The hirsute British comedian Bill Bailey once pointed out that the British way to answer the greeting of “How are you?” is to dial down the optimism and expectation to an absolute low and respond in the following way; “Not too bad.” In other words, it looks like we might be avoiding impending catastrophe, so we’ll settle for that. He then went on to say, that our Australian cousins, who tend to have a much sunnier outlook on life, typically reply with an adjective such as “Awesome!”. And in a non-ironic way too. Katie and Dave’s wedding on July 9th was a HUGE slice of awesome.
The very hot day started at K&D’s flat where they both got ready along with a handful of friends. I could tell straight away that this was going to be a different kind of day. From the artwork, to the random playlist of Disney classics being belted out. Once everyone was ready, all that was left to do was to sort out transport…which proved a nightmare. Ubers were arranged but quickly evaporated en route, so most of us hopped in the back of the rental car, whilst Dave did his very best to asphyxiate his Best Man by stuffing him in the boot (no Australians were harmed in the making of this production).
We got to Islington Town Hall without anyone needing medical attention so it was on with the show. The ceremony was small and emotionally charged and in just a few minutes we were back outside to be greeted by more of K&D’s friends, confetti, and some bubbly. Once the bottles were exhausted we all headed across the street to The Vineyard to kick back with a few drinks and catch up with old friends.
At some point during the celebratory drinks, Dave made his way to Bao restaurant in Borough Market where dinner and the rest of the party were to take place. So when Katie and Co figured it was time to head off, we hunted down the right bus, hopped on, and eventually found our way to Bao.
After catching up with more friends who joined us at Bao and a few nibbles al fresco, we all headed inside for dinner and plenty of speeches. One of the interesting aspects of K&D’s wedding was there no family there due to all sorts of reasons (not least Covid and the sheer distance involved), but it was very clear by the end of the speeches that everyone was to Dave & Katie a supportive, tight-knit family that would do anything for each other.
Speeches were not the end of the day. Not by a long shot. The fully equipped (by which I really mean air conditioned) Karaoke room awaited downstairs. Ten out of ten for effort guys, I mean that sincerely.
What an extraordinary and special day to be a part of. Thank you Katie and Dave for having me along to capture it all, it was awesome.
R
