What a whirlwind of a weekend! I recently had the enormous pleasure of seeing my dear friends get married on a stunningly gorgeous weekend in the beautiful Suffolk countryside.
The day started with the ceremony in a catholic church, something I'm not really used to, but it was very touching, with a small gospel choir from Paul's school and some lovely readings. Here's an excerpt from my favourite reading: I Like You (by Sandol Stoddard Warburg)
I like you and I know why.
I like you because you are a good person to like. I like 
you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special
And you remember it a long, long time.
You say, "Remember when you told me something special?"
And both of us remember
I noticed that all the kiddies were captivated and found the poem extremely funny. Maybe partly because my friend, John, is a great performance artist, but also because the poem really engaged them!
The bride carried a bouquet which was constructed from antique brooches, very pretty indeed. It should be noted that it was pretty heavy to carry! 
Upon reaching the reception, at the wonderful Milden Hall tudor barn, we were greeted by these very dapper gentlemen who gave us a glass of prosecco and rhubarb. We were entertained by some folk music on the lawn and we greeted the happy couple with confetti. We were also served tasty canapes of torta and salmon blintzs 
The event was filmed in super 8 film by our friend, some of the shots involved a little engineering, like this one where confetti was thrown up in the air for an effect.
I was in love with the venue, a beautiful tudor converted barn, which had a rustic feel but was very comfortable too. We were extremely lucky with the weather, this was not an ordinary April day!!
There were stunning touches all over the site, a very cute illustration of the couple was used to accent the menus, invitations programs etc, and jars of flowers were used all over the reception venue with wonderful scents. 
I was so captivated by the jars of stocks lining the dining table, which also had a really heady but not overpowering scent.
The foodies weren't disappointed, there were large plates of antipasti and bread, which we munched on with champagne during the extensive speeches, which were all just lovely and many happy tears were shed. We were treated to delicious comfort food, 'bangers and mash' for the meat eaters and mushroom wellington for the veggies. Dessert was sticky toffee pudding, which did not disappoint. I could eat that dessert every day, I think I can safely say it is my favourite! 
The wedding 'cake' was a little unusual too, a stack of wheels of cheeses, which were a very welcome snack after an evening of dancing! The brides sister also made some delicious cakes to accompany it.
UPDATE! here are some stunning photos from the very talented anna marie stepney, the wonderful photographer.
I managed to find these pictures on Flickr, thanks to Darlene. I just loved the chocolate cake, you just want to dive right in! Having tried this kind of cake, or snack or whatever you call it, I'd say that this would be totally yummy but you'd only need a tiny piece! Chopped up digestive biscuits with nuts and raisins, all held together with a magical mixture of chocolate, golden syrup and butter. Yum!
I found the other wedding cake a little more over the top and its not really my style, all the fussy piping and jumble of flowers, but very well executed, and so grand for such a great occasion. I wouldnt say no to a piece of fruit cake, I hope this tradition comes back into fashion. Since it lasts for years, you can decorate it at your leisure once it is 'fed' with alcohol and enrobed in marzipan and rolled icing.
