Speech!

When Lucy asked me a long time ago, to give her away ( well loan her away  , you know what I mean) she also said I was welcome to do a MOTB speech. I agreed, and have over the past months being putting together a few words to toast the Bride and Groom.

 I did laugh when I perused the wedding etiquette booklet (referred to in previous blogs) as clearly in the early 1960’s – it would have been unthinkable for any lady at the wedding to speak. Let alone the MOTB.

So taking the place of traditional Father of the Bride – the etiquette booklet says I must “Toast the health and happiness of the Bride and Groom” (TICK) ...”at an opportune moment half way through the feast” ( I do hope Close House’s delicious three courses match up the expectation of a feast. No wonder I am not sleeping!) Also – Mark wants all the speeches at the end of the meal, so no tick there on the opportune moment. The Bride in one of her  recent “ Chill Mum” moments, told me that they are so cool with the speeches that it can be any order , and don’t have to follow any etiquette! David Monks the publisher of the book would spin in his grave!

I was therefore very amused, when I then read

“The Bride usually contents herself with a smiling expression of thanks, if she wishes, to the first toast.”  I sincerely hope that this Bride will be smiling with thanks all the way through!

Technology permitting, I hope to start the speeches off with some MOTB girl power , utilising several media! Of course this girl only has the power, if her techie hubby completes the presentation for a seamless speech. ( again, I refer to my temporary insomnia)

Last weekend, I enlisted the help of my friend Anne, to listen to the first run through. And am now practicing it as much as I can, whenever I can so that if emotions ( I say if, as it is bound to be when!) overtake me, I will be able to carry on!! And then the boys take over. And I will have my first drink(s) of the day. Not long now.....

Sunrise, sunset

I have developed a habit this last week of waking in the middle of the night. It is a combination of work and weddings. I have my lists beside me and while I know everything will be fine – there clearly is a lot on my mind!! 

So after giving up on sleep last night, I put my ipod on shuffle and guess what got played first?? "Sunrise, sunset" From Fiddler on the Roof! 

Once I started to listen, I had to go and find my tissues in the dark to mop a few tears, happy ones - then I hit my shin off the wooden bed frame and spoiled the moment - having a few tears of pain! Hopefully the shiner on my shin will be covered by my dress on Saturday ! Ha...

Anyway - to share

 
Is this the little girl I carried? 
Is this the little boy at play?

I don't remember growing older
When did they?

When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?




Wasn't it yesterday
When they were small?



Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

What words of wisdom can I give them?
How can I help to ease their way?

Now they must learn from one another
Day by day

They look so natural together








Just like two newlyweds should be

Is there a canopy in store for me?
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

In the busy times we are currently in, all good stuff – and hardly time to blog!! I had wanted to get Lucy something special for her “ Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. So I found on “Not on the high street.com” a lovely keepsake pin which has a charm for each the new, old, borrowed and blue.

I then wondered what this old tradition was about.  Something Old: Represents the link with the bride's family and the past. A common solution many bride's choose is to wear a piece of family jewellery or their mother's or grandmother's wedding dress.

Something New: Represents good fortune and success in the bride's new life. The wedding dress is often chosen as the new item.

Something Borrowed: To remind the bride that friends and family will be there for her when help is needed. The borrowed object might be something such as a lace handkerchief or an item of jewellery.

Something Blue: Symbolises faithfulness and loyalty and dates back to biblical times when blue represented purity. Frequently the bride's garter is the blue item.

And while most of us are familiar with the rhyme of  “Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” not everyone is aware of the end line “and a silver sixpence in her shoe”. The silver sixpence symbolises wealth – not just financial wealth but also a wealth of happiness and joy throughout married life. 

So I dug out the sixpence which my Grandma ( My Mum’s Mum) gave me for my first wedding; which I had kept and used for the second one too! As you know by now, I’m not that good with real shoes anyway, but somehow I managed to slip the coin into my shoes on both occasions. 

My Grandma who enjoyed painting, often made little pictures to accompany things, and sure enough had made one for the sixpence.

So when I presented my daughter with her Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue pin and I gave her the family sixpence. We were both amazed that the little picture which must be over 27 years old has the most beautiful deep purple colour, which is almost exactly the shade of the bridesmaids dresses.

Suits you, part 2

We had a world record achievement today. My Dad, who was very proud to say that until this year, he had only ever been to the Metrocentre once. Today, he completed his third visit this year, making a grand total of 4 visits. Each of the four as brief as possible.

The visit today was timed to perfection, with me collecting Dad, then Richard from rowing and meeting Lucy at Greenwoods at precisely 3pm. Dad didn’t say much as we processed through the Metro which was bedecked with lavish Christmas decorations - errrr it is still October! and packed ( despite the local football derby being held at the Stadium of Light) with shoppers.

Richard and Dad both tried their suits on and as everything was in order, we were able to bring the suits away with us ready for the BIG day. We were back in the car, having met Auntie Moo who had been doing a little retail therapy of her own, and were all back in the car by 3.20pm. Dad physically exhaled as we came off the A1 back on to the A69.

Once we returned to the safe haven of # 10 we gathered with Granny to debrief the trip. The octogenarian of few words, then shared his experience which included reference to the fact that he’d been asked to change into the fine suit in “ a room smaller than our shower cabinet”. The young lady assistant had chatted him up, asking him “Are you ready for the big day?” * She was just being polite. He replied telling her that he still had so much to do. And told us it really was none of her business.

Anyway, this old MOTB who is quite emotional this last week, often having an unexpected tear at an unexpected moment ( sorry Jeanette!) was bursting with pride to see both my Dad and son looking so very smart in their suits. Photo below is obviously cropped to maintain the secret till the big day!

I had a lump in my throat and another tear in my eye when they stood side by side all suited up, with the Christmas decorations twinkling in the background...

Wedding cakes part 2 and 3

We hosted our very own Great British Bake off recently. 

My Mum aka Granny Pam with assistance from Richard completed the medium and large sponge wedding cakes. They were baked over two consecutive evenings, first the chocolate sponge and then the plain sponge.  Granny chose to bake them at our house as the oven is bigger, so the mammoth bake off began. Quantities of eggs, flour, sugar and butter were worked out like mathematical equations. The large borrowed tins were methodically lined with greaseproof paper.

Richard was called in to do the beating of sugar and butter as this took some muscle power!

The smell of the baking cakes was amazing, took me back to times when as a child when my Mum baked cakes at the weekend for a Sunday tea.

So the two cakes are currently safely stashed in the freezer, ready for icing sometime this next week!

Granny does make us laugh, in a good way. She has been saying for weeks, I must marzipan the fruit cake, I must marzipan the fruit cake – but somehow always ran out of time. Anyway, one day she rang to say “ I decided to stop talking about it, and just do it”!

Here she is below putting the white icing on the fruit cake which will form the top layer.

Apparently the bride has approved bridesmaid Sarah’s designs of sugared flowers, and is sorted for next week for Sarah and Granny to do the final planning of how it will all work together. TICK!!

We plough the fields and scatter..just chill!

So as we slip into late October, and the days are getting shorter – we have had a few gloomy days weather wise. Dull grey days that make you want to curl up with a hot Ribena! But no slacking here, we have reached the stage where there are almost daily wedding things to be done. I love it.

The Bride, Groom, Granny and I are keeping each other on track to make sure nothing gets missed. Have to say though, when I mentioned icing flowers for the cake to Lucy again today, she laughed at me and said, “Everyone just needs to take a lesson from Lucy and chill a bit!”

One of the nice wedding related things to do which brightened my day today , was to finally collect my outfit. There was a little bit of sunshine for a change which highlighted the beautiful reds and golds of autumn leaves on the trees on the road to Gunnerton.  One of the previous visits earlier this month, the fields near Chollerton had been ploughed and the birds in the fields were making the most of it! Beautiful.

Auriole B really is a Brilliant seamstress and has completed the MOTB dress project with amazing skill. We both agreed that we love the colour, material and style. As I drove home with the outfit concealed in a white suit cover I had a tingle. A tingle of excitement that we are so close.

So the whole outfit is coming together, although I have had a slight shoe dilemma to share – which thankfully has now been solved! My dyed kitten heels after 10 minutes of wear trying hats on the other week, lead to the little cap on the heel twisting off at an angle. I couldn’t move it back by hand so the ever helpful AJ Bridalwear had them back to the manufacturer  faster than you can say John Barrowman, and hey presto they are repaired and ready to collect.

Now what’s next?? Icing flowers!!

The eagle has landed

One can always tell there is something special happening in our family when Auntie Moo arrives. 

Moo being the affectionate name for my Mum’s sister Muriel , who resides in Vancouver. So since goodness knows when, this year has been a bit of a blur – we all had in our diaries "Auntie Moo is arriving on 16^th October".

And suddenly as Granny and I killed time in Dobbies garden centre on Wednesday evening, browsing the Christmas aisles (!!!) waiting for a slightly delayed flight, it dawned on us that it was here. And that we really are speeding towards the BIG day.

The “eagle” admitted herself to having slightly ruffled feathers and a drip on her beak, from our delightful Newcastle weather but seemed to be in good spirits. 

Lucy has enjoyed many special times with her Great Aunt including three trips to Canada, one aged 7 then 9, and the most recent aged 21.

The first trip included us being there for Lucy’s 7^th birthday so Auntie Moo treated Lucy to her first, and only ice cream birthday cake.

The last trip taken with Granny, provided the intrepid three with some very memorable adventures including a trip up Mount Whistler, where Granny amused all the mountain visitors that day with her eccentric British antics by wearing her socks on the outside of her shoes “for a better grip you know”. 

Order, Order and purple ink!

We recently took delivery of the Order of Service covers. Once the final content for the inside is approved, Neil (Hubby of MOTB) has offered to print them off (as he is the only one who can work out how to set and print it as an A5 booklet!) In fact once he accepted the task, being such a perfectionist he treated himself to a long arm stapler and a guillotine in preparation.

I have to say, the Bride and Groom have chosen some lovely hymns and other music along with a couple of readings to complement the Church of England ceremony. Among them, Lucy has chosen a hymn which reminds her of her time as a child going to Trinity Church with Granny, and Mark loves Last Night of the Proms, so there’s a traditional stirring hymn - sure to have the Abbey roof metaphorically raised on the day.

We now have all the stationery, the Lucy and Mark logo has been carried through on everything. Thanks so much to Helen and Allan  http://www.wearetrust.co.uk/   for their respective project management & design and printing. All top notch! I have really appreciated all their help, and know guests have already and will love the exceptional high quality and attention to detail.

Lucy had recently asked Neil , as he has the neatest handwriting in the family (!) if he would write all the table names and the individual name place cards. I always think he has robot writing, but as he said, "Have you ever seen a robot write?" Again, being the perfectionist he is, Neil duly ordered a new fountain pen set with many a nib and some purple ink. 

The weather last weekend made it impossible for Neil to do some much needed autumn gardening. So he set about the task of writing each guests name (twice – double sided place cards making it easy for all guests to get to know everyone’s name on the table)  Neil did have some initial serious ink issues, which resulted in some loud grumblings from his office, muttering that there was ink everywhere and he was going to throw the **!?!* blummin pen out! 

However, after a nib change, all was well and Neil methodically went through the list. 

Next day, Neil tackled the table names. Larger cards, double sided again. I came home from a morning of taxi duty with Richard at rugby then football, to be asked if I could confirm the names were correct and to verify the spelling of each. He is quite formal sometimes! 

I did this on google, spotted one correction and hopefully if Wikipedia doesn’t let me down we are now all done. Such fun!

The hole in the spreadsheet....

It had to happen, as we hurtle closer to the big day, something would reveal itself as not being covered on the master spreadsheet.

As someone who has to be organised, and gets real satisfaction at ticking things off any list - not just the wedding spreadsheet, you can only imagine the horror when, whilst bobbing up and down in our regular aquafit class, my good friend Anne ( who has patiently listened to every tiny detail of the big day, every week now for almost the past year!!) said, “And of course you will be sending a report to the Hexham Courant...”

 I stopped bobbing and took a deep breath then confessed it wasn’t on the spreadsheet or even anywhere in my head!

Anne kindly texted me a reminder that evening, as being in the pool can bring on goldfish memory issues, and I can report with great relief that not only is it added to the list, I have rung the Courant and they are sending me the forms electronically. Phew!

What happens in the Lakes.....

Well, what a fabulous weekend. I have just about recovered! The venue sourced by Rachel was amazing.

http://theoldhomestead.co.uk/

The first cars to travel over were Rachel and her Mum Ruth and Catriona – and then MOTB, Jo, Sarah and Granny. After a few adventures en route, my car following Rachel with her Sat Nav - Rachel stopped  for diesel  and we didn’t realise so a few texts and phone calls and we were back in convoy again. Then actually finding the secluded venue – but when we arrived and were greeted by the hosts Jane and Zen – the 7 of us having the introductory tour oohing and ahhing all the way round. It was perfect.

We then had team unloading of the cars, Rachel’s being filled with all manner of foods and drink! Once unpacked and the special wine chiller fridge fully stocked, we set about putting up decorations. Hen party balloons, the purple bunting, photos of Lucy over the years, and some of Lucy and Mark along with Granny’s sage quotations about love and marriage. It looked really great. And then there were Sarah's cup cakes 

The Hen and remainder of the Friday group were all en route, so it wasn’t long before we got a call to go out into the car park to greet the bride. Julie had kindly volunteered to transport the Bride to be, along with Amy. Julie had pimped her Audi, and so made sure everyone on the A69 and A595 knew there was an important passenger on board.

“Aunty” Clare, Jodie and Kate arrived soon after and we were complete. We had a nice easy tea pizza, salad and a few drinkies! Most of the conversation ended up with raucous laughter, and a fine evening was had by all. If not a little squiffy.

Saturday morning was cosy and comfy, most hens wandering around in PJ’s or “onesies”  enjoying a leisurely late breakfast . Plans were hatched to meet in Cockermouth for lunch, and people went to get ready, or head off to enjoy the surroundings.

The peace and tranquillity of the Vale of Lorton was momentarily broken by the arrival of the Splitz ladies. Judith, Eleri, Suzanne and Maureen were equally as impressed with the tour of the whole place as we were the night previously. Their journey from the east made them parched, so they were all ready for a liquid refreshment.

So we all met for liquid (and food) refreshment over long lunch at The Trout , a charming Hotel in Cockermouth, which just happened to have room  for an ever expanding group now at 20 strong including Avril,Vicky and Janet. We all headed back to the Old Homestead later afternoon, and everyone enjoyed the garden with a stunning view.

Ruth was head chef with Rachel assisting, MOTB with Kate, and Amy on veggies preparing other dishes. Rachel’s only instruction being everything had to be Lucy’s favourites. So on the menu there was “Wynyard chicken”, lasagne, chicken pie, broccoli, sweetcorn, garlic bread  - enough to feed the 5000. The plan was to start the in house entertainment, then eat, then resume the entertainment. All the hens were asked to wear or accessorise with something sparkly, and the beauty of the Old Homestead meant that everyone was able to get ready quickly, appear in sparkles, and then slip in to slippers.

Granny’s was keen to bring a bit of our family connections with North American to the event, so together with Rachel organised a bridal shower. An upturned umbrella ( shower the bride with gifts!!) was home to all the hens little gifts for Lucy and Mark’s new home – either kitchen or bathroom. Lucy LOVED this – she loved Christmas growing up, and she loves opening gifts. So a good time was had by all when Lucy opened each one and tried to guess who had donated it. Rachel then organised the hens into two teams and set them on making a wedding dress in 10 minutes. Hilarious antics, and a good way for everyone to get to know each other.

Meanwhile the heat in the kitchen was on full power, poor Ruth almost melting . Not only had Ruth made most of the dinner she’d brought delicious puddings too. So dinner was served, and enjoyed by all. Rachel prepared party bags for everyone, which included things you need for a hen party including a hair tie, paracetamol, toothbrush, Love Hearts sweets and a willie straw (!)  Such fun....

Everyone helped to clear up, and then we all settled in the lounge for a Mr and Mrs quiz; another game where everyone had given answers to Rachel to the following questions,

Your first memory of Lucy

One tip for marriage

The only recipe you'll ever need

One thing no one tells you about marriage

One item that you will need during married life

And then Lucy randomly pulled out the answers and had to guess who had said what. Even more fun!

And just when you think your chuckle muscles cant take anymore....Granny Pam and Julie appeared dressed as nuns getting everyone to sing “Oh happy day”. (This wasn’t as weird as it sounds, as Lucy had expressed a desire to have a gospel choir at the wedding ceremony. It was a bit too much for the Abbey to cope with so this was their way of giving that experience to Lucy!!)

Once recovered from the gospel session, the Splitz ladies set about an impromptu dance routine. It was all go. On both nights one of the very popular and messy challenges was the "After Eight" game. Who'd have thought you could have so much fun waiting for an After Eight chocolate to melt balanced on your forehead, to catch it in your mouth. MOTB abstained from this game but got some brilliant photos.

There were many other moments which I won’t recount on a public blog, but it was all good! 

As MOTB it was a lovely experience, at times very emotional caught up in the joy of it all. Then suddenly realised it was my baby girl...this is a right of passage.

Lucy has such a lovely group of friends, and family. The delight of wherever you went in the Old Homestead, there was generally laughter. Often real deep belly laughter – the kind that makes your belly and jaws ache. Even the hens who didn’t know each other soon got on well, and they were united by the fun and games, and their affection for the Bride to be.

And so as the sun rose over Catbells, the Sunday morning meant we all cleaned up, packed up and headed home.

All credit went to Rachel and Ruth for the preparation, and then organisation of the perfect weekend. 

As I mentioned in the last blog, I am not experienced in hen parties . BUT I have to say I loved every minute of this one. So much so, I am thinking I could do it all again!

Hens over and out!

“We” head away today on the hen do.

I have only ever been to three  - two of my own (!) and the third was my good friend from college days who became one of Lucy’s Godmothers, Janet. All three were pretty mild do’s – a few quiet drinks on an evening ( well maybe not quiet!) and my second one being a 10 pin bowling session with good friends including Lucy who was 10 and no alcohol as I happened to be in the very early stages of pregnancy with Richard! So I am a real “hen” novice!

So, it is with great excitement and trepidation we head to a secret location in the Lakes. We have young, old and inbetween attending some for one night, some for two. Along with a great group of Lucy’s bridesmaids, friends there’s Granny, MOTG Avril and MOTB! Chief Bridesmaid to Princess Lucy had done a magnificent job in making the weekend very Lucy themed. And maybe more will be revealed after the event, but as they say “What happens in the Lakes, stays in the Lakes”

Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?

Good news, I have now had a few more MOTB dress fittings with Auriole B.

Auriole has been very understanding about the posse of supporters I take. This includes either my Mum, Lucy and/or my friend and style guru Brenda. For the third fitting just with my Mum, Auriole had made a mock up of the outfit in delightful pink cotton. I almost changed my mind and chose the pink! Joking... I am very glad there were no cameras there to capture that one! I have to say I really love the colour  of the fabric I have chosen, it very me and apparently IN or is it ON fashion trend. Well there is a first time for everything.

I changed my idea of which shoes to wear after several friends commented that I must not be frumpy. So I decided to get some proper shoes from A&J Bridal Wear where Lucy is getting her dress. The shoes are much more wedding-y than an earlier blog post, and are currently being dyed to exactly compliment my outfit.

So all that is left is the hat!

Prior to shopping I checked some of the wedding etiquette on MOTB hats....here’s one of interest 

Suit your style Remember, you’re wearing the hat and not the other way around. Be confident but choose a style that ultimately you’re comfortable in and one that complements your shape and height. If you’re tall avoid tall hats and go for wider brims. If you’re short avoid large hats and go for smaller structured creations.

So the hat hunt began at “Hattie’s” with my Mum, Avril (Mark’s Mum) and me all hoping to find the final piece of the outfit jigsaw.  We were joined by Lucy, Joanne (Mark’s sister) and her 6 month old little boy Theo. Avril and Jo have used the shop previously, so it came highly recommended. Hattie’s home is a small ish shop in Stockton on Tees, which the 6 of us just about filled. The shop is packed to bursting point with all manner of wonderful and colourful headpiece creations.

Lucy had commented previously, what a coincidence it was that a lady called Hattie runs a hat shop! So being polite people, as we took turns to be guided to try on hats for the big day, we all said “Oh that’s nice Hattie” or “Thank you Hattie” as we were passed another hat to try. That was until Jo managed to whisper to Avril, who then told Lucy that Hattie was in fact called Dot. They didn’t manage to tell my Mum and me , so we both continued to call the proprietor Hattie for the rest of our visit.

http://www.hattiesspecialoccasions.co.uk/index.html

Now apparently, hats as we used to know then are now out of fashion, and IN are hatinators. A bit like fascinators but with much more on them! The good thing is that they sit on a band, so no fear of dreaded “hat hair”.  For anyone who really knows me they will understand that at times like this, I sometimes I think I have entered a parallel universe.

Granny went first, and after a few “Oh no I couldn’t possibly wear that” ....she was guided to a perfect hat for her outfit. Avril was then assisted, and Lucy had a try on while she waited.

Sorry this is sideways but you get the idea of how colourful Hattie's was

Then it was the turn of MOTB. My only requirement was that the headpiece be big...given the etiquette advice, I am neither short nor tall so reckon as long as the hat is not too tall or wide I should be ok. I tried a few but wasn’t too keen, then tried one which contrasted with my outfit, and was certainly big! All assembled including Theo said  (well Theo kind of gurgled) that it was perfect and with the promise from Hattie aka Dot that she would add some hints of my dress material to match them up, we all departed.

Excited at being able to tick something else off the spreadsheet, I then shared the news along with a photo or two with some friends...and then had a bit of a rethink. Brenda, on the phone practically heading (no pun intended) for the airport was constructively positive. The summary of her advice being that the hat is an accessory and not the main attraction...so we agreed to have a session together when she gets back ( mid October) to look for the perfect topper to the MOTB outfit. Not to say that the one at Hattie's isnt it.

Since then my friend , bridesmaid Kate’s Mum “Auntie Clare” and I met up last Friday evening to have a quick view of the hats on offer in Debenhams. Not many MOTB biggies but good to get ideas. Although I did suffer a major hot flush with all the fun, and had to tie my hair up to cool down!!

Then Clare suggested we try the Get Smart shop at Blagdon’s Milkhope Centre.

http://www.blagdonestate.co.uk/business-at-blagdon/milkhope-centre

So we met there on Saturday and had a good try on. This time the posse included Lucy and Rachel, I had forgotten how entertaining these two  are together. As we looked around some of the other outlets, I was walking ahead of them in a quaint craft type shop where some ornate bird feeders were on display. I heard Lucy say, “What eats monkey nuts?”, as Rachel didn’t reply, Lucy continued , “Squirrels? SO what eats monkey nuts?” Rachel piped up “ I like monkey nuts but not in a thing like that”.....Oh to be blonde!

This hat visit was just for me to get more ideas. 

The best view!

The main lesson to come from all of this is, you really do need the outfit on, and possibly the shoes too – to ensure the full effect. So one step forward and two back, while Auriole finishes the outfit, while the shoes are being dyed, while Brenda gently tans in Greece – I can do no more for now.