069 - Chapter 69
Peter and Amanda are married
(Illustration: Collage of Peter and Amanda’s wedding )
In August 2008, I had the privilege of marrying Peter and Amanda in St Peter’s church Wallsend, their reception was at Dissington Hall, and what a great day it was. They’d even booked a marquee extension, which gave us masses of space for feasting, dancing and spare rooms to chat with one another once the service was over.
Being the mother of the groom, I had nothing to organise apart from the actual rehearsal, and the service itself, so I was so relaxed and happy that day. Once again, I would be the guest with the best view of the happy couple.
It was thundery at 5.50 that morning, not a good outlook for the day, but thankfully it all cleared. Peter made a massive firefighter-style breakfast for everyone arriving at our house to build us up for the day ahead. His best man Liam, arrived with an awful gash on his forehead from an accident a few days before the wedding! Others included Peter’s two ushers, Mick and our Stephen, Luke the page boy, as well as Bob, myself and Henk, Dionne’s father, and the breakfast was delicious.
Peter, his groomsmen and page boy all looked so handsome; Luke was so proud to be with the men in the ‘Rolls’, as they drove to the church.
Amanda was a little late arriving at church with her dad, Steve, as was her prerogative as a bride. She was looked extremely tense, not used to being the centre of attention, but she looked absolutely gorgeous. A reassuring prayer soon settled her nerves, and she came down that sunny aisle on her dad’s arm, looking absolutely radiant and serene. On reaching Peter, she relaxed completely as they smiled at each other.
I think the sun shone down on all of us that day. Family and guests remarked that they were very moved by the obvious affection Peter and Amanda had for one another, and also remarked on their beautiful hymn choice, ‘As the deer’ (Psalm 42) and ‘My Jesus, My Saviour’ with music provided by Philip, a musician from the music band at St John’s Kingston Park, who played as the guests entered the reception too. I must admit I felt rather emotional myself, it was such a privilege to have been invited to conduct their wedding! Katie as a little bridesmaid was a star that day. You could see the delight on her face and Luke's throughout the day, especially in the wedding photos. They were also looking forward to seeing their new baby cousin Leah, again. The two of them were supported by two other bridesmaids, Sharon and Jill, friends of Amanda.
The wedding went without a hitch, and I quickly changed into my ‘mother of the groom’ outfit once more, after the service was over, while the vicar of the church, Fr Michael Vine, saw to the signing of the registers for me.
The wedding reception was fabulous. In true Geordie fashion, there was even a little game of football on the lawn outside before the meal. Peter came up with the goods again in his speech, and had everyone laughing. (He has his dad's sense of humour.) Everyone had a full and very lively day, and partied and danced till late.
Amanda and Peter went to the Maldives for their honeymoon, having heard all about it from us, and Sarah and Alan.
They’ve been married for fifteen years now, and have two sons Daniel and Jack. Peter is watch manager in the Fire Service, and Amanda is a teacher in Newcastle, teaching children who are entering school for the first time; an exhausting job, but she loves it. She is efficient, so capable and full of ideas, and is so caring and thoughtful, such a lovely addition to our family. She has certainly brought out the best in Peter; they’re a really good team.
If someone were to ask me which cartoon family they remind me of, I would say without a doubt, ‘The Invincibles’, as not only did they dress up in such costumes for a party once, they each reflect gifts this cartoon family have; of strength, versatility, flexibility, stamina and most definitely speed!
I came up with an idea for a special song for Peter, as he began to negotiate buying a new house; he’d grown into a fine man, capable and strong, and was more than able to organise this without our help. A poem by Rudyard Kipling called ‘If’ had caught my attention and I set it to music for him, as it was such powerful advice. The final verse says this:
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son