made contact with him and I want him to get a good feel for what we're after. Fortunately, he knows the Castle well. So, he consequently knows the best locations.
We've also booked an appointment at the Registry Office for a ceremony run through and arranged to visit the Castle to decide on the bedroom allocation. I guess the only things to do now are write up the place cards and sort out the table plan - this could definitely be where the fun starts!
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