WHEN one of Jess Brooke Thom’s three daughters gave a speech at her wedding, she raised a peal of laughter by asking ‘third-time lucky, eh, Mummy?’ The setting, on a beach in Kenya, couldn’t have been more different from the country church in Hampshire where she had first tied the knot 30 years before.
Whatever the circumstances, any subsequent wedding should be dramatically different from the previous one. At her second, Jess battled morning sickness in a homemade dress. Her third wedding, however, struck an altogether different note: the barefoot ceremony was held on a beach at Watamu and followed by beach parties, a barbecue and an impromptu fertility ceremony (the couple, who are in their fifties, have nine children between them). ‘It was idyllic. We did it just how we wanted and with the people we wanted and the vows were our own.’
Francesca Leon and Rufus Hirsch took another route when they tied the knot last year in Old Marylebone Town Hall. They organised a no-frills event with only two witnesses and Francesca’s nine-year-old son as a ring bearer. Rufus had the rings made from salvaged gold. ‘It was a very simple ceremony, which was purely about the vows,’ says Francesca. ‘We had no readings or music—there was no one to entertain.’ They celebrated with lunch in a restaurant nearby.
Denne historien er fra March 11, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra March 11, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
