Wellyfest.....

Wellyfest - I may need to translate for non-UK readers - wellies is short for Wellingtons, a popular name for rubber boots.  These were needed recently in large numbers at a friend's wedding.  The lovely Mrs Orkney Flowers married her Rock God in a beautiful wood on a rainy day in October.  She's given me permission to tell you all about it!  First there was the beautiful bride - above.  Looking radiant and un-spattered in mud. Note the stunning red wellies.  Mrs Orkney Flowers is a horticulturist extraordinare and part-time Womble (she's heavily into recycling and living frugally), so not seeing earth covering her hands or in her hair is something of a novelty.  She was truly a radiant bride ......

She and "Mr Flowers" have been together for many years, but had decided to "get wed" in Birnam Wood - yes THE Birnam Wood - the one in McBeth (Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.Wm Shakespeare, Macbeth 4.1). Anyway, I digress...... both bride and groom had happy childhood, and more recent memories of Birnam wood, hence the choice for a wedding wellie fest.

Now, I mentioned frugal living, recycling etc.  So, of course, these principals were applied to the wedding. Other clever horticulturalists had grown or acquired magnificant foilage for the bouquets and floral displays - all in Autumn colours of course.

I'd turned up on the morning of the wedding to offer assistance as a gofer (go fer this, go fer that) to the clever flower people and was handed a large bundle of banana leaves with the words "Find somewhere to wash these please Sian"....

I'd never handled banana leaves before - ooooh they have a lovely waxy feel.....  Meanwhile the bride's bouquet was made..... dried flowers, autumn leaves, with some lovely fair trade red roses for good measure.

And more floral displays of autumn colour...

And table decorations.....

Meanwhile, in the background of the photo above, you can see the Rock God's band tuning up.......

Soon it was time to head back to the hotel to get dressed in our finery, including wellington boots, grab umbrella's (it had rained all weekend) and head to the woods!  "Head for a bench" we were told.... ah we're here then....

Um... the babbling brook was more a raging river....

Once everyone was assembled.....

And woodland fairies had handed out the dried flowers for confetti....

And scrolls with the words to the wedding hymn (Let's get married by the Proclaimers - what else - accompanied by the Rock God and his Arch Angels)....

It was time for the ceremony.  Conducted by a Humanist celebrant, it was a lovely service, very Mrs & Mrs Flowers, with some humour thrown in too....

And of course all members of the family were present........

Haggis and Peedie

There was a lovely selection of footwear on display (I can reveal Mr Flowers is wearing odd socks! This is as a token of love to his new bride, who firmly believes life is too short to worry about matching socks).....

Then it was time for family photos to be taken, and umbrellas to be raised again (it had miraculously stopped during the wedding bit).  And a slight surreal moment as several canoeists arrived to paddle further down the river... not sure which was more surreal really, a wedding in wellies in a wood in the wain, sorry, rain, or canoeists appearing out of the trees to hurl themselves into the river.....

It was time to wend our way back through the wood and head off to the wedding feast.  And my, what a feast!  Nothing frugal about THAT! Much of it was from the windy isles (Orkney), home grown, or home sourced and put together by Mrs Flowers' wonderful Auntie C together with all her kitchen slaves (I kept WELL away from that - I don't do mass catering.... even if cake might be available!!).  Did I mention cake??  There was a fruit option too for those who wanted to be healthy - plenty of cake for me though!!

This was by no means a "traditional" wedding so, as the bride doesn't like cake (how did I become friends with someone who doesn't like CAKE?), there was a magnificent raspberry pavlova made by Auntie C with a vast number of Orkney eggs.....

And it was time for the dancing to begin.....

As ever at such events, men gathered at the bar to blether (chat).... A fine display of tartan there.... (nice legs too....).

 Mrs Flowers had exchanged her lovely ruby red wellies for a pair of satin slippers....

And the - er - Rock God had changed into his zebra striped lycra trousers, red cape with flames on, and strutted his stuff (no that's his real hair....heee heee....no not really....). I think the guitarist to the right is asking "Who IS this guy?".....

But soon they were - er - in the swing of things.....

 To be joined on stage by ....um..... Ozzie Osbourne????

And there I think I should draw a veil over proceedings!!!

But it was so lovely to be part of Mr & Mrs Flowers special day. It's an event that will live long in the minds of any who attended, for the fun, the originality, the laughs, the wonderful words exchanged, and the obvious love that the newlyweds have for each other.....ahhhhhh  May Mrs & Mrs Flowers (not their real name, obviously) have many many happy years together.