our daughter’s reading. We stopped in the middle of re-making our commitments to each other and the vicar was wondering if he should repeat the line, but we were just locked into each other’s eyes, drinking in the moment, remembering our wedding day and how much our union has strengthened us both individually and as a team.” Naomi and Darryl were unsure if their day would go ahead due to Covid restrictions. “We’re used to organising things with little notice as our original wedding was planned in just 16 weeks with celebrations in both England and Guernsey,” recalls Naomi. “We wondered, like many couples, if our 10 year celebration would go ahead with all the trials and tribulations of Covid, but we grasped a window of opportunity and took the chance. The pandemic meant we were unable to be joined by family and friends from Guernsey, Europe, and other parts of the UK, so we were joined by our newly-found friends who have helped us ride the storm since arriving in Cumbria – it became a celebration of strength, fortitude and thanksgiving. Our friends pulled out the stops to help us make the day so special – last minute flower crises, a staffing crisis and the traumas of dressing yourself and the children. Michelle from Shelley Cuts And Colours took such care and attention with my hair. We met in Guernsey and were separated as we both moved homes but we found each other again in Cumbria! I have super fine hair, thanks to pregnancy and stress, so she took the time to carefully add the life it needed, perfectly matched and tamed. As the time came around for the service, we feared that the rain would create a wash-out, but the sun smiled kindly on us at the crucial moment, just as it had on our original day. Our daughter read Seamus Heaney’s poem Scaffolding, reminding us that those early years of marriage can be hard work, but it’s the strength of those foundations that will hold us together for life, if only we persevere and work through the challenge to complete that build, we can let the scaffolding fall away knowing we will remain standing tall. This was followed by the words of Psalm 46 chosen by our friends in Guernsey; a reading of strength in times of need, of resilience and fortitude. We finished our celebrations with a flurry of natural confetti featuring lavender and cornflowers in our new planted wildflower meadow. All of this was beautifully documented by de la Mare Creative in photo and film, as chance would have it, another Guernsey ex-pat in Cumbria!” REAL WEDDINGS 3355
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