As is usually the case in Brighton, the HMUA was interesting to include in a photograph and no, the shot below wasn’t set up.

Meanwhile Gavin (front centre of picture above) and the blokes set off from the pub for the ceremony, and best man Andy checks both his messages and his copy of Nicky’s master plan en route.

This is a picture of two very-newly-weds who just can’t believe that the rain has actually stopped.

Unfortunately it didn’t stop for very long at all, which meant that for the second time this year we had a drinks reception in a corridor, this time at Horsted Place – but get the angle right and you could never tell!

Gaynor and Steve’s wedding at The Ritz was all about 24 people having a really nice relaxed day before flying to Portugal for a party.

Steve’s daughter Ellie was definitely glad to get her present from her Dad, and I was glad I managed to get a few pictures later in the bar before being asked politely to remove myself from it.

Steve waits patiently outside the ceremony room for Gaynor and her entourage to come down in the small but wonderfully decorated lift.

Halfway through the drinks reception, we set off through another part of the premises in which you definitely don’t take pictures …

and nipped outside …

for a nice sit down …

before sitting down again …

for a meal which included the new leader in this year’s Most Artistically Presented Dessert contest. In case you’re wondering, it’s Tart of Apricot with Almond Frangipane

One thing Gaynor and Steve did which was a break from the usual routine was to have a few words of welcome and a toast from best man Colin straight after the ceremony, followed by the cutting of the cake. That was immediately whisked off to the kitchen, sliced and plated so that everybody could then enjoy a generous portion of it with their champagne.

That worked very well indeed and it seems to me an excellent use of a wedding cake: not only does it save on canapés, but it also ensures that the most expensive cake you’ll ever buy gets eaten instead of being left on the plate by guests who have just finished a three course meal.

Claire got ready at the Park Plaza Victoria which looks like a building society on the outside but is actually well funky on the inside

Above we have the “… and place it on the third finger of your bride’s left hand” moment, and below we have Claire back in the same car she’d shared with her dad just 80 minutes earlier only this time with a new husband.

I don’t know what the band was called but I do know it was led by this guy. He’s David Duffy, he plays a wicked fiddle and guitar, and we were impressed. That tends not to happen very often where wedding bands are concerned …