The wedding service and reception

Sure enough, Friday morning Steve couldn’t get out of bed. That required the first change as Steve was meant to be ushering and making sure guests signed the guest book.

While we were supposed to be making and eating eggs and bacon everyone kept being called away. Sam and Sam (best man) had to go to the Village Hall to let the caterer in but he didn't turn up for an hour and a half so in the end they left to get breakfast and because Sam had to get ready to go to the registry office and while one was in the shower and the other eating his breakfast Emma rang to say the caterer had arrived. Thankfully they had left the hall open for him to get in.

While they were out the guy in charge of the P.A. rang to say they were waiting at the church ready to set up and it was not open so Tim had to go to the Hall to get the keys off Sam and then go to the church to open it for them whereupon we discovered the local school next door to the church was haveing some event and people were parking in the church car park which obviously we needed!

We rang a masseuse that one of mum’s friends had recommended and took him down in the morning and he helped free it a bit – enough to manage being at the wedding. It got a bit better by the end of the day but still meant he was hobbling around. Dad and Gavin had to help me manhandle Steve into the car and then drove him to the masseuse so we had breakfast in shifts which was probably a good thing as we only had one egg poacher pan! I went to collect Steve and then dropped Rose off at Ali's house so she could go with mum to the church.

I got back and Steve left with Tim to the church as Tim's seats in the car were higher. Gran left with Uncle Andrew and Aunty Ruth and I was not even dressed at this point! Because everyone else had left Joshua and Naomi were following me all over the house asking if we were going yet!

The wedding was lovely. It reflected Sam and Emma’s personality and faith in a wonderful way. They had lots of freedom because they had already done the legal bit so they were able to write their own vows which were beautiful. The church building was a little warm but it was a great service and I’m sure a great witness to their non-Christian friends. Sam had chosen his friend Sam (very confusing!) as best man who he has known from first school. He is not a Christian and he was really engrossed in the service and everything that was said.

After the service we went to Rock Village Hall and had photos and so on – it was pretty windy but stayed bright. Then we had a Hog Roast – the in thing apparently but I wasn’t that impressed. The caterer ran out of some of the salads and potatoes by the last couple of tables and there were no dressings or butter for the rolls or sauces for the spring rolls or samosas but other than that…..! But the chocolate fountain may have made up for everything else!!

At the start of Sam’s speech he brought out a cake for Rose and everyone sang happy birthday to her so that made her day.

For their first dance Sam and Emma did their own version of the wedding dance on Youtube which was hilarious http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvIvHrsLvSM to ‘In the Secret’.

Then after three trips bringing my family home – one for my Gran, one for Steve and Naomi and one for Rose and Joshua I decided I was not going to return again but waited up because my mum said they might need a lift home (the hall was only up the road from mum and dad's house). Just as well because mum's friend brought her home as she had done something to her leg while dancing. So I took her to the hospital to get it checked. She has pulled her Achilles tendon in a couple of places and has crutches and has to stay off work for a few days. So my day came full cycle – helping to dress my husband in the morning and undressing my mum at night!! And my brother Tim had to come to the house to pick up Sam’s flight paperwork because they had left it when they got changed!!

All in all A BRILLIANT DAY
(for photos of wedding: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=128370&l=8d086&id=789895076)

pre-wedding

I was going to say that the pre-wedding week was fairly plain sailing but how wrong could I be? So, the story goes back a bit……it starts when my brother first went to the registry office to ask for a registrar to be present at the wedding. He and Emma had already decided their church building was too small to get married in so they wanted to use the Kidderminster Elim instead. The registrar told him the building had never been registered as a church so she couldn’t come. So they had to arrange to get married at the registry office before the church wedding. So far so good. The pastor of the Kidderminster church however has been pretty rubbish at communicating with Sam and Emma and on Tuesday announced he had booked a funeral before the wedding which although they could still get married there left them no time to get the Church decorated or for the band to practice (who had not all played together before). Sam was so mad at first but my dad helped him sort out another church through one of his friends who is a local pastor. It ended up being a much better venue anyway and the pastor and his wife couldn’t do enough to help, they were so gracious and lovely.

Thursday night was a bit mad as the night before probably tends to be! I was painting my mum's toenails while she was ironing the mens' shirts as they were all provided still in their packets. Just before we went to bed, Steve threw his back out and we knew it was likely he was going to be immobile on Friday. I couldn’t believe the timing.