A Happy Day

 It was an unusual wedding. Unicorns and hoola hoops were on the guest list. The bride wore forget-me-not blue and wove her dreadlocks into a french plait.

All brides - one would hope - are happy. But none, I think, could have been happier than my sister.

My parents beamed with pride, as parents do on these occasions.

And the sun smiled too. John and Anne-Marie stood on the wild west coast beach in a glorious sunset, with Mount Taranaki appearing out of the mist.

Of course, it wouldn't have been Anne-Marie's wedding if the guests hadn't spent time with their hoola hoops.

It seems impossible to write about a wedding without resorting to cliches. But, for my family, this was a day we will never forget, a rare chance to bring the family all together (though we all felt Rose's absence), a day of simple happiness. Anne-Marie and John, we wish you a wonderful life together.