We've been enjoying an autumnal run of weddings recently with one more to come in a couple of weeks time. Weddings always make us laugh because our minds turn back to our own somewhat chaotic one in 1987. We were amongst the first of our friends to take the trip up the aisle and consequently we had very little idea of the way a wedding should run. To make things more interesting I was part of the BT workforce which was on strike, so our finances were somewhat limited.

It was a beg and borrow type wedding, Orynthia's sister made the dress,the venue for the reception was arranged on the cheap through out then brother-in-laws connections, the car came from my dads company, an uncle provide the unintentionally hilarious video. The affable chap who conducted the service had never taken a wedding service before and forgot to sign the marriage certificate, the best man had a sudden attack of nerves and dried up completely when speech time came around.

We didn't have a first dance, lucky really as the music was dreadful and we've no idea where the DJ came from. Strangely the dancing was interrupted when a very competitive limbo and skipping contest cleared the floor for a while. In the evening rather than have a big party we went (with a few friends) to see Elvis Costello at the Colston Hall and lovely man that he is, he played a song for us - I'll Wear It Proudly

I hate these flaming curtains they’re not the color of your hair
I hate these striplights they’re not so undoing as your stare
I hate the buttons on your shirt when all I wanna do is tear
I hate this bloody big bed of mine when you’re not here

Chorus:
Well I finally found someone to turn me upside down
And nail my feet up where my head should be
If they had a King of Fools then I could wear that crown
And you can all die laughing because I’ll wear it proudly

Well you seem to be shivering dear and the room is awfully warm
In the white and scarlet billows that subside beyond the storm
You have this expression dear no words could take its place
And I wear it like a badge that you put all over my face

Chorus

I’ll wear it proudly through the dives and the dancehalls
If you’ll wear it proudly through the snakepits and catcalls
Like a fifteen year old kid wears a vampire kiss
If you don’t know what is wrong with me
Then you don’t know what you’ve missed

We are arms and legs wrapped round more than my memory tonight
When the bell rang out and the air outside turned blue from fright
But in shameless moments you made more of me than just a mess
And a handful of eagerness says “What do you suggest?”

Chorus



Which was great, but I've never actually worn a wedding ring as I don't feel comfortable with any sort of jewellery, not that the song is necessarily about a ring. Having said that we and hopefully everyone else who was there had a fantastic time and lot's of laughs along the way.

I'm pleased to say that the weddings we've been to recently have been equally off the cuff and enjoyable, we've got one more to attend in a couple of weekends time and the reception for that one is being held in a hanger at the Helicopter museum near Weston-Super-Mare, so that should be interesting!

Aside from all this talk of weddings, I'm pleased to say that I actually managed to buy some music in a shop in Bristol last week. Faced with a wait of a few hours whilst our car was being serviced I decided to take a leisurely walk from Brislington back into central Bristol, stopping off briefly at The Lounge in Totterdown for a rather pleasant breakfast. From there I walked into broadmead in search of the latest album by Swedish genius Jens Lekman which is entitled Night Falls Over Kortedala.

To be honest I wasn't sure how I would get on given the dearth of decent music shops in Bristol these days, Virgin was my first port of call but although they had a Jens Lekman header board there was no sign of any albums from him, Next I went along to HMV and joy of joys they not only had it but it was resonably priced, in addition I was able to pick up the new album from Canadian band Stars aswell as the most recent Rufus Wainwright album and a Penguin Cafe Orchestra comp.