A Day To Remember

This is an important photograph. Not to you, obviously. But to us, it means the world. It was taken on Saturday 30th May 2015 at around 11am. Exactly fifteen years earlier, Jan & I stood in this exact spot, the morning after our wedding. Let me set the scene for you.

We were married in the Compleat Angler Hotel, Marlow, on 29th May 2000. After the ceremony, we had a drinks reception on the lawn, right beside the River Thames. The main reception was to be on a Thames Cruiser, which came up from Maidenhead and picked us all up at the hotel, before sailing up to Henley and back, during the evening. That part nearly didn't happen. It had rained for 4 days solid before the 29th - so much rain that we got a call from the Captain of the Cruiser, the day before, to say that the river was running so high that he might not be able to get under the bridges. Luckily, on the big day, the sun came out, the ship sailed, and the good Captain only scrapped his roof a few times.

The next morning, we met everyone that had stayed at the hotel, for breakfast. Quietly, after an hour, Jan and I slipped away, walked through the hotel car park, and up onto the lovely Marlow Bridge. We held hands, kissed, and then threw our old wedding rings into The Thames. We hugged. It was something we had planned just a few days before. We didn't tell anyone. It was our moment, something special that signified a new life together, a new beginning, a new love.

So, exactly 15 years later, pretty much to the minute, we took this photo, on the bridge, above The Thames. We held hands and hugged, the morning after our 15th anniversary. It has been the fastest 15 years of our lives, the years racing by, especially as we enjoy the rewards of the hard work we both put into our jobs. We have a great life. We have so much fun.

Most importantly, we have each other.