Samuel came over with Lottie’s standing electric wheelchair and helped her settle with her bouquet, then gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading inside the church.
Will pulled up in the car park with Beth and their respective children. They set up the prams and had the bridesmaids cooing over Archie and Robert’s mini pageboy outfits straight away.
‘You get them inside, and we’ll be in next,’ said Ginny, waving Will towards the entrance.
Will and Beth went into the church with the children, and the others got ready for the walk down the aisle.
Alice fanned her face with one hand. ‘Do not cry,’ she told herself out loud, making everyone laugh.
Lottie shook her head. ‘You’d better not. Your makeup is perfect. No mascara runs allowed.’
‘Not even me?’ joked Jed, beaming at Sophie.
‘You can cry later,’ said Alice.
Ginny gave Sophie the once over. ‘You ready, chick?’
Sophie grinned from ear to ear. ‘Yep.’
Ginny then looked at Jed. ‘Are you ready?’
Jed nodded. ‘And ever so proud of my Sophie.’
Sophie nudged him. ‘Stop, Grandad, or I’ll be the one crying.’
Alice gestured to the entrance. ‘Come on then. Your groom awaits.’
Sophie let out a small squeal of delight as they all moved forward, taking their places.
The music in the church started to play, and the guests stood.
Alice saw her family first, then caught Jamie’s eye as she made her way down the aisle. If only she could have met him at the altar on their wedding day. She quickly shrugged off the thought and went back to concentrating on her friend’s big day.
‘Beautiful,’ Jamie mouthed as she passed.
Alice smiled at him, then at Matt, Robson, and Spencer up front, wearing the same outfits as Jed, except Matt had a white cravat.
The wedding started and everyone took their seats, except the bridesmaids who were in a line beside Sophie for a while.
The church was cool and filled with everyone Sophie and Matt cared about. Dark-pink and white flowers were arranged by the altar and at the end of each pew, and the service was personalized by the Berry Buoys singing a sea shanty towards the end, which had everyone tapping their feet.
For Alice, the ceremony went far too quickly. She wanted to be in the church longer, enjoying the love on display, the joy in the air, and the way Jamie was looking at her as though she were the most beautiful person on the planet.
The bells rang out as the happy couple departed, confetti sprinkled all around. More pictures were taken, then it was off toSeaview B&B for the reception, which thanks to Sophie’s friends now looked like a winter wonderland at Christmas.
Toasts were made, champagne and non-alcoholic bubbly held high, and Demi had made a feast fit for a king.
Jed shed a tear when making his speech, and Alice had to clean her mascara at that point, along with the other bridesmaids.
Then Matt got up to speak, staring only at his blushing bride. ‘Sophie, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I certainly didn’t see you coming my way, but if I had known you were here, I’d have walked a hell of a lot quicker from London.’
Everyone laughed, and Sophie blew him a kiss.
Matt turned to his audience. ‘All of you have been the best. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for your support since I arrived.’ He glanced at Jed. ‘Or for the spa day.’
Sophie reached for his hand.
Matt smiled. ‘I only wish there was a Port Berry in every corner of the land because this is such a happy place. The kindness here is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Thank you for coming to our wedding. For making the reception so magical for me and the missus, and thank you for simply being part of my life.’ He looked down at Sophie. ‘And to you, my love, for believing in me. I love you, Soph.’
