You are invited to a Wedding reception at Sepia Saturday. The theme this week is based on an old photo of a bride and groom.
I tried to think back to my earliest memories of weddings and found this photo of me, aged 3 years and 9 months dressed up as a flower girl for my Uncle’s wedding. Cute huh? Don’t be fooled.
In order to look this cute, I had to spend all morning at the much-hated hairdresser getting the full works – hair cut, rollers in, back-combing and the stinking hair spray. Then back home to get dressed, then back in the car for an hour long journey to Dunfermline Abbey. My parents both had roles to play in the proceedings, and tempers were frayed. During the photo shoot, I was bored and fidgety and I remember Dad threatening me with some punishment and holding me still while we posed. I’d had enough of weddings by that stage, and I hadn’t even had a whiff of the promised cake. You know what’s coming now, don’t you? Yep – I got away from his grip and took off round the hotel grounds like a rat up a drainpipe.
Any further photos of me were “action shots” as I hurtled through the rose beds with the photographer and my Dad in hot pursuit. I don’t remember a public smacking. I do remember being under the table with my little brother during the meal. My Grandfather, Douglas, was trying to keep us quiet with “wedding cake”. It was like no cake I’d had before. It was awful – full of raisins and booze and covered in marzipan. We ate the icing and abandoned the rest.
I guess Mum had her hands full with two small children on a massive sugar high and no doubt there were tears before bedtime.
Yes, my uncle and his bride forgave me, but I still hate fruit cake 🙂
Jo
Jo Graham
Images Past 
Very cute yes, but there is mischief in that lovely little face. I’m with you on the wedding cake; it used to seem like a punishment instead of a reward. Great photos and great story Jo!
Cheers,
Jennifer
Thanks, Jennifer. It’s another one of those embarrassing memories of my wilfulness 🙂
What lovely photos and these are the types of first person stories I believe are so necessary to share. How I wish I had this kind of view into the lives and thoughts of my great grandparents (and beyond). Thanks!
Kathy, thank you for taking the time to comment, and yes, we should record our own stories for our descendants. I’m currently naming all my photos on the back – hey, I know who these people are…
Loved your introduction and light writing style. I am sure we can all sympathise with your feelings on the day. I still remember my own daughter on a complete “high” at my brother’s wedding, with too much hangng around for the photos and the food. She took great delight in jumping up and down the hotel steps.
Sounds like she found harmless entertainment, but I suspect I was a “bother”, Susan. Loved your wedding dress post, thank you 🙂 Jo
What a cute little flower girl you made! And the story? Priceless!
Thanks Jana – I suspect I was a pain in the butt 🙂
I bet your experience as a flower girl is more common than most people admit. Wonderful post!
At least nowadays people provide some sort of entertainment for the kids so they don’t get bored, Wendy. It was like being at an all-day adult party – DULL! 🙂 Jo
That reminded me of my aunt’s wedding when I was about that same age. I don’t even know if I was at the wedding but I have a memory of the reception at my grandmother’s..
Not much fun for a little kid who has been promised hours of fun and endless cake, Postcardy 🙂
I’m sure that the picture in the background of the first photo was used for your flower girl training. Or wasn’t it?
That photo was a picture of my Mum on her wedding day, July 1962, Peter. The 1950’s drinks cabinet it sits on, complete with chrome-plated lemon squeezer is amusing 🙂
I simply LOVE this! You were darling, the story priceless.
Thanks Carol – I suspect I was a bit of a handful that day. Still am, occasionally. 😀
Poor little you! I’ve never had a fruit cake at a wedding. But I would probably like it since I do like fruitcake.
Fruit cake is traditional at Scottish weddings, Kristin. If you are invited but can’t attend, the bride used to send you a slice of cake in the post, after the event. I guess fruit cake is the only kind which wouldn’t have gone a bit green by the time it arrived 🙂
But do you still have that wicked smile? Fun post. Now the kids play on their phones.
I probably hide my wickedness better now, Bob, but it’s still there 🙂 I would have appreciated “proper” cake, a colouring book and a set of crayons, but that was Back Then when a good smack did the job and was legal to administer 🙂
That second image is so precious.
That’s the only surviving “action shot”, Tattered & Lost 🙂
What a fun story and you were such a cute flower girl. I was also a flower girl several times when I was young and remember wanting to change clothes asap and get the stuff out of my hair. 🙂 What a disappointment they had fruit cake at the wedding you attended. Doesn’t sound very appetizing for a wedding cake.
Glad I’m not the only one! Fruit cake is usually what’s underneath all the icing on Scottish wedding cakes. Horrible stuff!
Both photographs are wonderful – but the write-up you give them is even better. A great post.
Thank you, Alan. If my descendants found these two photos, they’d never guess the story behind them 🙂
Yes Jo you are very cute, but your poor parents were obviously driven to having an early sherry or two. I couldn’t help noticing the open drinks cabinet behind you – G Plan if I’m not mistaken.
Well spotted, Little Nell. That drinks cabinet was in my grandparents’ sitting room. It was donated to me when I was a student and had no furniture. I was the only student I knew with an (empty) drinks cabinet complete with lemon squeezer which slotted into the top. I thought it was very cool 🙂
Fruit cake for me is like corn on the cob, something you eat only once a year.
You looked very cute there, but a pic from under the table would have been the perfect conclusion to this post. Pity everyone was too busy to think of it. Such events must be ever so boring to children. Even for adults, it gets to a point when one has to say “enough!!”. Remembering the last wedding I attended, it was past midnight and I was pretty fed up, wanting to go home and kept asking “can we go now?”, but the girl driving us back to the city just wasn’t ready to go… I swore to myself never to be stuck outside the city, at the mercy of anyone’s. I’ve kept that promise!!
🙂
HUGZ
I’d rather have the corn on the cob, TB 🙂 Never strand yourself at a party of any kind which could turn out to be… dull… at a late hour 🙂
You were adorable..and full of fun..three is such a glorious age..too cute to spank for sure:)