Our Wedding

Can you hear that? It's the sound of moths fluttering away from my keyboard as I attempt to write the first blog I have written in an eternity.
Most blog sites tell you never to mention that you haven't written in a while but what the hell, I have good reason. The same reason that puts many couples in a social whirl for months on end.. that being that I finally had my wedding.
Ok, it was a while back now, the 14th July 2012, but it's taken me this long to get back on track, well almost. The thank you cards have still yet to go out. Terrible huh.
The day itself was incredible, despite the gods warring above our heads and a torrential downpour that would have had Noah concerned, and also despite the fact that my head was pounding from a little over-indulgence in the pub the night before. What can I say? I was nervous.
We were scheduled to be married about the HMS Gannet in Chatham Historic Dockyard, followed by a reception at Commissioners House http://www.commissionershouse.com/ 200 yards away but the weather had other ideas. In a quick change around by the amazing staff we ended up having 2 wedding ceremonies for health and safety reasons, the first was an intimate affair with close friends aboard the boat and the second at the house so  that our huge audience could get to see the ceremony.

Our photographer Lollypop www.lollypopphoto.com darted among us like olympians as we rushed from one spot to another. Mai looked stunning as she appeared beside me in the first of four dresses (it is a Chinese tradition to have several dresses on a wedding day) during the first ceremony and I got to play it casual for the second ceremony and stare at the guests as they shared my initial reaction. Not only was her dress amazing but I was adorned in a suit which could only have been improved if topped with a better face. Not only were myself and the best man suited and booted but I discovered the groomsmen were too, something which was sneakily done without me knowing. All of this was provided by our friends at Tantrums & Tiaras http://www.tantrumsntiaras.co.uk/ and Mai's dress adjustments made by Deisy at http://www.deisys.co.uk/contactus/contactus.htm. Little did Mai know that she would be surprised with the groomsmen changing into Chinese outfits later that evening.
This was followed by a tea ceremony downstairs which had me a little lost, luckily Mai was there to show me the ropes so I could at least pretend to know what I was doing.
After some further chaos and running about we finally got to settle in for the Wedding Breakfast. Our marquee had been beautifully decorated by Bespoke Floral Designs http://www.bespokefloraldesigns.co.uk/ and my movie caricatured table designs had been hastily arranged by myself that morning.
In attempt to get the more terrifying aspects of the day over with we had opted for the speeches before the meal and so the best man and I battled the noise of the rain pounding on the marquee to generally crack jokes that would hopefully only offend on a minor scale. Our speeches were assisted by Cantonese passages from those better equipped, Mai-lin and her bridesmaid Julie.

We were then treated to an incredible selection of food including a hog roast and some impressive additions for my yeast free diet from the expert chefs at Lardercraft http://www.lardercraft.com/, and while we gorged we were entertained by my great friend and talented magician Adam Smith www.adams-magic.co.uk. Desserts were in the shape of cupcakes from Cupcake Queen (facebook) and we also had a huge carrot cake as our wedding cake from Dee at Bo Peep Cottages.
After informing people that sadly I hadn't hired a caricaturist and that they would have to draw their own pictures on the paper provided, I did let people know what the evening had to offer.
In the upstairs of our venue we had two great casino tables provided by the AK Casino Knights www.akcasinoknights.co.uk and a photobooth provided by Party Photobooth Hire http://www.party-photobooth-hire.co.uk/.
I don't think either of us really relaxed until around 9pm so when we did we hit the dancefloor to the tunes of one of the funniest DJs I know, Raf at Appollofunk www.apollofunk.com.
So that's about it, it took a few years to plan but was very worth it. If you are after wedding venues, supplies or entertainment you couldn't go wrong with any of the above. Just make sure, as I have told all of the brides and grooms that have booked me since, that you find some time to breathe during your wedding day. We found the day exhausting so I have no idea how those that worked that day coped.
Now I'm just off to plan the Renewal of Vows... actually, that can wait a while.