Tom and Susie’s Wedding
in Winter Wonderland
Susie and Tom wanted an outdoor adventure for their wedding celebrations. And that is exactly what they got! Their wedding took place in January at Langdale Youth Hostel with the ceremony taking place in the hostel grounds. The hostel was cut-off following a huge snowfall the day before. So their wedding guests had to face the elements and arrived at the hostel either on foot or by four-wheel drive. Luckily one of the groom’s main interests is ‘off-roading.’ This came in very handy as him and his friends were able to ferry family and friends to the hostel.
For me, it was a very different experience. I am used to conducting ceremonies outdoors but not usually in the winter and it was a first in snow! However, as a fellow outdoor enthusiast, I was keen to make their wish come true. After an eventful afternoon, I wanted to make their ceremony special for them. Everyone was in good spirits and rather than the bride and groom making their entrance to music, they were greeted by the ‘Wedding March’ hummed by all their guests.
The abiding memory I have of the day is Susie and Tom making their vows to each other. They had written them separately and had kept them secret from each other. They were beautiful and it was truly a very special moment when they said them to one another for the first time.
Guests then rallied around cooking and preparing food. The electricity had gone off, so Susie and Tom ended up having their wedding breakfast by candlelight. Luckily the power supply was restored just in time for them to enjoy an evening of music with local band, Roomful of Mirrors. A great time was had by all!
And what about the end to my day? After being given a lift down to my car I managed to get home safely and spent a couple of hours warming myself up by my log burner. I couldn’t help thinking how lucky I am to have such an interesting and varied job!
A couple of weeks later I invested in some snow boots. A little bit late you might be saying, but you never know…..