Guests received invitations
hand made . . (hand burned if you like -
yes - those are actually burned bits on the invitation!)

lovingly made by Susan and David, the bride and groom.

The ladies riding hat gives away
a teensie weensie hint
about the mode of transport
which has been chosen to carry Susan to church,

Errr . do we see a lot of red around here ?

 

 

A bridesmaid takes time out
from wandering about the room and
balancing a coathanger in her mouth.

(yep - I tell no fibs . . that's what she was doing when I spotted her)

Anyhow, miss playful with coathanger poses for a picture.
(minus coathanger - probably to the relief of mum).

In the lee (that's the sheltered side to you landlubbers) of the church.

The vicar gesticulates

(yep - that's quite legal - even in public).

the picture below explains the scene.

It turns out that the vicar has inside knowledge of this place.

He knows that from the side of the church wall
you can squint through the old churchyard gate
and can spot a horse and carriage approaching
about half a mile away.

Oh. . did I give away the mode of transport.

Drat . . that's ruined that little surprise then . . .

Oh golly gosh (Edwardianspeak)

That photographer wants to take our picture.

 

I may be wrong, but I'd hazard a guess
that the girls to the left
really enjoyed dressing up for the day.

Quick as a trice,we hop into the church, with service under way,
two little fellers in kilts
observe the goings on with interest..

Susan,the glam wearer of the riding hat, also sporting a dress to match,
takes custody of the official paperwork.

The vicar
(he who gesticulated alongside the church wall) checks that all is as it ought to be.

Which wedding is complete
without a kilted flower bearer ?

An ancient tradition in these parts :

if a man in a kilt, bearing flowers,
appears on your wedding day.

According to legend and historic tradition,

without doubt, you'll be sure to . . . . . . .

 

giggle !!

The aforementinoed (badly spelled aforementioned) carriage, canters across the old bridge at Greta Bridge.

You wouldn't believe just how old this place actually is.

Well, you might if I tell you.

how old is it ? . . .well . . . yonks.   
flippin ancient      donkeys

(the bridge is on the site of a Roman crossing place,
the photograph is taken from the Vicus of the roman fort . . .
heh . . this makes me sound really intelligent.

(I'm not so clever, I simply read the display in the hotel lobby)

Our lady in red surveys the scene from the dining room that the Morritt staff have laid out for her.

(not sure who lit the candles though . . . I think theres' a story there).

Traditional wedding ?

Nah. bit of a party really
with swings and things for the kids.

Brides brother shows the
traditional scottish mini kilt at it's best.

(and nearly everything else too !

whilst sliding on some childrens play equipment, our hero discovers the hazards of wearing a skirt . . sorry . . . Kilt.

A strange dance is performed by our hero from the previous picture and lots of male buddies at a local beauty spot.

Hey . why not have fun . . It's a party !

The real hero of the day meets his heroine in a secret place of his own discovery

(entirely true this bit, he found the place).

 

We return to ground level and your photographer is requested to

'take a picture showing that arch' . . . I like the window, explains Susan.

well - it might be a good idea to involve a bride in the picture
so the image to the left, is the result.

Who is that hiding in the fireplace ?

it's amazing how much fun can be extracted
from a simple parasol . .

 

Ah I knew it would come out sooner or later . .. . .

the hat, is the brides hat,

but the groom has nicked it . . . . . . .
anyone for a bit of cross dressing chaps?

the explanation of cross dressing below
is for for the prudes among us

cross dressing is a special religious sort of salad seasoning which vicars use on their lettuce at Easter. . .

you don't believe that one . . .

oh well, its something else then

We'll tell you when you grow up . . . . .

Hat returned to its rightful owner,
groom takes lady in his arms and . . . ..

 

DO YOU REALLY NEED AN EXPLANATION FOR THIS PICTURE ?

 

suffice to say, the picture definitely wasn't posed
and I used a long lens, so I was a long distance away..

 

Inside, Susan and David have invested in a sixteen member big band.

I asked one of the members of the band, whilst they were setting up,
what kind of band were they . . . I got the reply . . . A BIG BAND'

ok . . apologies for my ignorance.

a big band is like . . .sort of Glen Miller if you know what I mean.

sort of 1940's retro stuff . . very impressive and very atmospheric.

The odd thing was, I seemed to know all of the tunes,

I've either seen lots of war films, or I'm quite ancient . . .

Anyway, I was a total nuisance to the band, got totally wrapped up in things and perched myself at the end of a trombone in order to get a moody picture of Susan and David, dancing ever so smoochily, to the music.

(They're the soft blurry couple in the background on the left)

O.K. I'm trying to be a bit arty . . . . but it's fun.

Two Edwardian ladies pause for a chat outside of the church.

This is all frightfully civilised . . .

 

 

.

There's something almost timeless about these two little girls wandering around with parasols.

Totally unposed.

The picture oozes atmosphere.

the day looks like one of those that you wished would never end.

It really was like that too !

And in the corner of the secret place,

our hero takes his lady and does naughty things
(or so the story might go . . . )

 

Wodzat ?

itzabridge

widacouple snoggingonit.

 

well - we could be a little more romantic than that,

OK here we go.

as the sun sinks softly through the trees,
in a place steeped in two thousand years of history,
poised high above a roaring river,
two lovers stand at the very crossroads of their lives,
the bridge symbolising their own crossing into married life . . .

 

WAS THAT ROMANTIC ENOUGH ?

or was it a picture of a couple snoggingonabridge ?

 

I must thank Susan and David for the excellent meal, it was really appreciated.

This couple were so genuinely hospitable -
as I was about to leave, they even invited me to stay and dance with their friends,
I'd have loved to . . . but I was really keen to get back to view the pictures
( I can't rest until I've seen the images . . this makes me either insecure . . or just a big kid at heart . . !!! )