War of the Roses?

Working on the basis that I'm not a born and bred Lancastrian I thought it would be fairly safe to take a job that involved me going over the border and into Yorkshire.

The job in question was the wedding of Steve and Lauren. Nice couple.

I first met Lauren at a wedding fair, as I tend to meet most of my brides but on this particular occasion we hadn't even got the display up properly when Lauren arrived.

The result was that Lauren and me stood and  had a lovely long  discussion about the dangers of large boobs and strapless wedding dresses while Bob got on with assembling the display and trying not to listen.

Shortly after that we met Steve at their home and we got on like a house on fire.

It seemed like the wedding was so far away then but before we knew it it was here.

Where does the time go?

Bob, me and Carla, this was her second wedding as a rookie, jumped into the car and set off for York where the wedding was to be held, in the Merchant Adventurers' Hall to be exact.

It's a fair trek to York from where we are so we left plenty of time for a leisurely journey and lunch on the way.

Oh, the best laid plans and all that.

After a clear run all the way we hit a wall of traffic (not literally) outside the city and from there  it took us over an hour to drive two miles.  AAAARRRRGGHH!!!!!  So much for a leisurely lunch. Thank goodness we always allow a ridiculously large  amount of time for journeys.  Darn you, York races!!


We popped into a pub and tried to get a sandwich and a coffee. "No food or hot drinks till 5."  Ho hum.

On the barman's advice we parked the car and walked the rest of the way to the hall. Good advice as it turned out, it was only a few hundred yards away and we probably couldn't have parked any nearer anyway.  Luckily, there was a cafe right next door so we managed to get our leisurely lunch after all.

Thank goodness for that. You really wouldn't like me when I'm hungry.

So. What can I say about the Merchant Adventurers' hall?

 It's STUNNING...... and hidden down an alley between two shops.

What else can I tell you? It's gone straight into the top five on my list of favourite venues. I. Love. It.

The guests arrived, the groom arrived, the sun (not the newspaper) arrived, the bride arrived, everything was perfect.  I really liked their choice of decor, it fitted the venue brilliantly, very simple and natural in lovely, neutral colours.

Lauren arrived. I'm not sure who was more nervous, her or her dad.

Steve on the other hand looked as relaxed as.....a..... relaxed thing. Maybe he just hides it well.

All nerves disappeared when they met at the front.

The ceremony was lovely and very dignified as befits a venue like this one.

Or so they thought at the back. I could see what was really happening when the ring wouldn't go on.

'Eeeeeee. We're married!!!'

The gardens at the Merchant Adventurers' Hall are a bit odd,  that is to say the road beyond the walled garden is about 20 feet higher than the garden itself.  All the passing tourists on foot and on the tourist buses stopped to take photos, watch and offer their congratulations. I'm not used to working with an audience behind me but we managed.  Here's everyone sharing a toast with the onlookers hanging over the walls.

Even Napoleon dropped by for a look

Here they are sharing a cheeky kiss when they think no ones watching. Love your hair, Lauren.

Time for a walk in the garden

 and a moment of reflection.

Many congratulations, Steve and Lauren.

Home sweet home

It seems like ages since I last popped on here for a chat.  Have you missed me?

What do you mean, have I been away?

Bob and me have been globe trotting - kind of.  Actually, we went on a cruise round the Med. Very nice it was too.  We landed back in Blighty on saturday morning and had a nice leisurely drive back up north so we didn't end up back home as tired as when we left.


All I have to do now is run round  lot to get rid of the excess weight that somehow managed to attach itself to me while we were there.

June was an incredibly busiest month - the busiest ever, in fact. Business is booming - thank you all for your support, Bob and I really do appreciate it.

'Yeah, yeah', I can hear you say. 'That's enough of that just show us the photos.'  Ok then.

June started with Nick and Jayne.

Their wedding day was on that hot day, remember the one? It was the 3rd June and it was a scorcher.

I popped over to Manchester for the bridal prep while Bob popped over to the Dunkenhalgh for the lads.
I know which group were the most relaxed:

 There seemed to be a bit of monkey business going on:

They didn't forget about the rings though so that's ok.

 The girls on the other hand were too busy getting on with the important business of looking gorgeous for the big day to be monkeying around:

The dress was a stunning Ronald Joyce  number with an amazing amount of intricate detailing on it. Proper fairytale stuff. Loved it.

Yup, I loved the shoes as well.  Sparkly, just how I like them!

Jayne's Dad was lovely. He was almost bursting with pride, you could see it in his face. It made me all emotional just watching them.

Finally, the time came to make the long, long  journey from the house to the church.  It took all of fifteen seconds on foot, it was literally just across the road.   As they arrived at the church they stopped for a little breather to calm a few wayward nerves before going in. It did cross my mind that they must have painted that door behind Jayne to coordinate with  her ensemble, it was such a perfect match!

Ready? Take a deep breath and.....

Before you know it, it's all over and it's time to sign the register.

Then outside for a sneaky kiss when you think no-ones looking.

We did it!!!!

The church and the service were beautiful and it was all over far too quickly. It's a good job we are there to capture those memories for you or it would all just be a blur, it goes so fast.

After the ceremony we made a quick dash back to the brilliant Dunkenhalgh to get on with the serious business of the day; the reception.

Since the weather was so gorgeous all the guests were able to sit out and enjoy the sunshine, it was a lovely, relaxed affair with a of of laughing going on.

While we were doing the group shots we had to wait for one person to arrive to complete the group. As we waited I sang everyone a song. I think they liked it.

What song was it?

'I've got a luverley bunch of coconuts'  Ever the professional *sigh*

The table decorations were gorgeous.

As were the flowers. It's been a popular colour scheme this year, fuchsia, black and white.

Jayne just looked more and more gorgeous as the day wore on. Being married obviously suits her.

Eventually it was time for the first dance.

And time for Bob and me to leave. 

Many congratulations to Nick and Jayne.