A Christmas Wedding

It seemed that no sooner had we settled in for our family Christmas break in The West Wing, we were heading back towards home, for a wedding that had been a couple of years in the planning.

Our close friends' eldest son, Chris and his fiancee, Jenny, were getting married on 23 December and we just couldn't miss sharing their day with them.
We made it back home with plenty of time to spare and soon got 'suited and booted', which was an interesting experience ... heels and tights for me and a collar and tie for Martin, we were both well outside of our comfort zones!




Though it felt a little brisk, the sun was shining, for what seemed like the first time for weeks and we kept our fingers crossed that the good weather would continue.  The wedding was held at a place called Mythe Barn, not too far from home and we arrived to be greeted by our friends, Jackie and Phil, both looking absolutely fabulous, as mother and father of the groom, and a lot more comfortable in their smart attire than we felt in ours.

















We soon warmed up with a Winter Pimms, which went down very nicely, whilst catching up with Chris, who looked very nervous, his sister, Rachel, my God Daughter, who made an absolutely beautiful bridesmaid and her boyfriend Tom, who was performing Usher duties.
Before long we were called into the room where the ceremony was to take place and we all took our seats. Martin and I both exchanged a knowing look when the Canon in D Major started up for the arrival of the bride, as this was the music that I walked into my own wedding ceremony to.

The three beautiful bridesmaids entered the room first, followed by Jenny, who looked amazing. Rachel did a reading and the ceremony went off without a hitch and it was soon back into the reception area for more Winter Pimms and plenty of canapes, including mini fish and chips, which were very tasty.
Photographs were being taken and we soon realised that something unexpected must be happening outside. We braved the cold to have a look for ourselves to find some surprise guests, which was a real treat.

After this distraction, or should I say disruption, and the more traditional confetti shots, it was time to make our way to take our seats for the wedding breakfast.  
This was held in another room at the venue and it was decorated beautifully, with a huge Christmas tree in the corner and plenty of festive table decorations.

Kicking tradition into touch, the speeches were delivered before we ate and all did really well and were very entertaining.  Having known Chris all of his life, I was so proud of how confident he was and how well he did.  He's definitely all grown up now.
We dined like Kings on Arancini, followed by Beef Wellington, with vegetables and dauphinnoise potatoes, a real favourite, finished off by a very chocolaty dessert. The food was all amazing and there was most definitely plenty of it.
After watching the first dance, it was then time for Martin and I to find a quiet spot to chill, whilst the disco ensued ... Oh yeah, there was a quick change for Martin too, into something just a little more comfortable.
As we had an early start, back to Yorkshire the following day, we didn't stay too late and we spent the rest of the evening catching up with friends, taking selfies and managing to put away plenty of pizza later on ... Well, it would have been rude not to.
It was a lovely wedding and we were really pleased to have been invited to share Chris and Jenny's special day with them.  Everything went really well, the venue was brilliant, I would definitely recommend it.

Martin and I both wish Chris and Jenny every happiness for this next phase of their life together.