Thank you Jonathan and Karen!! :))

Just over a week ago, two very dear friends got married to each other! :)

Jonathan Chamberlain and Karen Rose.. Mr and Mrs Chamberlain now!! ;))

Every single wedding I have been to – in Portugal and in England – is different from any other, yes.. The bride and the groom, the place, the guests, the flowers, the weather, the food, the music, the atmosphere.. it all changes so much from time to time!!

Just before this last wedding we went to, a friend (who doesn’t know this couple) asked me very directly “What do you think of it? Are you happy to go? Were they made to be together?” – I gave her a big smile back and said YES! :) A truly, really believed in “YES”!!

These guys are great, they really are! And if you know them you’ll understand what I’m talking about – each one of them, individually as a fantastic completed being, and together as a couple. They balance each other, they complete each other, they show the other one things in life they have never perceived, in such a good and different way! :) Each one of them knows what they want (very well, some would say!), each one of them is convinced (most of the times) of how absolutely right they are, and yet they have such a brilliant way of joining forces and showing the other one the world in a completely different way!

The weekend?!.. Fine, I’ll tell you about it too! ;) Apart from being the most original wedding I have been to in terms of the whole set-up of the weekend, it was a very nice, friendly, full of beauty and cosy one! :) The wedding was small, including only family and closer friends (for which I did feel really honoured to have been invited – thank you again guys!!). A big part of the family was coming from far away, so Jonathan and Karen have arranged this fab deal of renting a big Hall with little cottages attached for the whole weekend, where we could stay – or extended to the rest of the week for those lucky ones who didn’t have to work right after! ;)

We gathered on Friday afternoon, after work! A quick stop by home, to get the packed dresses & suits (and jeans!) for the weekend, a quick stop by the supermarket to get a few things to help for dinner and off we went! A beautiful charming place, about 30 minutes north from Newcastle, is where it all happened!.. We spent Friday evening cooking a huge “family meal”, to which every single one contributed the best way they could.. some cooking, some making sure that the chatting levels and good humour were at their best at all times! :) It was a great evening, with food, friends, music, little silly games with the bride and groom that made us all get into a “very wedding mood”!

Saturday started very relaxed and slowly.. we woke up late and were left to our own imagination until the middle of the afternoon. The tennis court, the gardens around the house and cottages, the beautiful surroundings.. we just did not find the swimming pool, but I heard it was there too! ;)

It was almost 4pm when we all met again at the main Hall of the house, for the wedding ceremony! Everyone looked gorgeous and the atmosphere was so good! The happy faces, the uplifted spirits, the absolute joy of being there with and for such special people! I confess the whole thing absolutely overwhelmed me and I couldn’t contain myself.. I started crying even before the bride came in!! :) Hehehe.. of course it became much “worse” when she finally did appear!! ;) The whole mix of very happy feelings was amazing! Jonathan was nervous and extremely happy at the same time! Karen had a smile that I think would not have disappeared from her face yet – it was truly stuck into every single one of her molecules, I’m sure! :)

The rest of the day was exactly in the same fantastic mood.. about 45 people taking photos with the happy couple, celebrating, listening to a fantastic speech by the bride’s dad (of course I cried again!!!.. What kind of question is that?!), listening to all the speeches during dinner.. All the brilliant food and happy dancing through out the evening and night!

I could go on, and on and on about the whole weekend until Sunday evening, but you’d probably fall asleep and you have most certainly gathered by now how much we enjoyed it anyway.. ;)) It was an amazing one, one that we’ll remember exactly as we think about these guys – friendly, happy, cosy, family oriented, fun, with tons of great emotions all over the place! It really doesn’t matter how old you are or how much you have lived or still have ahead of you.. the spirits, the joy, the energy with which you live life and you give yourself to others makes a tremendous difference for everyone! And each life you touch with this spirit feels so much richer and so privileged to be part of your life too!! :)