Photo by www.stuartbeardphotography.co.uk

Handfasting Photo www.stuartbeardphotography.co.uk

Saturday was Kleenex Day! Not a dry eye in the house for a vow renewal for a very special couple for whom life had thrown in from leftfield more than is fair.  Most people would have buckled, but they just buckled their belts tighter and got on with it.  I have to admit to sitting in my car afterwards, with a box of tissues. I was ok until they gave me flowers!

They had been married for 25 years. Their son composed music for the event and their nephew a poem.  The most special element, and that which drew most comment afterwards, was including the couples’ parents in a handfasting as a way of expressing appreciation for the love and support given and of binding them all together in love.

At the end it felt triumphant. Heavy with symbolism, we used an arch decorated with flowers through which they passed into the ‘new normal’ of their future. Moving from the challenges of the past few years into a future they would control. What more can I say?  This was one of the most moving ceremonies I’ve conducted. Wowser.