I was working as Toastmaster for Clare and Miles at their wedding at the weekend at Shuttleworth House. It was the first time I had worked at the grade 1 listed venue and it was a very pleasurable experience for me.

The staff were efficient and the quality of the food good.  Miles and Clare both sabraged some champagne before cutting of the wedding cake and drank from the loving cup - a ceremony I’ve recently introduced to my weddings.

It was a day of firsts for me - the first time I had worked at Shuttlewrht House, and the first time I had worked with a fabulous photographer called Nick Grove.

Nick didn’t take all day over his shots and this meant that the bride and groom had time to be with their guests before the wedding breakfast was served. I highly recommend Nick’s style of working - a pleasure for me making my life a bit easier on the day.

Final part

On the main wedding function the bride and the groom sit together to attend the Guru Granth Sahib Kirtan. The groom drapes a chunni draped by the bride’s father one end held by groom, which is usually red, pink and orange in color around his neck, the other end of which is held by the bride throughout the ceremony. The bhaiji of the Gurudwara recites the hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, which are then sung and the bride and groom circle the Guru Granth Sahib. The bridegroom walks ahead of the bride with a sword in his hand. Relatives and friends garland the newly wedded couple and the marriage ceremony concludes with a grand feast.

Among the post wedding rituals the vidaai or doli ceremony marks the end of the wedding celebration. It is a very emotional affair for the bride’s family as she departs from her parent’s house she throws back handful of rice over her shoulder, thereby wishing prosperity for her parents and family she leaves behind to start a new life with new dreams and aspirations.