rivers2cross

I absolutely love this photo of Mum and Dad on their wedding day. They got married on this day 62 years ago in 1960. They were very happily married for 49 years until Dad died after a short illness of pneumonia and sepsis in 2009.

They were married at Stubbings Church in Maidenhead and the reception was held at the St George and Dragon in Wargrave, which as you can see is still going strong today. A few years ago Mum had some very some cine film of the reception converted to DVD and it was amazing seeing the day come to life. Seeing all the grandparents again after so many years since they passed was especially lovely.

Mum had lived at The Coach and Horses public house on Maidenhead Thicket run by her parents. They moved there in 1938 when Mum was 2 years old. She was born in another pub! The Sun Inn at Henley. It was at The Coach and Horses (today the pub is still there and called The Shire Horse) where Mum met Dad. Dad and his friends from Maidenhead Rowing Club used the pub on a regular basis, and Mum’s mum encouraged her to go to the bar and chat to the young men! The rest I suppose is history…

After the wedding the folks lived at The Coach and Horses and bought a plot of land in Altwood Road and built their house, moving in during the cold winter of 1963. My brother came along first in 1964, followed by me in 1966 and then my sister completing the set in 1969. Mum and Dad stayed in that house for the rest of their lives. It was a wonderfully happy family home and they were both amazing parents. Obviously, I miss them both massively and there are few days when I don’t think about them. However, this is such a wonderful photo and a day for happy memories celebrating their anniversary. I am sure they are having a drink somewhere xx