Our wedding ceremony took place at my parents parish Church. I had an entourage of four page boys and three bridesmaids, from 3 to 18 years, which was great fun and we had a turn out of around 150 guests, who had traveled from as far as the US to be with us.
We were fortunate to have my Uncle, Rick Silanskas, a composer from the US, arrange the music for our ceremony. Rick not only composed pieces of music specifically for the wedding but gave triumphant new life to English and American hymns—I was totally overcome walking down the isle, hearing his processional piece for the first time. We were also blessed with two pastors, one from St Peter's and the other from St. Stephen's Church in London, were we worship.
The reception was held at my parents home in Chertsey which backs onto the river Thames. We wanted to create a very informal, relaxed atmosphere; no formal dress code or strict order of events, just lots of good food, fun and relaxation.
From the start I wanted a wedding dress that would captured the essence of what our wedding was all about: a special day and evening of celebration and thanksgiving, with our dearest friends and family, that was traditional but reflected our contemporary tastes and style. Few wedding dresses would have sat as comfortably with a bouquet of African Protea and bear grass, or complimented Andrew's linen suit so perfectly.
Like all brides I can genuinely say it was an overwhelmingly, joyful day—the kind you treasure and long to have over and over again.