So here we are back at the gorgeous Gaynes Park in Essex, this time for the excellent Laura and Ian. We had some rain, we had some sun, we had some laughs, we had some tears. We had it all.
We began with Laura and her bridesmaids (and a big thank you to Sarah, Sophie, Alex and Mel – and Alex I’m saying nothing about Prosecco. Nothing…..) in the Apple Loft Cottage and a remarkably calm atmosphere. The prosecco started here. It carried on most of the day like all the best weddings do. Ian arrived with his groomsmen, and some nerves on show. No matter. They always fade and so it was today.
They faded the moment Ian saw his Laura walk towards the Orangery through the beautiful Gaynes gardens. A walk towards their lives together. A walk that starts alone and ends with a kiss, and a ring. It begins as one and ends as two. I like that symmetry just as I liked Laura and Ian’s laid-back senses of humour. They’re both vets, and their intelligence shines as brightly as their love for one another. A love shared with their friends and family in the Essex countryside, and a day that melted into a warm evening. I drove home to echoes of a band belting out tunes as the dancing continued.
Thanks are due. To Natalie at Gaynes Park for impeccable front-of-house. To Galloping Gourmet for peerless food as always.
But mainly to Laura and Ian for inviting me into their lives for the most important day. This is their day.
