My Story

By Val Wilson

Sid and I were married in October 1971. By today’s standards it was fairly low-key but to us it seemed like it took months of planning and hard work.

My father died in December 1969 and Sid’s father had a chronic illness that meant he hadn’t worked for a number of years. So it was down to us to pay for it all. Finally the big day arrived and, joy of joy, it was a beautiful sunny day.

Things went wrong on the day, as they do. My nephew’s page boy outfit didn’t fit. I can remember feeling ready to break down but my cousin took control and did emergency alterations. One of my bridesmaids was very late and I was very angry. Then with contingency plans in place she arrived to save the day.

As everyone left for the church only my brother in law and me were left. Panic set in. Bob calmed me down and despite sadness that my father couldn’t be there I was grateful to have Bob by my side. We arrived at the church and I remember going from being very tearful to being full of happiness. The reception at a local pub was noisy with both our families and friends enjoying the occasion. Cutting the cake and speeches were memorable and amusing. Then everyone gave us a good send off for our ten day honeymoon in Benidorm.