The Reception

January 17th 2004

So many people told us we couldn't deprive them of a party!  We also wanted to celebrate with friends who couldn't be at the ceremony, so we decided to have a reception and arranged it for a couple of weeks after we came back. My parents made all the arrangements with venue, caterers, decorations etc so that it would be beautiful.  (Of course, the fact that it's another chance to wear my wedding dress didn't come into it.........much!)

The cake, 4 tiered white iced fruitcake (Andys' fave!) with white roses and a crystal ice chapel on the top!  Perfect! In addition, one of Mums friends made a 'grooms cake', a tradition from her native USA.  It was completely chocolate with an icing plate on the top of a silhouette of Andy wakeboarding!

A surprise was waiting for us from Margaret and Errol!  They had hired a Scottish piper to play us in!  Very appropriate with the guys looking so smart in their kilts!

Another surprise was from the boys and girls I used to teach dance to!  They had all got together and rehearsed a cabaret for us!  It was wonderful and I was really touched they went to all that trouble.

We felt we didn't have the chance to spend as much time with our guests as we'd like and there were some guests I didn't get to see at all because the night went by so fast in a whirl of photos, cake cutting and dancing, but everyone had a good time and I'm sure they all understood!  (especially the married couples who had already been through a reception themselves!

One piece of advice, that I took from a friend before my wedding, write this down, spend time with your new husband/wife on your big day.  It speeds by like lightning, so you want to savour as many moments together as you can, which gives you many more special memories to share in later years. xx