The journey to the church took five minutes, the three bridesmaids squashed in the back seat and Mrs Tennison sitting nervously in the front. By the time they arrived the groom and best man were standing outside on the church steps looking anxious, and the ushers were showing the last few guests to their seats.
Mrs Tennison fussed round the girls, patting down their dresses, fluffing up their puff sleeves and straightening out their coronets.
‘You all look absolutely gorgeous, and remember, Jane, as chief bridesmaid you take the bouquet from Pam when she says her vows.’
She gave Jane a tearful smile, patting her and leaning close.
‘I hope one day it will be your turn, but you shouldn’t have worn your hair down, I said put it up in a chignon. I’ve got a comb, just let me run it through.’
‘Leave it alone, Mother, just go and sit in your pew.’
It was a waste of time: Mrs Tennison opened her small purse and took out a little comb and started tugging it through Jane’s long blonde hair.
‘That’s better, now push the coronet up a bit as it’s too low down.’ As Jane used her right hand to push the coronet up her mother gasped.
‘Good heavens, your bust is falling out. I don’t know… that woman made dresses for Alma Cogan – you’d think it would fit you better.’
Jane was appalled as her mother insisted on hitching up the front of the dress and pushing down her breasts.
Jane stepped back. ‘Enough, Mother, and you need to straighten your hat!’
‘I wasn’t going to go with this one, but your father said the one I liked was too expensive.’ She adjusted the hat. ‘Is it all right now?’
‘It looks lovely.’
Jane sighed with the relief as the groom and best man accompanied Mrs Tennison to her seat and then took up their positions at the front of the church while the bridesmaids went to wait in the small anteroom for Pam and her father to arrive.
The other two bridesmaids’ constant nattering irritated Jane so she stepped outside to wait for her father and sister and saw the vicar at the foot of the steps looking at his watch.
‘Is everything all right?’ she asked him.
‘Yes, we’re just running a few minutes late. I’ve another wedding at one thirty, and then the usual evensong to prepare for as well, so we need to keep everything tickety-boo and on time.’
Jane, annoyed by all the fuss, politely said hello to a couple of guests who were late arriving, though she didn’t have a clue as to who they were.
‘How much older are you than Pam?’ one of them stopped to ask.
Jane turned to face a flushed coiffured woman who she suspected was a friend of her sister from the hair salon, and said that she was four years older.
‘Oh, must seem odd, Pam marrying before you.’
Jane stopped herself from making a sarcastic reply. Hearing the crunch of tyres on gravel, she turned to see the car carrying her father and sister pull into the churchyard. The vicar promptly paced up the steps and into the church and waved his hand at the organist who started playing the wedding march, which caused the other two bridesmaids to hurry out from the anteroom.
Mr Tennison helped Pam alight from the car and the two bridesmaids rushed down the steps to straighten her veil, and pull out the wedding gown’s long beaded train.
‘Right, we all set?’ her father said quietly as they reached the church porch. Standing to Pam’s right he linked arms with her and they proceeded to walk down the aisle followed by Jane and the other bridesmaids.
When they reached the chancel the groom stepped forward and shook hands with Mr Tennison who then gently lifted Pam’s right hand and placed it on the groom’s extended left hand before stepping back behind the bride.
Listening to their vows Jane was surprised to feel quite emotional. Her baby sister was so nervous, and stumbled over a few lines as she gazed at Tony, who had big raw hands and ruddy cheeks.
The ceremony was over within half an hour and after photographs outside the church there was another crushed journey to the Clarendon Hotel for the reception. The further photographs in the hotel grounds took ages, and the speeches, apart from her father’s, dragged on and on. Jane was anxious to escape, but her father had hired a disco for the entertainment so she was obliged to stay. As more guests arrived the two other bridesmaids made a beeline for one of the ushers and the best man. Elderly relatives looked on and cheered as they watched Jane’s parents attempting to do the twist to the Chubby Checker song.
It was an excruciating few hours before Jane decided to extricate herself and ask her father if she could get a taxi home.
‘Don’t be impatient – you can’t leave until the bride and groom do… She’s changing into her honeymoon outfit soon and we have to wave them off.’
‘I need to check in with the station in case I am needed.’
