Chapter 31
It turned out that the celebrant, a tall, grey-haired man, who Sarah and Jade had both liked when they’d originally met him, had stayed around, and fortunately was a big dog lover himself. He was more than happy to marry the two couples as soon as they were ready.
‘I don’t think I mentioned it to you before, but you’re actually the last couples I will ever marry,’ he told Sarah and Jade as they caught up in reception.
‘I’m retiring at the end of August. So I’ve always known this wedding would be memorable.
Although I wasn’t expecting it to be quite as memorable as this. ’ He raised bushy grey eyebrows.
‘Can I offer you something to eat?’ Clara asked him.
‘Thank you. But no, you’re fine. My wife always makes me a packed lunch.’
Jade wondered if she was the only one who saw the flash of relief in the manager’s eyes. She’d forgotten about Mr B and his world-class food. He wouldn’t have taken kindly to the delays and he wasn’t likely to have been very subtle about it. Poor Clara.
‘And you’re sure you don’t mind waiting until we’ve had something quickly to eat and got ready again?
’ Jade asked the celebrant, which was a bit of a rhetorical question as Callum and the two best men had already vanished, while Ben and Finn had also disappeared to return Chocko to her canine companions.
The celebrant gave Jade a gracious smile. ‘You go right ahead. I can hold on another hour. After all, I suspect I’ll be able to dine out on today’s story for the rest of my retirement.’
There was a rousing cheer as Sarah and Jade walked back into the restaurant.
And then one by one the guests who’d already eaten began to stand up, clapping slowly, and Jade realised they were getting a standing ovation, which was nice but highly embarrassing, although at least they were back in their wedding dresses.
The volume rose even higher when the grooms came in behind them, and by the time Ben rushed in too, the volume was at full blast.
Everyone was smiling. No one seemed to be in the slightest bit bothered that nothing had gone to plan today.
In fact, Jade heard several comments flying round about the fabulous quality of the food.
A lot of people seemed to be quite merry too, including Finn’s agent, Eleanor, and her plus one.
They’d obviously been in the bar for the last couple of hours.
She caught sight of Hector and Charlotte.
They were sitting at a table with Ursula and Dawn and as her gaze lingered on them, they both looked up and Hector nodded and Charlotte gave her a little wave.
They were both beaming. So they were clearly enjoying themselves, even if the wedding hadn’t quite played out as it had been supposed to, and Jade felt glad again that they’d been there, and that they’d had her back, helping out, even though they barely knew her properly yet.
Oh, gosh. Well, the celebrant had been right about one thing. No one was ever going to forget this wedding. Not least the poor Bluebell Cliff Hotel.
Jade and Sarah had decided, so as not to hold up the very obliging celebrant for too long, and in keeping with the rest of the topsy-turvy day, that they’d eat first, then get married, and then return to the dining room for the toasts and speeches.
All of it went surprisingly smoothly. About 30 per cent of the wedding guests had been taking full advantage of the Bluebell Cliff’s complimentary drinks, and were half cut. And the rest of them were in very high spirits naturally because this most important of days had been salvaged.
The photographer had been catching up on taking wedding photos that she hadn’t had a chance to get earlier.
‘They’re mostly quite candid ones,’ she told Jade and Sarah, ‘they’re often the best anyway, but I do promise to get some formal ones of you all later.’
There was a fair bit of coastguard rescue video footage flying about too so that those who hadn’t been present for the dramatic clifftop rescue could catch up. And the pictures of the reunion between Ben and Chocko had caused quite a few more tears amongst the guests.
Then, finally, everyone transferred in an untidy straggle of people into the Bluebell Cliff’s wedding venue.
Jade overheard the expression ‘herding cats’ more than once as Zoe rounded people up and got them seated.
Sarah and Jade’s journey down the aisle to meet their waiting grooms, between the avenue of bright sunflowers, blue delphiniums and paler blue hydrangeas, was greeted with so much applause that the bridal march was practically drowned out, but it was Chocko and Ben who stole the show.
When Ben walked her down the aisle, the pair of them got the biggest cheer of all, and because Ben was close to her, clearly feeding her some spectacular treats, she didn’t seem too worried about the fuss. She never stopped wagging her tail.
Jade seemed to remember the official photographer had asked that photos during the ceremony be kept to a minimum, but no one was taking any notice of this rule, especially when they saw Chocko.
She turned to Sarah. ‘I’ve a feeling that most of our wedding photos are going to be of a dog.’
‘I know. But it’s probably just as well. I cried off most of my make-up on that cliff. Anyway, who cares. They’re going to be the happiest wedding photos ever, aren’t they?’
‘They absolutely are.’
They both giggled. Jade knew they were both high on adrenaline, as well as the rather large glasses of wine they’d had with their belated wedding breakfast.
In the end there was so much noise that the celebrant had to call for the room to be silent again, clapping his hands several times to get people’s attention.
‘I take it you do actually want to hear this wedding ceremony,’ he said sternly when he’d finally succeeded in getting a lull, but his booming voice was so threaded through with good humour that no one minded at all.
Sarah and Callum had gone fairly traditional with their vows. Jade and Finn had written their own, but had kept them simple.
It was a beautiful poignant mix of vows.
‘I, Callum John Wilson, take you, Sarah Anne Tate, to be my lawfully wedded spouse…’
‘Jade Alison Foster, you are the most amazing person I’ve ever met.’
‘To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part…’
‘I will listen to you and learn from you. I will love you and cherish you with all that I am. With all of my heart, until the day I take my last breath…’
‘I now pronounce you husband and wife.’
‘I now pronounce you partners for life.’
‘You may seal your vows with a kiss.’
Jade had imagined the moment the four of them took their vows many times.
She’d thought she might be nervous, might stumble over the words she and Finn had so carefully chosen or get sidetracked by Sarah and Callum’s more traditional approach.
But she was word perfect. They were all word perfect.
It was as if all of the stress and anxiety of the day had been left behind on that windy cliffside.
Carried away on the breeze like the yellow and white helicopter, high into the sky.
Outside again, finally in the hotel grounds, on the beautiful velvet green lawns, where everyone had gathered for photos and the tossing of the bouquets, all Jade could feel was radiance, the pure joy of being here, finally being married, knowing Chocko was safe, knowing Ben was so happy.
He hadn’t stopped grinning since he’d got his dog back.
She had a feeling that this was possibly the best ever moment of her life.
Finn said it too, as they held hands, and then Sarah leaned across and echoed it as well.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as this. How are you doing, bestie?’
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy as this either.’ Jade glanced up into the sky which was now patchworked with cloud. ‘And the rain’s held off. Just as well. I thought you said you’d booked sunshine.’
‘Hmm, I thought so too, but the weather app kept changing its mind.’
As she spoke, a fat raindrop came out of nowhere and plopped onto her nose.
‘Eek, I think I just tempted fate a little bit too much.’ Sarah laughed. ‘Do you think it’s time to head back in and listen to all the exciting speeches, or shall we scrap that bit and go straight for the reception and dancing?’
‘We can’t scrap that bit. Everyone’s put so much effort in to writing them. Well, Finn has anyway. And you’ve got two best men. They must have agonised over how to share things out.’
‘I bet they didn’t. I bet they’ll both just wing it.’ Sarah swirled her scarlet dress. ‘But we should definitely head back in. We’re probably lucky the rain held off long enough for the pics.’
She was right about that, Jade thought as they both paused breathlessly in reception, where they’d arrived just in time to dodge the summer shower. They’d been lucky about so much today.
The main thing had been that they’d managed to find the right people to rescue Chocko, but she also felt very lucky that the celebrant had been able to stay so they’d all still been able to get married, and that Mr B had been able to salvage the food and make sure they all had a fabulous meal despite the delays.
She wanted to thank him personally for that.
The day might have veered off its planned course considerably but it had still been a brilliant day.
Things could have turned out so very differently.
Even Declan had behaved. She hadn’t seen Declan lately.
Not since he’d come back with the grooms and best men search team.
Oddly, she hadn’t noticed him in the dining room either when they’d finally eaten. Or Grace, his partner.
Maybe it was just as well that Declan was keeping a low profile. The less contact he and Finn had the better. Jade dragged her thoughts away from Declan. He’d tried to redeem himself today, at least. Maybe today could be a new beginning for him and Finn.