Emma and maja
We wanted the whole day to feel really personal and to bring out the right emotions in every one at the right times, so we spent a lot of time and energy choreographing the music and choosing the readings.
We arrived at the ceremony in one of the removal vans from my company, Van Girls. Of course we put ribbons on the front and one of the Van Girls drove us. We walked into the ceremony to London Grammar’ s Strong, to make the hairs on the back of everyone’ s necks stand on end. It still does that to me whenever I hear it.
We sang, together with all our guests, Bridge over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel in the middle of the ceremony. It was extremely moving. We didn’ t write our own vows but chose the ceremony wording that felt closest to what we would write.
As I used to be in the Fire Brigade, we had a guard of honour for us to come in through and for everyone to leave through, with their ceremonial axes raised.
The readings we chose were Yes I’ ll Marry You My Dear by Pam Ayres and an extract from Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson. The first was more light-hearted, and the second set me off crying before we’ d even got to the vows.
We didn’ t have any bridesmaids. We walked each other down the aisle, with both our parents in the front row. We did have lots of help from friends and parents though – with our make-up, decorating the reception venue in the morning, driving us to and from the ceremony, making the cake, writing speeches and doing readings. Maja’ s mum got all the flowers from Covent Garden flower market and Emma’ s mum made 40 metres of bunting!
After the ceremony the guests got the 91 bus to The Earl Haig Hall, which is our local pub. We love it and go there a lot! It’ s an old British Legion club with tons of character. They have a huge side room, which terrified our parents when they
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