Being the father of the bride made the snapping of pictures very difficult but I managed to get a few. No doubt there will be more pictures of the great day on this blog in future posts.
Frances looked so lovely and as I walked her into Tideswell Church I was almost overcome with emotion as the assembled guests in their best clothes turned to greet us. The first hymn we sang was "Jerusalem" with words by William Blake. It was a very beautiful service conducted by Stewart's father as sunshine pierced the stained glass windows.
And then we all travelled two miles back to the wedding venue which had been prepared with much forethought - mostly led by Frances's vision of how she wanted it all to be.
It was a day filled with sunshine, happiness and joy. There was so much love around as people let their hair down, ate good food and drank like fishes and oh how we danced! The band were superb and when they left around midnight it was disco time. Lightweights began to drift away but a hard core of twenty or so - including the happy couple remained partying beyond three o'clock.
There is luxury farm accommodation a mile and a half from the wedding barn. Some of the guests were staying there but had no idea how to get back safely on foot. At three thirty in the morning, as a crescent moon curled above the dark Derbyshire fields, I led this drunken party of ten home along a public footpath I know by heart. It wasn't something I had contemplated doing but they were Londoners and this landscape was unknown to them so I felt obliged to walk them right back to their doors.
Cows loomed in the darkness and the grass was heavy with summer dew and of course I had to get back to the wedding barns on my own. I locked up the party barn after turning off all the lights and finally got into bed at 5am. The last man standing.
It had been a truly joyous day - almost magical - far better than anybody imagined it would be and at the centre of the celebrations was my lovely daughter with her new husband dancing deep into the night. Yes that my friends - that was a wedding! Certainly one of the proudest days of my life. Never to be forgotten.
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| The wedding cake - made by my amazing wife |
What a perfect start to what we all hope will be a long and happy union. Wishing them all the very best throughout their life together.
ReplyDeleteWhen I married, it was a beautiful sunny day too, and I was repeatedly told "Happy is the bride that the sun shines on". We were married for over 50 years, so perhaps that's true !
I am so glad that this post brought back some of your happiest memories CG.
DeleteWhat a wonderful start to a marriage - the best I can imagine! You and Shirley as the bride's parents a crucial role, of course; not just because Shirley made the cake and you led her into church, but because without you, Frances would have never been born and this fantastic wedding would have never taken place.
ReplyDeleteHow did your speech go?
It went well Meike and thank you for your kind and thoughtful response.
DeleteOh wow. Just wonderful. Can you send me a piece of that fantastic cake????
ReplyDeleteOkay. Give me your address and bank PIN number JayCee.
DeleteA lovely couple...a delicious-looking cake which, no doubt, tasted great.,,made with love by the proud mother of the bride.
ReplyDeleteFrom your description, Yorkie...everyone had a wonderfully happy time; a joyous occasion that lasted long. A day and evening that has spawned cherished memories that will last for many, many years to come...
I'm happy for you all, and look forward to reading more...and seeing more photos as you begin to come back down to earth. :)
I'm glad I could share a sense of it all with you Lee. Thank you.
DeleteHappy wedding = happy marriage.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are right Sir Tasker!
DeleteWhat a beautiful dress and a magnificent cake! You must be cream-crackered after such a late night, but well worth it for the perfect wedding of the year!
ReplyDeleteI survived on just three hours sleep all day Sunday and even led a five mile country walk!
DeletePure joy is written all over your post. Frances is a genius cake-maker. What a glorious, wonderful day. Congratulations to all.
ReplyDeleteJust to make things clear, it was my wife Shirley who made the cake Mary.
DeleteOh boy. Brain damage on my part. I knew it was Shirley.
DeleteI've embiggened the photos and every detail I see is just lovely.
ReplyDeleteThe dress is stunning and the cake looks luscious.
I'm trying to imagine the walk to and from the guest accommodation in the early hours. You planned a wedding walk but not quite like that!
Congratulations to the happiest father of the bride I've ever known (and of course the mum and the couple themselves)
I guess I am an emotional guy Kylie and yes that night walk was the very last thing on my mind. There's cow shit on my new suit trousers now!
DeleteSounds great. Congratulations all round. The father's speech? How did that go?
ReplyDelete3 am? Reminds me of my brother's wedding. Think David Beckham (visually). At some point in the night his lovely sweet dainty freshly baked wife desired to retire to their chambers. My brother (ever courteous and romantic) escorted her to same - with no intention of staying (he had friends to attend to). Same friends (from childhood) had lovingly taken off the door and placed it on the marital bed. Alexander, never short of an even temper, took same door, put it back on its hinges, bid his bride good night and re-joined his chums. You'd never known the next morning (a few hours later). That's how anecdotes, lovingly remembered, are made.
Once more, many congratulations ...
U
That's a funny tale Ursula. Thank you for showing interest and giving kind support.
DeleteBeautiful couple with nothing but sunshine in the sky. Congrats to everyone now take a good long breath and spend the day with your feet up.
ReplyDeleteMonday we will be clearing out and cleaning up...Plenty of work still to do Linda.
DeleteOh my! What a beautiful, beautiful wedding day!
ReplyDeleteNo, you will never forget it.
I just love the image of you leading ten Londoners through the night under a crescent moon to their lodgings.
That cake is beyond gorgeous. Simply amazing.
And the couple. All love to the couple.
And now it's going to take you a month to recover.
Well done!
I think we may need a getaway holiday after all of this Mary!
DeleteOh, what a day -- I know that night hike will be remembered by all as the best way to put the seal on a heavenly day. And ye gods, THAT CAKE.
ReplyDeleteLike Ares comes the bridegroom, with his beautiful Athena.
I must tell them their new names Vivian! Thank you.
DeleteI'm glad everything went well. Your daughter is beautiful and the blue sky is beautiful as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd that cake. Wow! Your wife is amazing.
Congratulations.
Days like that one do not come along very often. Thank you Lily.
DeleteI logged on just now with my morning coffee to see if you had managed to post something, and what a wonderful post! Frances is beautiful and I love the dress. It sounds like a truly magical, unforgettable day! I'm so happy for the lovely couple and wish them many years of joy. Congratulations all around!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your support and kind thoughts Jennifer.
DeleteWow. Just wow. It all looks and sounds amazing.
ReplyDeleteMy hearty congratulations to you all. Xx
I accept your hearty congratulations with hearty gratitude Christina!
DeleteThat cake! Sounds like you all had a most fabulous day. Hope to see lots more photos.
ReplyDeleteIt was - like the song says - "just a perfect day".
DeleteFabulous bride, handsome husband....what a great day you had . Love to you all. Love the dress Frances, good choice .Well done Mr Pud with your night time trek across the fields. Glad you got back safely .x
ReplyDeleteYes - with no torch I could have easily fallen down or something. Thank you Frances Senior!
DeleteWhat an absolutely magical day and night! Francis is a beautiful bride and they make a perfect couple. Shirley is a talented baker by the look of that gorgeous cake. I love the story of you guiding the guests back to their rooms in the early morning hours. Rest up and know that you have helped to create a magical day and memories for a lifetime!
ReplyDelete"Magical" is the key word Bonnie. Thank you.
DeleteSounds like a perfect day for everyone involved - and even the weather cooperated! The couple look very happy - and your daughter is beautiful. Congrats to everyone on a job well done!
ReplyDeleteThank you Margie. Two of the guests were from Toronto!
DeleteWhat a wonderful, glorious, love-filled, sunny day for your wedding, Frances. You look amazingly beautiful! Your groom is not so bad, either!
ReplyDeleteThe flowers are just stunning!! Perfect flowers for a perfect day.
Tell Shirley that is the most wonderful, unique, amazing wedding cake that I have ever seen . Bravo!!!!
I just have nothing more to say! You all did a wonderful job putting together a lovely wedding day for your princess. Congratulations and Best wishes to Frances and your new son-in-law.
Thank you so much Donna. Your kind support really means something to me.
DeleteLovely! So glad it went so well. Best wishes to the happy couple.
ReplyDeleteIt could have hardly have gone better but I must tell you about the lost key...in another post.
DeleteYay! I'm so glad it all went well and was such a memorable occasion. The cake is beautiful, as are the flowers and the happy couple. It seems like a very stylish and yet unfussy affair. And bravo for walking everyone back to their accommodations in the middle of the night. As much as you love walking, I'm sure that was a challenge you didn't foresee!
ReplyDeleteTaking them back was like herding sheep. Two of them got mad for some reason and walked off in entirely the wrong direction and this added a further ten minutes to the process. Thank you for your kind observations Steve.
DeleteCongratulations to the new couple.
ReplyDeleteThank you Red. Canada was well-represented.
DeleteSounds like a good time was had by all! Lovely photo of the bride and groom. And that cake! That's amazing. Just one question - how was the cake transported to the venue? or was it assembled on site? If it was transported, someone had the heart of a lion to take a chance with that! Your wee-hours walk will be the stuff of legend in your family, I daresay :)
ReplyDeleteTransported in boxes and then assembled Jenny. My wife has now made four wedding cakes of a similar ilk but this one was by far the best.
DeleteWhat a lovely day! Congratulations to the happy couple and congratulations all round to the Pudding clan for putting it together so beautifully!
ReplyDeleteAnd the Beckley clan too Pipi. They did their bit too.
DeleteBeautiful simple dress, so lovely and the best cake I've seen in years, although I did see a couple in the paper the other day who had a pork pie wedding cake. lol
ReplyDeleteBriony
x
I thought that down in Brighton it would have been a vegan wedding cake!
DeleteA perfect day, she is beautiful your daughter, and the wedding cake was a work of art.
ReplyDelete"Just a perfect day..." Yes it was.
DeleteBeautiful....just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteDo you mean me or the bride?
DeleteI am truly happy for you and your existing and now extended family. I hope that, as in fairy tales, everyone lives happily ever after.
ReplyDeleteIf only Graham...If only my friend.
DeleteGorgeous bride, handsome groom, stunning dress, unbelievable cake, blue skies, happy (but tired) parents -- sounds like a perfect day to be treasured always.
ReplyDeleteYou are (as usual) very right Bob!
DeleteThat is the best wedding cake I have ever seen.
ReplyDelete