Kenya: Benjo not in Kenya

I've been back in England for 4 weeks now and apart from some difficulties relearning how to exist in the post-individualistic metropolis of London, where no one has a soul there has been the wedding of my lovely friends Emma and Andrew. And what an incredible wedding it was! It was my first friends' wedding and even cooler because I was involved in quite a big way. Over the past few weeks Hannah, Liam, Tom and I have been getting music ready for the service and reception and finally the big weekend was upon us! Unfortunately two days before the wedding I came down with a bad case tonsillitis! I quickly acquired some antibiotics desperately trying to kill the bugs so I could sing for the big day we'd all been waiting for. On Friday I got on a train and curled in the corner praying to get better as we speeded towards Oxford.

The great thing about weddings is that its not really about the ceremony or even just the bride and groom. Its an entire weekend of fun, activities and loads of people you know and love all in one place. The night before was a last practise and back to Hannah, Emma and Catherine's house where the tables, floors and sofas were covered with cakes for after the service and there was a whirlwind of cooking for final touches. In the morning we got everything to the church and in good wedding tradition the fight for the shower began. It was a silly idea for Liam and I to stay at a predominately girl house!

The service was wonderful, the band kicked ass and everyone looked great. It was an incredibly personal service, especially because Jane, our beloved vicar, did the honours. It was particularly great when she gave them each a present for coping with the other partner. For Andrew this was a pair of dashing washing-up gloves and for Emma it was a toilet plunger!

There was a strange moment when Emma stood there at the altar in her beautiful bridal dress, that this was real. Stepping into her empty room at the house the night before had been the same thing. Here is a person I've known for five years and lived with for two and consider to be one of my two closest friends from university. All those memories and times we were close, times we shared and sometimes vulnerable together. Now those times are for Andrew. Of course we will remain friends, but its strange how friends and families lose a bit of the person they love. I know this is particularly difficult for her current house mates. However, because I love her, I was mostly bursting with joy for them both! Get in!

The reception was great. The first half spent judging the limits of drunkeness and still being able to play our set! I enjoyed playing the set a lot, despite some truly terrible choices (mostly from the Tomlinson side!), but by the end my tonsillitis ridden throat was dead! I danced long into the night and long past when Emma and Andrew left. My favourite moment was dancing to "Mama do the hump" with Rita. :-)

To finish on Sunday we had a lovely brunch with Andrew's familiy. Such fun people! And such a great weekend, I love weddings.