Much of a muchness

Well, the much anticipated wedding day arrived and what a day it turned out to be. The dreadful weather which we had been experiencing all week broke and the sun shone. The only dark cloud in the whole day was that I was going to have to go to the wedding unaccompanied as L’s son was ill and he needed to stay with him, so that did take the shine off things. It also meant I didn’t have my style guru to help me with dressing decisions – pashmina, jacket or cardigan? If pashmina or cardigan, black or pink? Belt with dress or no belt? Hat or not? Indecisive? Me? Eventually decided on jacket (but take pashmina – pink) and I wore the hat for about an hour and then ended up carrying it as it got on my nerves – and got in the way of taking photographs.

The wedding was quite beautiful, the bride looked gorgeous, her dress was exquisite, very simple but stunning, the groom, the groomsmen and the page boys all looked very dashing in kilts. The bridesmaids were so sweet and pretty and seemed to enjoy being the centre of attention.

The reception was held at Mapperton, the home of the Earl of Sandwich, and recently voted ‘The Nation’s Finest Manor House’ by Country Life magazine – and with good reason. It is a beautiful house and the gardens are breathtaking, the perfect backdrop for wedding.

The bride is a deputy editor for the Saturday Times newspaper, and her wedding preparations have been wonderfully documented each week in the Times Online ‘The Hitch’ section – (she is ‘the Times Bride’) so many of her journalist friends were at the wedding which meant I got to meet several people whose writing I read and enjoy every week, in particular Hannah Betts, (I use Bobbi Brown’s Luminous Moisturizing Foundation after her recommendation) and the wonderful Robert Crampton, who writes a column in the Saturday Times magazine. I’m afraid I couldn’t resist being very uncool and telling him how much I enjoyed his page and how it always made me laugh. In hindsight, very gushing and embarrassing and star struck. Oh dear.

Today, I have aching knees from dancing in high heels and normal service has been resumed as far as the weather is concerned -it’s raining.