The invitations have gone out, and the replies are coming in slowly, very slowly. We’re not too worried as, bar a few exceptions, we really know who will be coming. Our problem is that we’ve gone over the numbers that the hotel are happy with. Ideally they would like us to be 70, we think we’ll be 84 and hoping that it doesn’t creep up to 90. Oh well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!
I now have all the details of the Americans who are coming over so I can go ahead and order their suits at Moss Bros. They chose the shape and style from the confetti site, so now there isn’t an inside leg of any of Russell’s relatives that I don’t know all about. As we won’t be picking them up until the Thursday before the wedding there is the potential for a lot of last minute panicking as jackets don’t fit and trousers are too short ‐ but hopefully by that time I’ll be so excited about the wedding I’ll be beyond worrying.
We’ve had a particularly mad few weeks, I remember reading Laura’s diary when RT and I got engaged and hearing about all the things she was doing in the run up to the wedding, most of which were not wedding related and I vowed not to do the same. Not a chance. In the last month, RT has resigned from his job and taken his team with him to set up a new business and we’ve decided to buy a new flat. At least that will give me something to think about when I’m Mrs Thornton. In reality, I’m not all that surprised ‐ we always like to have lots of things on the go and if anything, this makes the time for us all the more exciting. As well as designing centrepieces and flowers for my bridesmaids, I’m also designing corporate logos and fonts. It also means that the lap‐top and mobile phone may well come on honeymoon with us.
Personally it’s also been a turbulent few weeks. We found out that RT’s 92 year old grandfather who lives in Florida has cancer. We’re waiting to find out if they are going to operate and should hear in a couple of days. We spoke to Cherrie, RT’s Mo, at the weekend and she seems relatively upbeat. The doctors out there have been told that a trip to the UK for June 15th is non‐negotiable so now it’s all fingers and toes crossed. Meanwhile, Rich (RT’s brother) and his wife Mona have decided to adopt their second child. As with everything else in the US, things work pretty differently as the birth mother plays a part in deciding who will adopt her unborn child. When all the criteria’s fit the birth parents and prospective adopting parents all meet to check they are comfortable with each other and things proceed from there. Richard and Mona have met a birth mother in the last few days who is due on May 10th with a little boy ‐ and so far ‐ things seem to be right on track. They tell us that they’ve already checked with lawyers that they’ll be able to get the new born a passport so it looks like we’ll have another little Thornton along for the ride!
I think we now have most things organised. We still need to sort out our Order of Service (still haven’t decided what to walk into but have narrowed down the options) and get them printed, finalise table plans and sort out something for the little page‐boys to wear. I was hoping to put them in tiny morning suits but they aren’t made small enough, so now I’m back to a traditional little page‐boy outfit. I just hope they won’t be too embarrassed in 15 years time when the photos of them wearing velvet knicker‐bockers and frilly tights get pulled out! RT has been to our local registrar’s office. As he is a US citizen we don’t have the traditional banns read in church, but must have what’s called “a legal preliminary to an ecclesiastical marriage”. He is so excited he’s just called and said that it’s all sorted, his name is to be posted outside the town hall for 16 days until he’s officially “approved” ‐ unfortuantely he is now suggesting that we go and take a photo ‐ I just hope nobody see us!!
The invitations to our rehearsal lunch have been sent out by Billy and Ginny (RT’s Dad and stepmother) and have already been received by some people in the UK. I don’t think we’ve been sent one but I’ve asked Mum to keep hers so that I can have it after the wedding. Billy and Ginny will be staying with us in London from the Sunday – Thursday before the wedding before we all go up to Oxford. It’ll be fun but also rather hectic as there will be so much last minute stuff to do. But, as we only get to see them once or twice a yea, we’ll actually get to spend some proper time with them before all our other guests arrive and things start to get really mad.
Once all the other guests come in from the US on Thursday, they’ll be very little time to blink. We’re having a family dinner that evening (my family haven’t met RT’s dad yet) then we’ve the rehearsal on Friday morning followed by lunch with about 30 people. RT and I are planning to sneak off for a bottle of champagne just the two of us on the Friday afternoon and some quiet time in the lull of the storm. I’ll then be at home with all my family making sure I look beautiful and RT will be with everyone at the reception hotel. He tells me he’ll be wanting an early night, but with friends and family coming in from all over the world I imagine the temptation for “just one more drink” will prove all too much……
