Miranda's Wedding

Family weddings are my favourite. I so appreciated being in Europe this year when there was another family wedding. It meant we could go!

Journey to the Wedding:
On October 14th we left Madrid and flew to London for the wedding of my cousin Miranda (15th October 2011). We stayed the night with my older sister, Cecilia who lives an hour south of London by train. The wedding was in the north of London, so my sister's family, the Truemans and the Menkens caught a train and then the underground to arrive.

Harry, Billy and Charley waiting for the train to leave.

Dressed for the wedding and going to London on the train.

Bill (Brother-in-law), Olivia (niece), Cecilia (sister), Lawrence (nephew), Charley, Harry, Nathaniel (nephew), Matthew (nephew) and Billy crossing London on the Underground.

Fiona and her brother in-law, Bill

While taking this photo I heard a voice behind asking: "are there any Menkens and Truemans on this tube?" I turned around and there was one of my cousins and his family travelling to the wedding on the same tube.

Cecilia, Bill, Fergus, Karen, Christopher (cousin), Haymish and Olivia(niece)

Our party to the wedding increased as we met my cousin, Christopher and his family (Karen and two sons) on the underground.

Matthew, Haymish, Christopher, Nathaniel and Bill

At the Church:
My youngest and my sister's youngest wore identical suits (apart from the size). It just so happened that one of the last weddings we went to Lawrence wore the suit that Billy now has on (and Matthew wore that which Lawrence is wearing). So useful having older boy cousins and brothers especially for clothes that hardly ever get worn.

Billy and Lawrence (cousins) in their identical suits posing outside the church.

Mother of the Bride, my Aunt Elizabeth (Dad's sister)

Standing: My uncle Robert (Dad's youngest brother) with his son-in-law, Memo holding Giacomo. Sitting: Nathaniel talking to Henry (Robert's son - French cousin)

Bride's entrance, Martha(wife of Damien) and Damien (cousin) on the left, Isobel (Cousin) and Charlie (Iso's husband) on the right with Charley, Lawrence and Harry in the foreground. 

Miranda and Alexander exiting the church with my uncle James (Dad's brother) on the left front and Richard (Dad's cousin) and Dad on the right front.

From the Church to the Reception:
The wedding party was transported by London double decker buses from the church to the reception.

All the boy first cousins waiting for the bus

First and second cousins (the sons of Damien, my cousin): Olivia, Willo, George, Matthew, Lawrence, Nathaniel, Rufus, Harry, Billy and Charley

The Truemans (sister's family) waiting for the bus.

Two buses were hired to take us across London from St. Mary's Church, Hampstead to Armoury House, near Finsbury Square for the wedding breakfast.

We all fit into two busses

Father of the Bride (Uncle Graham) ensuring everyone gets on.

Charley and Billy on the top in the front

Armoury House for the Wedding Breakfast:

The boys with their grandpa.

Dad with his two daughters and his only granddaughter.

The bride enjoying the balloons go off.

Setting up for photos.

Harry, Billy, Fergus, Christopher, Dad and Charley.

Alice (Philip's daughter), Fiona, Karen, Fergus, Christopher, Haymish, Philip (Christopher's brother) and partner.

More official photos: Rufus, Mary Eloise (Miranda's sister), Willo, Miranda, Alexander, Beatrice (daughter of Damien, bride's brother) and Eleanor (daughter of Isobel, bride's sister).

Rufus, George, Willo (three sons of D&M), Damien (bride's brother), Martha (wife of Damien) in the back row with their daughter, Beatrice in the front (oldest bridesmaid). Mary Eloise (Bride's oldest sister) left of the newlyweds. Elizabeth (bride's mother) and Isobel (bride's sister) on the right. Isobel's husband, Charlie and son Inigo are left foreground and their daughter, Eleanor is the youngest bridesmaid. Graham (father of the bride) right foreground.

Damien (brother of the bride) and wife, Martha standing behind the newlyweds and Isobel (sister of the bride) standing next to Martha. Isobel's husband Charlie is on the left with one of their three sons Inigo and their daughter Eleanor is the smallest bridesmaid. Damien's three sons, George, Willo and Rufus are in the back and his daughter, Beatrice is the oldest bridesmaid in the front. The bride's other sister, Mary Eloise is on the left of her. Mother of the bride, Elizabeth is talking to Graham's Australian nephew (his sister Sarah is behind) and Graham, father of the bride is off to get more family members for the photo. Olivia is in the foreground.

Memo (married to my French cousin Alice, daughter of my father's youngest brother, Robert) and their son Giacomo.

Second cousins: Inigo and Alexander (the smallest boys are two of Iso's), Beatrice and Rufus are two of Damien's children.

Second cousins: Eleanor (Iso's daughter) and Olivia.

Second cousins: Harry, Charley, friend, Willo, Beatrice, Inigo, Alexander, Billy and Rufus.

Anna (Daughter of Tom, French cousin) and Beatrice (daughter of Alice, French cousin); grandchildren of my father's youngest brother, Robert.

Father of the bride's speech.

Bridegroom's speech

Best Man's speech

Cutting of the cake using a family sword.

Journey Home:

After the wedding we took a bus to the train station and then a train back to my sister's house where we stayed one more night and then on the Sunday afternoon we flew back to Madrid with the rest of our suitcases brought from MN that wouldn't fit on the plane the first time around, without an excess baggage fee.

View from the bus as we crosed the Thames.

My dad, my sister's family and the Menkens taking the bus to the station.

Most of the boys sat at the back of the empty bus.

Train journey from London.

On the Cercanias train from Madrid Airport to Pozuelo on the way home.