The end of THE day came much too quickly!  We had previously decided that I would go back to the house at 8pm to change out of my wedding clothes.  At 8.30 I was prompted that it was time to go but it was nearer 9 before I collected the house key from Mum and was taken back to the house by cousin Denny.  Pat came with me to help me change and to collect her clothes.  Marjorie asked how I planned to get back to the hall and was quite shocked to hear it was to be by the underground train.  ‘Not on your wedding day, you’re not!’ and arranged that she and Bill would be our transport.

I finished packing my case, which Denny took back to the hall.  I had bought presents for the family and left them with a neighbour.  Marjorie collected them for me and each was left under the pillow of the recipient.

It seemed to take an age to change into my new clothes.

I had had my hair back-combed at the hair dressers until it was quite high so I could fit my headdress around it.  Pat and I spent ages brushing and combing but we couldn’t get it flat enough to get my hat on properly.  It still wasn’t as flat as I would have liked but we had to go.

It was 10 o’clock before we left to go back to the hall in Bill’s car.  As we drove over the railway bridge we saw Alan walking up to the station.  I realised I hadn’t told him of the change of transport plan!  Marjorie went chasing after him while Pat and I went into the hall.  Robin collected Pat at the door as their last bus was due any minutes, so they left at once.

As soon as I stepped into the hall I was pounced on by the MC and taken up to the stage for the grande finale farewell.  I was rather annoyed at being rushed around.  I had wanted to have a few more dances before we left.  But Alan had told the MC that as soon as I came back we were leaving.  The MC lined up all the guests, the men on one side and the women on the other and……nothing!  No Alan.  Of course, all the guests thought that was funny.

When he did arrive, followed by Marjorie, he wasn’t in a very good mood.  He thought I had been wasting time at home.  He was instructed to go down the line of women and kiss them all goodbye and I had to do the same down the line of men.  Before we knew it we were at the door and in a cloud of confetti.  Only then did it finally hit me that we were leaving!!  I kissed Mum and Dad goodbye but as we got to the top of the stairs the tears started so I had to go back and kiss them again.  Consequently I had a grand exit all to myself as Alan had gone on with Denny to get the cases from his car and I had to wait downstairs at the main door, by myself, still weeping, until they returned.

I even cried on the underground train to Barking.  I felt so silly because all the other passengers were looking at us as we were covered in confetti.  Alan didn’t help as he was still annoyed at me for being so long at home.  We didn’t have to wait long for a train to Thorpe Bay where we had booked at a guest house for a few days. Half way there I realised I hadn’t given the key back to Mum and I knew Dad had left his indoors.  We couldn’t go back, it was too late.  We had to leave them to break a window to get in.

I cried and cried during that journey.  The main reason, I think, was because the day we had looked forward to so much was over.

Just before we reached Thorpe Bay station I did a quick change.  I took my hat off and crammed it in my bag and put on my old grey coat over my two-piece.  Alan made a great show of brushing the confetti out of his hair.  Apart from struggling with cases out of the holiday season, I don’t think we looked like honeymooners.

The Guest House looked nice.  It was in a road off the sea front and overlooked a park.  We had told them to expect us at 11.30 but it was midnight when we arrived.  The owner opened the door to us and the first thing he said was, ‘Ah, Honeymooners!’  He said they had suspected we were honeymooners from the time we said we would arrive. The confetti still clinging to the roots of Alan’s hair was his confirmation.

We had a cup of tea and a chat with the owners.  There are so many jokes about ‘first night’ etc  that I was wondering how Alan would broach the subject of getting upstairs.  It wasn’t embarrassing at all.  Alan just said, ‘Can we see our room now please?’ and we were taken upstairs.

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