WOW!!!

So - Elle looked totally, totally beautiful. The Doctor looked wonderfully handsome. Neither of them were nervous. Neither of them ever stopped smiling for a minute all day. The Toyboy Trucker and I have now got the most wonderful, kind, gentle, funny and amazing son-in-law in the world. The bridesmaids were sensational. The best man was a star. The weather was warm - it was partly cloudy but the sun shone brightly all afternoon, and despite the dire forecast there was no rain, and no wind at all. The stately home venue was out of this world - and the whole day went like a dream. No, it was even better than that - it was a living, breathing fairytale.

Take back all I've ever said on this blog about the whole thing being way, way OTT and a huge waste of money - it was simply breath-taking. It was the best day of Elle and The Doctor's life - and of mine. Everyone there (over 200 of them) said they'd never experienced anything like it!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support - you were absolutely right - those outlaws who opted out simply don't know what they missed - and to be honest we didn't even notice they weren't there. It was the most blissful - um - counting on fingers here - 20 hours of my life...





Will just post a few pics today - like this one of Elle sharing a joke with her lovely new in-laws - but as these are ones I took, there were huge gaps in the proceedings when I couldn't get at my camera (the actual ceremony and the reception and the speeches etc) - and the official ones won't be available until Elle and The Doctor are back from Hawaii in May - there possibly won't be any of me in the m-o-t-b frock for a while (phew!) but I think they give some idea of what it was like... An absolute dream come true... Huge sigh of happiness...


Elle and The Doctor had planned it down to the last minute detail - it wasn't simply a wedding, it was a true celebration of their love and a fusion of cultures and an entertainment event no-one will ever forget!!!



From the second The Doctor and his family swept up the drive in a cavalcade of cars all bedecked with red and gold ribbons and playing bhangra music, on to me helping Elle into her dress, both of us amazingly calm and happy, through the heart-stopping moment when The Toyboy Trucker walked Elle so proudly down the aisle of the 16th century wedding room, all through the beautiful, emotional and very personal marriage service, through the champagne-and-Pimms reception on the terraces and in the glorious gardens while the official photos were being taken, on to the Indian banquet Wedding Breakfast (in a fabulously decorated dining room awash with red and gold, masses of flowers, and the most gorgeous HUGE garlanded Ganesh - all this, I must add, presided over by an ex-Blues and Royals toast master in full regalia and complete with his Buckingham Palace ceremonial sword for cutting the fabulous three-tiered, three-flavoured chocolate wedding cake!!!),



then the amazing moment after the meal when the black curtains, all twinkling with thousands of white pin-prick lights, swept back to Elvis's "Viva Las Vegas" to reveal a full-blown casino! There were roulette wheels and black jack tables and fruit machines - and proper croupiers - and everyone was given a starting $100 to play with!!!




Then there were two bands - one bhangra, one rock - and then, when it was properly dark, a spectacular twenty minute firework display (certainly the most amazing display I've ever seen!) in the grounds with more champagne and strawberries. And then, when we all thought we couldn't manage any more, we all swept back into the ballroom and danced until dawn to the rock band while waiters circulated with huge bowls of chips, hot bacon rolls, nice veggie samosas and things like that - and of course cake, cake and more cake... Then we all staggered off to our bedrooms (everyone stayed overnight) to emerge bleary-eyed a few short hours later for a Full English...


Oh, and this final pic is a clutch of Mates From The Estate just about to bombard Elle and The Doctor with confetti...

And, in case you were wondering, apart from a few tears when Elle and The Toyboy Trucker first walked down the aisle, I didn't cry! I even did my reading and a small speech in the reception without faltering, and just think I was far too happy to cry... Awwww - it was truly the Best Day Ever - and I don't think I'll EVER come down to earth!