real
life
DRESS
REHEARSAL
Ra
ther
than
a
traditional
Christian
or
Muslim
wedding,
the
couple
chose
a
8216humanist
ceremony
8217.
8220W
e8217re
not
religious
so
we
were
legally
married
the
day
before
the
wedding,
at
The
Three
Salmons
Hotel
in
Usk
(01291
6721
33),
8221
said
Meg.
8220T
hen
we
ke
pt
it
quite
close
to
the
usual
weddin
g
day
8211
we
said
our
vows,
had
a
congr
egati
on
singi
ng
Calon
Lan,
and
had
readin
gs
in
Sanskr
it.
8220A
friend
sang
The
Fi
rst
Ti
me
Ever
I
Saw
Yo
ur
Fa
ce,
and
a
colleague
of
my
dad8217s
got
together
an
orchestra
with
a
woodwind
section
and
a
harp.8221
FUN
OF
THE
FA
IR
8220B
ef
or
e
di
nn
er
we
ha
d
ga
me
s
ou
ts
id
e
8211
I
wanted
it
to
be
lik
e
a
summer
fete.
We
had
swing
boats
(P
remier
Rides,
01403
270076),
a
coconut
shy
and
bunting
(www
.zigzagbunti
ng.com)!8221
Guests
were
entertained
with
a
DJ
and
fireworks
(Jubilee
Fi
reworks
01384
402255).
8216T
YP
IC
AL
LY
BRITISH8217
CUISINE
The
160
guests
were
seated
on
tables
of
10,
and
tuck
ed
into
a
very
British
feast.
8220When
you
go
to
a
wedding
and
have
fancy
food
you
never
feel
lik
e
eating
it,8221
said
Meg.
8220W
e
wanted
to
have
something
typically
British
8211
so
we
had
a
big
shepherd8217s
pie
on
each
table
with
a
bottle
of
Ta
basco
sauce,
a
bowl
of
salad
and
a
big
bowl
of
peas.
8220F
or
starters
we
had
vichyssoise
(leek
and
potato
soup)
and
for
dessert
we
had
kissel
cup
pudding
8211
summer
fruits
with
Grand
Marnier
8211
my
favouri
te
when
I
was
little!8221
The
day
narrowly
avoided
being
a
culinary
disaster
when
the
caterer8217s
ovens
brok
e!
8220Luckily
it
was
such
a
nice
day
that
people
didn
8217t
mind
waiting
a
little
longer
,8221
Meg
said.
8220A
nd
at
midnight
we
had
steak
and
Guinness
hotdogs
from
Simply
Sausages
in
Londo
n
(020
7329
3227)
to
ke
ep
everyone
going!8221
10074
THE
DRESS
Meg8217s
dress
was
designed
by
Ian
Stuar
t
(www
.ianstuar
t-bride.com).
8220I
wanted
something
classic
but
also
different.
It
had
a
boned
corset
and
fitted
really
well.8221
The
bridesmaids
8211
Meg8217s
sisters
Bethan
and
Catrin,
and
friends
Anna
Mor
ris
and
Lu
cy
Davies
8211
wore
dresses
from
Monsoon.
Their
pearls
were
Meg8217s
gif
t
to
them
from
Hyder
abad
in
India
.
The
necklace
Meg
wore
had
special
signifi
cance.
8220My
grand-f
ather
,
Wi
lliam
Re
es,
gave
it
to
my
nan
Gladys
(Babs)
for
their
diamond
wedding
anniversar
y.
She
died
in
the
October
before
the
wedding,
and
he
gave
it
to
me.8221
HAIR
AND
MAKE-UP
Meg
did
her
own
mak
e-up.
She
and
the
bridesmaids
had
their
hair
done
at
Burlesque,
Caerleon
(01633
431222).
WITH
THIS
RING
Gilgamesh
bought
Meg8217s
engagement
ring
in
India.
8220It
was
my
dream
ring!8221
said
Meg.
8220Litera
lly
8211
I
had
a
dream
the
night
before
about
the
kind
of
ring
I
wanted
and
we
found
it
in
the
first
shop
we
went
into
.8221
It
was
made-to
-fit
by
Hatton
Garden
Jeweller
s
in
Lo
ndon
(www
.hatton-
garden.
net)
while
Gilgame
sh8217s
ring
was
bought
in
India.
THE
FLOWERS
Meg
chose
family
friend
and
ex
-G
irl
Guide
leader
Cathr
yn
Brook
er
,
of
Usk,
to
tak
e
care
of
the
fresh
flowers
,
ivy
bouquets
and
table
ar
rangements
,
while
bridesmaid
Anna
Mor
ris,
of
Usk
Garden
Centre,
(01291
673603)
donated
shr
ubs
and
hanging
bask
ets
for
the
marquee.
MOVE
OVER
DELIA
8220I
made
the
cak
e
myself!8221
said
Meg
proudly
.
8220It
was
a
slight
ly
crazy
idea,
but
my
flatmate8217s
mum
lent
me
all
the
cak
e
tins
and
I
look
ed
on
the
inter
net
to
find
out
how
to
stack
them!8221
PHOTOGRAPHY
Mik
e
Thom
as
Phot
ogra
pher
s,
029
207
3
577
5,
www
.mik
e-phot
o.
com
32
Bride&Home
2007
THE
FINER
DET
AILS
10148
031-032_real
life_Meg
10/4/07
12:33
PM
Page
32
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