Talking of crimson, as I catch a glimpse of my hot cheeks in the mirror, it’s bloody obvious today’s concealer foundation isn’t totally up to the job without the added talc crust. It could be worse. Some people have pet tigers or alligators. Hopefully these dog babies will be the kind people keep in their handbags. The sort that only emerge for the odd cuddle and pee stop. One time when I was in Paris when Luc was on business, I saw a woman with three in one Gucci carrier. I make my voice bright, scour the room for doggy holdalls and force myself to ask. ‘So are they here now?’
Nancy rolls her eyes. ‘Oh my, if you knew how out of control they are in new situations, you wouldnotbe asking that. We’re bringing them in just before the ceremony, otherwise they might demolish the Christmas trees. And they’re horrors with food. If they were here, they’d definitely steal our cupcakes.’
Worse and worse. ‘What kind are they?’ I once saw a Scottie dog skittle a toddler, so I’m throwing out the handbag idea and adjusting my expectations upwards.
Nancy’s clasping her hands. ‘You mustn’t panic. Truly, they don’t eat photographers. Jules met them and they all got on fabulously.’
‘Okay … tell me …’ My hands are waving, and I try to imagine the biggest dogs I can. As I get to Labradors I’ve a feeling I might be hyperventilating.
‘They’re Great Danes.’
Shit. ‘But aren’t they like …reallyhuge?’ Compared to the sausages and individual trifles I’m used to taking pictures of, they might as well be racehorses.
‘Don’t worry, once they stop jumping around, they’re complete sweeties.’ One of the bridesmaids passes her a mug and she pushes it into my hand. ‘Sit down, have some tea. Then we thought you could do us a few ”mad girls in dressing gown” poses. We can nip out onto the balcony before the guys and the dogs get here?’
The bride talking me down from my ledge again. How does this keep happening? Two gulps of tea later the fun begins and we spend the next hour chasing around the venue. We start with the girls jumping on the extra-long sofas waving their arms in the air and end with them flopped on the tub chairs back in the dressing room. In between we visit most points, including the beach where I snap them leaping in front of the sea and jumping out of the way of the waves. Then we head back for another round of pictures as they take out their rollers and move onto make-up.
Nancy’s smoothing cream onto her cheeks. ‘That was such a laugh, Holly. You could hire yourself out for hen parties too. I wish you’d been at mine.’
And I’m wishing Iwas. When they were messing around with balloons, we were having so much fun, I almost forgot this was a wedding. Now we’re back, I crash back to earth with a bump. Here’s me laughing with the bridesmaids, when there’s a thousand other images to capture. I should be out, making the most of the empty venue, to get views of the decorations and the table flowers, and the ceremony room, with its rows of chairs, and twig and rosemary posies. A couple of hundred shots later, I’m hurtling back to the dressing room again to make the most of the lovely moment when Nancy’s mum helps her into her dress.
Once Nancy loses her bulky fleece, there’s very little of her left underneath. If the dress looked amazing on the hanger, on Nancy’s slender frame, it looks out of this world, even before it’s done up. She slips her shoes on, and stands, hands on her waist, as her mum does up her zip. Then as she gently tweaks the big bow, the enormity of what’s about to happen to Nancy finally hits her mum. As her chin starts to wobble, I’m feeling like a guilty intruder in their private moment. But as I catch the actual first tear rolling down her cheek, I’m mentally punching the air because I’ve got at least one decent shot of the day. Then cringing because I’ve been so crass.
Then her mum’s gone and her dad comes in, and it’s tears all over again. I’m so busy catching every minute, I barely have time to breathe, let alone worry. When Rory rushes in, even though it’s been hours, I’m surprised he’s back so soon.
He gives me a hard stare. ‘Still holding up, Berry?’
I suddenly remember there’s something way more important than my stomach somersaulting. Which is obviously down to the adrenalin rush. ‘Have you seen the dogs?’
He laughs. ‘We met at the pub. They’re totally adorable, just like those big stone dog statues people have outside their stately homes. Only bigger.’ As he gives my arm a squeeze, he seems to be missing the point that statues don’t move. ‘Okay, come on, we need to get to the ceremony room. I’ve got your bells here for later, but don’t worry, I’ve got the list ready. I’ll get everyone to their places. You’re going to nail this, okay? You can count on me. I’ll be a hundred per cent here for you. All the way.’
Seeing who’s talking, that’s a lot more worrying than reassuring. If my heart wasn’t lurching before, it is now. Although as I tiptoe into the ceremony room and make my way to the front, and the registrars smile at me, it’s more the feeling of a gaping hole in my chest, as if my heart has left my body entirely.
‘Here they come.’ Rory’s next to me, breathing in my ear, reminding me I meant to ask what his aftershave is. On anyone other than him, it would smell pretty damned impressive.
‘Who’s coming?’ There’s another huge lurch, as though I’ve been thumped in the chest. He can’t mean Nancy and her dad, yet.
Rory’s laugh is low. ‘Hetty and Hannah, of course.’ No surprise that he’s on first name terms already. ‘Dark grey, very photogenic. Aren’t they perfect with the suits?’
There’s a scrabbling of paws and panting, and two dogs dash up to the front, each hauling a groomsman behind them. Then they launch themselves at Scott, who jackknifes onto a chair.
Rory hisses at me, ‘Quick, over there, get the groom being trampled by his hounds.’
If I shudder, it’s because there’s so much slobber involved. I hiss back, hardly daring to lower my camera. ‘All done.’ As I pan around and zoom in on the people taking their seats, and the registrars, I can’t help noticing Rory’s got my spare camera up, looking through the viewfinder, pretending to take pictures. So if I’m a fake photographer, pretending to be a real one, jeez knows what that makes him.
And then the registrar is clearing his throat and the processional music is beginning. ‘Please be upstanding for the bride.’
As the first few bars ofTruly Madly Deeplydrift into the room, the goose pimples pebble up on my arms, just because the sentiment’s so beautiful. For a nanosecond I forget my knees are wobbling and think what a great choice of song it is. Then I stop hearing the words at all, because I’m concentrating so hard. Then there’s the red blur of the bridesmaids, and then Nancy and her dad are heading down the aisle, and this really isalldown to me.
Chapter 18
Sunday 10th December
Scott and Nancy’s wedding at the Old Lifeboat Station, Port Giles: Tasty snacks and sticky fingers
‘If I ever grumble about my day jobeveragain, you have my full permission to pour soup over my head.’
This is me talking to Rory. We’re sitting in tub chairs in the quiet corner where we’re taking our first break of the day. Although for me, it’s more about backing up all the memory cards than any kind of rest. As Jules says, backing up the data is the first rule of weddings. But the last five hours have been so full on, this is the first chance I’ve had to do it. So while Rory’s making his way through the big tray of food in front of us, with the dedication of a truly hungry guy, I’ve got my laptop and memory sticks out, making multiple copies of all the day’s pictures. And the day is still a long way from over. Even if the end is way closer than it was at ten this morning, there are still some crucial shots left to do now it’s fully dark, and the fairy lights are twinkling in their full glory. Then we’re onto the last lap and it’s full steam ahead to the first dance and the disco. And finally home time. If someone had told me ten days ago I’d be this anxious to get into the beer-mobile and head off into the night with Rory Sanderson, I’d have thought they were bonkers. Which only goes to show how fast circumstances can change and how quickly life can change you too.
