Big gay wedding

The wedding was amazing! There was a chill in the air, but the weather was bright and clear; with one of those deep Mediterranean blue skies… perfect. We drove to the hotel in the morning to check in early and meet the boys and even the traffic was on our side. The room was lovely and we were actually a little early so we had a coffee before we wondered down to meet the other guests – some old friends, some new. When the boys arrived they looked stunning. So handsome in their matching wedding suits.

I was very nervous at this point, but excited and happy too. We reached the Eye after flagging down some taxis (the one my partner and I and the boys were in was pink, how appropriate!)

The Eye looked magnificent arching across the cloudless sky – with red noses on every pod! There was a bit of hanging around but that gave us plenty of time to go to the loo (quite a few times!) and take pictures. Then they met the registrar who later on came over to meet me and a friend who was the ring bearer and then we were off! By now, even people who had never met before were chattering excitedly to one another and we did feel very VIPish when we were ushered up a separate walkway, in front of the queuing public (they held everyone else back until we passed). The wheel stopped and a team dived in putting in flowers and champagne. The turning of the wheel takes thirty minutes (in my humble opinion that’s the perfect time for a wedding… any longer and people start to get a bit bored). My partner – who looked absolutely stunning and got rather more attention from gay men who kept telling her how beautiful she looked, than she was expecting! – took over camera duties and I concentrated on the bench in the middle of the pod because it wasn’t moving and that was helping keep my fear of heights in check! The first reading was song lyrics the boys had chosen, the Greatest Reward, the second reading I wrote. I knew once I had made people laugh, start to cry and then burst into a big round of applause that I had done well and all the nerves and anxiety melted away and that’s when I wanted to cry because I suddenly felt very proud.

We managed two glasses of champagne before we landed and then we had to go off and sign the registry (I was one of the witnesses), cue more applause and more tears…

The transport back to the hotel was a red 1950s double-decker bus, bedecked in flowers and that immortal sign attached too many a wedding vehicle “just married!” Passers-by waved and clapped, a few no doubt wondering where the bride was and why the groom and best man were kissing…

Then there was a champagne reception and a sit down and rather gorgeous lunch – sorry, blatant name check here, but Thistle Kensington Gardens excelled themselves in every area the whole weekend. The food was fantastic and the staff were great. Then the missus and I went for a little disco nap in our room! (We’d been on the go since 6.30am.)

I came down a little earlier than her and watched the rugby (that fantastic result almost made me cry as well!) and then there was more food, more drink and lots more laughter. Rose Garden did a fabulous show in the evening, the boys cut the cake (yum!) and then we danced the night away.

I’ve included the 2nd reading. I was very touched that so many people came to tell me afterwards how the reading made them feel; how special they thought it was and what a good job I had done. It meant a huge deal.

Our first, but hopefully not our last civil partnership and the best wedding I’ve ever been too.