My Parent's Wedding

18 January 1941

It was war time, snowing and the church was as cold as an Eskimo's nose! Most wartime brides weren't able to be married in a long white wedding dress because of war shortages and lack of clothing coupons which were needed to buy anything that you wore or to purchase fabric.  However, some how my mother managed to obtain extra coupons and was one of the only brides of that time to wear a long, white velvet wedding dress, rouched at the front  and with silver shoes peeping from it. She even managed pale blue velvet for her bridesmaids. She wasn't quite so lucky in obtaining enough icing sugar for a white iced wedding cake, but somehow did get enough cocoa for a two-tier chocolate wedding cake.  Unfortunately, there wasn't to be too much privacy for my parent's wedding night, when the sirens sounded and all the guests including Mum and Dad made for the underground station shelter for the night! On their return they crept into their bedroom only to find my grandmother curled asleep in their bed oblivious to the air raid warnings!  They hadn't the heart to wake her. So much for a romantic start to their marriage. Had they lived, today would have been their 71st wedding anniversary.

Best wishes
Barbara