Not many brides go punting once on their wedding day, let alone twice. But in my case, we had a wedding kickoff time of 4pm, and thus several hours to fill before the celebration began. So the groom and best man persuaded me that I had time to give them a punting lesson before lunch.
They say that some things you never forget (riding a bicycle comes to mind), but it transpired that after 15 years of zero practice my punting was only marginally better than the beginners. No matter. The groom was determined to punt me along in my wedding dress later in the day (which he did, to universal acclaim), and the lesson proved invaluable in terms of avoiding major crashes.
Punting, if you've never heard of it, involves sitting in a long, narrow flat bottomed boat, and being propelled along by a long wooden pole. We made it a feature of the wedding, by inserting a punting party between the post-ceremony champagne and before dinner. It was a huge hit. In addition to being a perfect day for it, we had professionals managing the poles (much safer) - and it served as an excellent ice-breaker for the guests who did not yet know one another.
Perhaps one of the most memorable moments of the entire day came as our wedding party pulled into the quay, ready to disembark. There were dozens of Cambridge citizens enjoying the sunshine with a glass of wine or a pint of beer sitting outside. As we glided into the dock, and folks noticed how we were dressed, the entire quayside burst into a spontaneous round of applause. For just a few minutes, we were celebrities, basking in the glow of flashing camera bulbs and the goodwill of complete strangers. It was great.
Lest I lead you to believe that this was the best part - don't be fooled. The entire wedding was magical. The weather gods smiled on us, the champagne was chilled to perfection. The speeches were amusing, and blessedly brief. The guests all looked glamorous, and, judging by the photos, were having just as much fun as we did. It was perfection, and like all perfect things, exquisitely enjoyable, and impossible to convey in words that could possibly do it justice....
So I shall finish with this thought. My college motto is "Garde Ta Foy". It's old French, and the literal translation has long been hotly disputed. The interesting thing is that it translates two ways, which at different points in my life, have been very relevant. As a student, I always preferred the informal translation "Look after your liver", which seemed only too appropriate at the time, given the frequency of my presence in the college Bar. But now, having been married in the college chapel, and walked under the crest with my husband, the other translation appeals: "Keep your faith". It seems like good advice, at the beginning of a marriage...
