The first guests to arrive had wisely snared seats in the shade – bride’s or groom’s side, be damned. Those who arrived late found themselves caught in full, punishing sun. After more than half an hour of Olympics-level perspiration, many of the guests seated in the sun left their chairs and sought dappled shade in the surrounding gardens.
But when the time came for the nuptials, the wedding planner found herself having to wrangle the errant guests back into their steamy seats, leaving the bridal party stuck in an increasingly tense mini-van, where we sat frozen in silence, too nervous to speak and risk another bridal eruption.
When the ceremony did get going I found myself wondering if the bride and groom had planned for ambulances and defibrillators to be on standby for any guests suffering heatstroke or worse. One guest, Michael Kanigher, seated near the front of the congregation, later confessed: “I was just telling myself to stay conscious, don’t faint, don’t be the one who everyone remembers for disrupting Natasha’s wedding.”
At the altar my daughter of course did not sweat – though she may have gently glowed. The groom meanwhile, was another story: well before he’d even began reading his vows Jack looked like a contestant in a wet t-shirt contest’s formal dress division.
Hot, drenched and dehydrated, the wedding guests had no idea of the many challenges that had already been overcome, or overlooked.
And yet, all was forgotten. The wedding was a resounding success, enjoyed by all who survived the Saharan temperatures and relaxed as nightfall saw the thermometer dip pleasantly into the mid-20s C.
I’d been given strict instructions to keep my speech to five minutes. I realised I was maybe pushing it after 10, but the laughs echoing round the guests arrayed along two long tables kept me going.
They would not know of all the details, large and small, that had gone wrong behind the scenes, because those failings mostly occurred out of sight, and pale into insignificance when set alongside all the things that went right, in a wedding rich with emotion, heart, and a dedication to having fun.
As for me, I learnt that the best way to survive the most important day of your child’s life is armed with patience, resilience, and deep pockets.