The Wedding
It was March 15th 1969 – My big day. Everything had gone according to plan. The house was a buzz of busyness and excitement. One sister did my nails, another my makeup, and my dress hung on the wardrobe door in readiness. Today I would find out if my dressmaking skills were good enough. Would the cloak be successful and not drag off my shoulders as I walked down the isle, dragging the weight behind me?
The flowers arrived. I had decided on a small posy rather than a traditional wedding bouquet. I felt it was more in keeping with the style of my dress. I had red and white, to match Jim’s clothes, in order to bring the colours together.
Everybody left for the church, leaving my dad and I waiting for my car. I can’t remember what was said, but I know he would have said some lovely things to me as we waited.
The car arrived and took us to the church. The pageboys looked so angelic in their little outfits. The organist started to play. I was so fortunate to have a brilliant organist, well versed in classical music. The music filled the church and my dad and I started down the isle, pageboys walking behind, carefully holding my cloak. They did so well.
Just click the arrow below and listen to ‘The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’ so you can get it the mood ;O)
George Frideric Handel – The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
I did have a surprise waiting for me at the alter though. Jim had a black beard and tash and he had decided to shave the beard off for the wedding! I liked it actually.
I know you’re all waiting to hear what Derek was wearing. It wasn’t too bad, considering who we are talking about. He was in a brown tweed suit. Certainly not what we would have chosen. He clashed colour-wise, but at least it was a suit.
It all went without a hitch, and soon we were outside. The church was on a corner that jutted out, making it very exposed. We are talking UK weather here, and March is notorious for being very windy! The wind whipped around, ripping the nicely tied posy ribbon undone and making it almost impossible to pose for any photos.
Sadly, my younger sister’s boyfriend had told us he was a photographer, and had shot many weddings. It was agreed that he would be our photographer – mistake! Not only was he not a photographer, he didn’t even understand the basics of his camera. We got no official photographs at all, and ended up with just the odd snapshot taken by a few guests. I have included them for you to see, although none show the complete dress or the cloak.
No prizes for guessing who are my parents!
We finally got to the reception and everybody was buzzing around the main table. When I finally saw what all the fuss was about, I was amazed. It was my wedding cake.
Jim and I both worked in publishing, so my brother had decided to make an appropriate wedding cake.
The centre cake was entitled ‘The Merger’ and had loose pages (made from rice paper) that had a bit about both Jim and I, and also listed all the guests. The left cake was entitled ‘Annual Report’ (anniversary cake) and the right hand cake was ‘Productivity Report’ (Christening cake). It was all trimmed with gold, and stood on a wooden book stand, especially made for the occasion. My brother had made many phone calls to London’s top cake makers/decorators in order to get hold of a metallic gold that was edible. I have to say that it was the most unusual cake I had ever seen. Again, this is the best photo I have of it, sadly.
Soon the buzz was about something quite different, and it didn’t take me long to find out what. All the men were nudging each other and whispering – looking like the cat that got the cream. The women, on the other hand, were huddled together indignantly! It was no surprise to me that Jane was bra-less. Talk about upstaging the bride ha ha!
The important thing to remember is that back then, unless you moved in certain circles, in the centre of London, nobody went bra-less. This was in the countryside of Kent! The men thought all their Christmases had come at once!
All in all, it was a good and successful day!
Stumble it!
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JD at I Do Things
| 23 September 2008 at 18:42
I love this post! Babs, you look so beautiful. It’s a shame you didn’t have professional photographs, but these are really very nice, and do at least show your amazing dress. The pages! That cake?!?!?! I scrolled down before reading the whole post, and couldn’t believe those books were actually your cake. Amazing! And thanks for including the mp3 of Queen of Sheba. I wasn’t familiar with that piece of music, and I really liked it. I played an untraditional song for my processional; maybe I’ll blog about it some day.
I thoroughly enjoyed this post and the photos. Thank you so much for having such an interesting life—and actually remembering it!
JD at I Do Things´s last blog post..I Get Free Stuff so you don’t have to
beetle
| 23 September 2008 at 18:49
Wow! JD, that was a quick response! I think you read it before I posted it ha ha! Yes, please, you must blog about your wedding!
Sandie
| 23 September 2008 at 19:04
Everyone can get a very good idea of your dress from those snaps. You looked lovely, and look at the page boys. So tiny and well behaved:0)
chat blanc
| 23 September 2008 at 19:16
You look gorgeous! The dress and cake are fabulous! What interesting memories. thanks for sharing them.
chat blanc´s last blog post..I’m on a rampage
Monica
| 23 September 2008 at 19:20
Oh I loved these photos! Beautiful Beautiful! You look marvelous!
Thank you for sharing!
Wow, braless huh? sheesh!
Thank you again for sharing!
Monica´s last blog post..My Child Is In Pain
Margaret (Nanny Goats)
| 23 September 2008 at 19:45
The music DID indeed set the mood. This was a beautiful post! And I had to read the paragraph about the cake very carefully because I wasn’t going to believe that the picture was a CAKE! Wow! What an amazing and thoughtful thing for someone to do for your wedding (unlike the photographer!) How selfish to potentially spoil someone’s special day because you think you are a photographer. I hope to God you didn’t actually pay the guy. I would have had him flogged. Thank goodness someone ELSE took pictures too!
Margaret (Nanny Goats)´s last blog post..There’s No "Escaping" This NYC Tour
beetle
| 23 September 2008 at 20:09
Sandy: The pageboys did so well. I was proud of them :O)
Chat Blanc: The cake was a wonderful surprise, I must admit.
Monica: Thank you very much. Jane always liked to shock people.
Margaret: The cake was a lovely idea, and very much appreciated. I soon learned that my sister’s boyfriend was all show and talk. No, we didn’t pay him!
Jaffer
| 23 September 2008 at 20:26
I am reading this on a public computer and there are noses here peering at your dress and Jim’s tuxedo !
Gosh ! That a beautiful dress Babs ! And Jim’s tuxedo is givin me new wedding ideas !
Thank you for sharing again this time with complete strangers, this wonderful moment in your life.
grannygrimble
| 23 September 2008 at 22:30
The Photos are lovely Babs and although they don’t do justice to your beautiful dress and train, they are very good. What happened to the dress Babs? It should have ended up in one of those glass display cases like the ones in the Victoria and Albert Museum! The page boys looked so cute. Lovely memories. Thank you.
grannygrimble´s last blog post..SOMETHING BIG!
beetle
| 24 September 2008 at 2:01
Jaffer: A public computer – oh my! Are you getting married in the near future?
Grannygrimble: I can’t remember exactly what happened to it. I know I had it for years, and then I didn’t. The cloak I did cut up and use for something.
Ivanhoe
| 24 September 2008 at 14:45
Your dress was b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.
Just for the record: I could not go bra-less (lol)
Ivanhoe´s last blog post..Almost Wordless Wednesday
Lauren
| 24 September 2008 at 17:10
These posts are so much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lauren´s last blog post..Who Said This One?
Liudmila
| 24 September 2008 at 19:26
You were so beautiful and your dress was really really great. It’s not so important that you have not professional photos. Important that you HAVE photos. The photos of amateurs are always more alive and professional are normally “dead”.
Liudmila´s last blog post..100 Years Of Clothes And Apostel Paul
Jeff
| 24 September 2008 at 19:33
What a fun post to read! You both looked great. Thanks for recreating your special day for us.
So what, no stray pictures of the bra-less woman? ;b
Jeff´s last blog post..Studio 101
beetle
| 24 September 2008 at 19:39
Ivanhoe: I could have then, but no longer ha ha!
Lauren: I’m glad you enjoyed reading them
Liudmila: I think maybe you are right about the photographs. I always prefer unposed photos.
Jeff: As it was usual for the women to carry the camera, It most certainly wouldn’t have been pointed in the direction of Jane!!
Athena
| 24 September 2008 at 20:44
That is the most amazing cake I have ever seen! If you hadn’t told me it was a cake, I never would have guessed! And you look lovely too!
Athena´s last blog post..How to look totally crazy just to win a camera – in three easy steps!
Jay
| 24 September 2008 at 20:46
Babs, you looked lovely, and you’re right, the page boys looked angelic! So sweet!
Looks like a wonderful day, and the cake is spectacular. Pity about the photographs, but yeah, as I’ve said before, we were in the same boat. A photographer who was no photographer, leaving us with a few snaps from friends. C’est la vie!
Funny about Jane! LOL!
Swubird
| 24 September 2008 at 20:47
Babs:
1969 was a very good year for a wedding. Lots of things were going during that time.
The pictures on your post look good to me, but too bad about your photographer. Didn’t even know his way around a camera and he shot weddings? So much for the recommendations of friends, eh? I was at a wedding one time where the groom’s friend shot the pictures, and they were all bad! $1,500 for nothing!
Your hubby was a gentleman for cutting his beard. What a guy.
Happy trails.
Swubird´s last blog post..SECRET MEMORY
beetle
| 24 September 2008 at 20:59
Athena: It was a wonderful cake. It was a shame to cut it up really!
Jay: I did a wedding a couple of years ago, and I managed to get 100 good photos, and Mo took a great video and we don’t claim to be photographers! Some people are just all mouth and trousers, as they say
Swubird: I hope your friend didn’t pay any money for the bad photos! I certainly wouldn’t have.
manilenya
| 25 September 2008 at 2:08
I didn’t notice the dress…I noticed the face, you are so pretty!
manilenya´s last blog post..Unconscious mutterings – monkey love…
Maureen
| 25 September 2008 at 3:18
Wow, Babs, this post was great! Love your dress; you are indeed a talented seamstress. And the cake! The cake was incredible!!!
If I still can do math without a calculator, this March marks your 40th anniversary, correct?
Wow. I was 9 in 1969… what a great snapshot of the times, relfected in those images. Thank you!
Maureen´s last blog post..Birdie, Birdie In The Sky…
Ana
| 25 September 2008 at 10:06
Wow, you looked amazing! And that cake.. wow! What a great idea. It’s a pity to have such a bad luck with the photographer, but the few photos you have are really such nice memories!
Ana´s last blog post..Ancient Egypt in Germany
beetle
| 25 September 2008 at 11:55
manilenya: Thank you :O)
Maureen: Thank you. It would have been my 40th if I was still married ;O) Me thinks you have a special birthday coming up soon then! You must let us know when!
Ana: Thanks Ana. The few photos I have are enough
Mimi Lenox
| 26 September 2008 at 3:21
What gorgeous shots! You shared your special day with all of us. I love your dress and the cake is so unique! Even with the iffy photographer you still look beautiful!
Hope you like the post…http://mimiwrites.blogspot.com/2008/09/john-lennon-and-beetles-on-beatles.html
beetle
| 26 September 2008 at 13:57
Mimi: I think your post hits the spot! Thank you
Kathy
| 26 September 2008 at 15:22
Your wedding was beautiful. Love your blog
You have won the “I love your blog” award:
http://mygypsygoods.blogspot.com/2008/09/thank-you.html
beetle
| 26 September 2008 at 16:14
Kathy: Thank you so much for the award Kathy!
Kathy
| 26 September 2008 at 16:30
Babs, I’m still in awe you made your own dress. It’s lovely! I’m sorry your photographer was no photographer at all, but I’m glad you got some pics from your guests. Know what? There are two great shots of my husband and me on our wedding day that were taken by guests. They are my favorite because they weren’t posed. Whoever took them captured candid moments that I treasure to this day. The one of you and Jim outside the church is great. I like how you’re looking down at the cutie pageboys!
Thank you for sharing your stories. They read like chapters in a book and I hate that I have to wait for the next installments. GRRR!
Kathy´s last blog post..Because We Planned on Speeding
beetle
| 26 September 2008 at 16:42
Kathy: I have to say, I don’t like posed photographs either! When I take photos I usually wait until people give up the posing before I click the shutter
As you say, at least I got a few shots.
DrowseyMonkey
| 27 September 2008 at 22:37
Love the photos!
You’re beautiful 
Funny, we had a similar situation with the photographer at our wedding. Now I always tell people not to skimp on that when getting married.
As for the braless thing…I think it’s tacky even today to go without one. Don’t care what others think…put on a bra, no one wants to see your boobies knocking all over the place out in public, lol.
beetle
| 27 September 2008 at 22:56
Drowsey: Beautiful is never a word I would have used for me!
You made me laugh out loud at the bra-less thing. I so agree with you!
Farrah
| 28 September 2008 at 21:45
You made a beautiful dress and what a fascinating cake!
beetle
| 28 September 2008 at 21:59
Farrah: Thank you. I was thrilled with the cake. It was a lovely surprise.
Melesha
| 4 March 2009 at 21:00
That is an incredible wedding dress. All the more so that you made it yourself.
Melesha´s last blog post..Covers impacts the Los Angeles CA, Orange County and San Francisco Bay Area.
beetle
| 4 March 2009 at 21:02
Melesha: Thank you
wedding tiara and veil
| 2 August 2009 at 17:09
How amazing did you look on your big day! I love the colour scheme – my personal favourite and your tiara was stunning. Thanks for another great post – I love your blog!
wedding tiara and veil´s last blog ..Wedding Party Tiara Bridal Swarovski Crystal Crown 1432 $22.99