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it was thirty years ago today . . .
mood: 
happy
happy
Putney United Methodist Church, London, England
Hi there -- I'm back!
Today, Len and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary!!
(Obviously, I was a child bride.)
We met and married in London, where I was teaching high school English, and he was a civil engineer designing a railroad in Algeria (I posted about our meeting here.)
Alack, he was a slippery and subtle knave, and I was in my salad days, green in judgment.
I found out that in England:
1. The ceremony must be performed in a registry office or church. No garden weddings.
2. Bridesmaids follow the bride down the aisle.
3. Single women are called spinsters on the marriage license.
Much to the tsk tsk of the minister, who thought we had everything backwards, I had my maid of honor and bridesmaid precede me down the aisle, American style.
With Lynn, Ron (Len's brother), Maruta and Jim.
I had always wanted a small wedding, where we knew all the guests. My long-time friend, Lynn, flew in from Hawai'i to be my maid of honor, and my Wimbledon roomie, Maruta (PE teacher from Minnesota), served as bridesmaid. Immediate family traveled from Hawai'i and New Hampshire.
Of course, my dad was there to give me away:
We had a total of 35 people at the reception, which was an Elizabethan banquet.
Here's the skinny on the place, complete with menu:
We all gathered in the Linenfold Room.
While the minstrel played "Greensleeves" on his lute,
friendly, buxom wenches peddled boar's head pate.
We had a merry time feasting, smoking clay pipes,
and drinking mead out of two-handled mugs.
Cutting the cake was no easy feat --
nobody told us about royal icing (it's as hard as cement)!
But as a famous writer once said, "All's well that ends well."
Today I cannot believe that 30 years has passed. We're fortunate to have our health, dear friends and family, work that we enjoy, and most important, we're still each other's best friend.
ANNIVERSARY CONTEST!Now, I'd like to celebrate this milestone with all of you. Every couple has "their song," and we're no different. If you can guess what "our song" is, you'll win a $30 Amazon gift card!
If more than one person (or no one) guesses correctly, we'll ask one of the bears to draw the winner. If you mention this contest on your blog, you get 3 guesses (otherwise, one guess per person, please)!
HINT: Keep in mind that Len and I met in the late 70's -- so our song was written, released, and very popular then. In fact, it was included on one of the seminal albums that defined the decade.
Please leave your guesses (or links) in the comments, or if you prefer, email me: readermail (at) jamakimrattigan (dot com). Deadline is midnight (EST), Friday, September 5, 2008.
Good Luck, and 30 good wishes to all of you!
VERY COOL!
I would have thought your song would be...
:-)
Congrats!
(and here's an MGB for Len).
Re: Congrats!
Thank you so much for showing these pictures.
Yay! It's such a happy start to my day.
(Anonymous)
I'll guess I Honestly Love You by Olivia Newton John as your song.
Kristi Valiant
http://kristivaliant.blogspot.com
Our guess is:
"Just the Way you Are"
Happy Anniversary tomorrow!!
My guess is Three Times A Lady
I vote for EVERGREEN, from the A STAR IS BORN album and movie by Barbara Streisand.
(Anonymous)
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Re: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
How about I....love...you....
(Paul McCartney and Wings, I think?)
Okay, I'll guess: Just Remember I Love You
Congratulations, and thanks again for sharing the pictures...they really made me happy today!
And you lit up my day with your awesome picks. You had a minstrel!
My guess is You Light up my Life
Beautiful pix, and very happy anniversary to you both!!
I don't have a guess, but I enjoyed the trip down your memory lane. :-)
Happy Anniversary!
Re: Happy Anniversary!