Wedding Day

As part of our trip, we had the pleasure of celebrating the last of my college roomate’s wedding’s!

…and what a day it was! The forecast showed a bit a rain, but it quickly broke just before 8AM and the sun came out to make it a perfect wedding day for my dear friend! 

Bryan and I had a wonderful breakfast at our B&B (their chef prepares all meals with a Spanish influence). I loved what was essentially a potatoe pancake, mixed with a Spanish blood sausage with a breaded poached egg on top, and Bryan had a bed of Spanish beans topped with chorizo, blood sausage, and fried egg with a tomatoes spread on a piece a toast. We fell in love with the B&B’a Madrine & Seville Orange juice and found their coffee to be outstanding. I would hands down recommend a stop at The Wife of Bath if you ever find yourself in Wye!

We took a short stroll through the town following breakfast. 

(After the constant reminder on the Tube to “Mind the Gap” we found this to be funny; just like signs we saw in Hyde Park to “Mind the Step.”)

After getting ready for the wedding, we walked back to the train station with a few other wedding guests/new friends we had made over night…after awaiting on one side of the platform we were informed we were on the wrong side of the track as the train pulled in so had to sprint up and over the stairwell/bridge. Not typically a challenge but we were all quite excited/relieved we had made it in wedding attire/heels, etc. Unfortunately this irritated one of our new friend’s blisters and running in my heels instantly caused a few, as well. The reason I care to share this story was it caused me to get educated on a couple new British terms…he informed us that BandAids are referred to as “plasters”, so we stopped at a drug store when we arrived to Canterbury to pick up a box of them to share. Naturally, this got us talking about various phrases and words and we also learned that many English households refer to their vacuum as the “Hoover.” I always find it interesting  when various brands (i.e. Kleenex) become the common name vs calling an item the generic version of what it is (i.e. Tissue). 
Anyhow, Canterbury was a much larger town than Wye…it was neat to see the hometown of the famous novel, The Canterbury Tales. This was obviously a popular site, as the streets were crowded with travelers exploring and awaiting tours outside the breathtaking Canterbury Cathedral. We quickly popped a post card in the mail for our niece and nephew, so the Wye postcard could be sent from this landmark of a site (Canterbury). 

Founded in 597, the Caunterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual head of the U.K. This cathedral was miraculous, and is essentially the British equivalent to the Vatican. We also learned so much about the history, including the fact that the original Archbishop was killed in the church as he engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church. It’s said his brians were literally bashed into the floor for such “ridiculous thoughts” as he was murdered by followers of the king.

After a bit of a stroll around the church grounds it was time to make our way to the stunning crypt (no photos allowed) where our friends’ incredible cermony took place. Bryan and I were just in awe by how beautiful it was, but even more so loved the participation of all attendees. It was a beautiful mix of British and American traditions, but the attendees were all very vocal with their signing and participation in responses throughout the mass that really made for a unique experience. I also found it to be so special that my girlfriend’s father stayed by her side throughout the most of the cermony until the couple was officially married vs. “handing off the bride” at the start of the cermony like we traditional see state side. Midway through the service, a friend from the U.K. that we had met the night prior sang Ave Maria, and it rang through the crypt in such a way that gave me goosebumps. We learned she had grown up signing opera and several of her friends are famous opera singers…she could have easily followed suite, but decided on a different career path. It was also quite amazing to witness history as my friend and her husband documented their marriage in the official church registery.

Following this intimate cermony, we proceed to a courtyard and took handfuls of dried rose petals to be tossed as the bride and groom exited. After a few photos and cheering for the new Mr. & Mrs. we were taken into a gorgeous atrium with a magnificent stained glass window for a champagne reception. After visiting and meeting guests from all over the world (Dublin, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, California, Arizona, Wye, Ashford, London, etc.) it was time to catch the double decker coaches to the reception site…but, first we got to see the bride & groom off in their private ride (a vintage Stingray)! 

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(English countryside timelaps)

(Seeing this first hand has us a little nervous about driving in Ireland 🙃)

Upon arriving to the reception site we were greeted with tea/coffee and passed cucumber/ham/salmon tea sandwhiches and other passed o’dores (like mini sausages sprinkled with sesame seeds). Unfortunately, we had a brief sprinkle; but, we all quickly found cover in the tent and in moments it passed for us to all return back outside for photos, and more mingling. 

Before making our way to our seats, the groom’s father was so very kind in welcoming us to their estate with a wonderful speech to toast the bride & groom then turned the floor over to the father of the bride. I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a dry eye across the crowd following both of these heartfelt speeches.

As a cold, green gaspache soup was served I was tickled to see my college roomie take the microphone to address the crowd and captivate everyone with her authentic, meaningful toast. Following her was a speech from her MOH which had everyone grinning. As soup bowls were cleared we then enjoyed speeches by both the groom and his best man and then our main meal was presented – I don’t think I’ve ever had such a full plate at a wedding! Although simply too much, it was all fantastic: Salmon, chicken, a vegetable quiche, mustard cauliflower, quinoa salad, sweet potatoes, and mixed greens with roasted asparagus. 

I also loved their place cards for each guest – a Facebook photo of each person printed with just their first name. It really added a personal touch and made for a fun conversation meeting those around us. Bryan and I were surprisingly seated by one another; it appeared to be tradition that everyone was spread/mixed up across the room vs seated as couples. Such an amazing experience to meet and interact, and table hop throughout the evening before the dance floor became the main event! 

I also learned that the ladies clip their hats/fascinates to a clothes line as dinner is served as sign that “now it’s time to kick back and relax.” Brilliant 🙂

Desserts were brought out as the dance floor started to fill, and we chose to try the most amazing meringue based cake topped with fresh whip cream and fruit (which is called a Pavlova cake). This seriously may be my new favorite dessert! 

Bryan and I quickly became close to the groom’s aunt & uncle (we had met at breakfast in our B&B) who were so sweet to get us introduced to almost the entire side of the groom’s family. By the end of the night, we found ourselves right in the circle with the entire family linked together as everyone took turns dancing in the middle of the crowd. 

I know this was not your typical Bristish wedding, but we had an incredible time and so quickly felt welcomed by everyone. We’d love the opportunity to return to visit with these new friends and “family.” 

I’m a day behind in posting because it was simply too fun of a night to take any time to write. When we returned to our B&B we enjoyed another hour or so catching up with my other college roomie & her husband and another U.K. Couple (the friend that sang earlier in the day), and suddenly found ourselves being entertained by more opera singing and great conversations. 

We finally retired for the night near 2:30AM. We were lucky that with our early departure our B&B was kind enough to leave us a picnic breakfast since we’d miss the standard breakfast serving. This morning’s early train ride has been smooth (although, it came around too soon :)) as we now make our way back to the airport to depart for Dublin! 

I’ll check back in tonight –  Cheers!