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Authors: Chrissie Manby
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pointed out. ‘Who?’
‘Prince William and Kate Middleton. There’s an announcement on the Mail ’s website!’
One of the brides being fitted that afternoon had an iPhone. She quickly tapped through to the Daily Mail ’s website. It was true. The palace had announced the young couple’s engagement just that afternoon.
‘Oh, that’s wonderful,’ said Melanie. The phone was passed around. There was much cooing over the royal fiancée and her prince. The good feeling generated by the news was palpable. There wasn’t a woman in the room who didn’t remember Prince William as the child behind his mother’s coffin and for that reason alone everyone automatically wished him every happiness.
‘It’s exactly what his mother would have wanted,’ said Heidi. ‘Him marrying a commoner.’
‘Kate Middleton is hardly common,’ said Sarah. ‘She’s privately educated. She has millionaire parents.’
‘You know what I mean. She doesn’t have a title. Her mother was an air hostess.’
‘Nothing wrong with that,’ said Melanie, quickly remembering that one of that afternoon’s brides worked for Virgin Atlantic. ‘Well,’ she addressed the crowd, ‘I think this is cause for celebration. Sarah, there’s a bottle of Prosecco in the fridge. Will you bring it out here and’ – she did a quick headcount – ‘thirteen paper cups. Make it fourteen. Thirteen’s unlucky.’
‘But . . .’ Sarah hesitated. She glanced at the sign with the scored-through teacup. What about the salon’s strict no-food-and-beverages policy?
‘It’s a special occasion,’ said Melanie, ‘and I know these ladies will be very careful . . . Open the bottle over the sink.’
There was hardly enough sparkling wine for each of the assembled women to have a thimbleful, but Melanie knew it was important to mark the occasion. In her experience, women in love were a superstitious lot and to hear the announcement of a royal wedding while in a bridal salon would doubtless come to mean something for all the assembled brides. It was up to Melanie to make sure they assumed it was a good omen. Good omens meant better sales. While the Prosecco was poured, there was much excited talk about the possible choice of wedding date. Would sharing a wedding date with the royal couple be a good or a bad thing? one of the brides asked.
‘It might distract from your day,’ said another.
‘But there’ll be a national holiday, won’t there? Your guests would get an extra day off and could make a long weekend of it.’
‘Why don’t you let me tell you my experience,’ said Melanie.
Melanie remembered how excited she had felt when she first learned that Charles and Diana would share her wedding day, 29 July 1981. She and Keith had chosen the day well ahead of the royal couple since, for them, getting married meant saving hard for at least two years beforehand. Melanie’s parents chipped in their traditional share, of course, but for the kind of party Melanie wanted, extra funding was required. She and Keith worked all hours to pay for their evening do. They wanted a really big bash.
‘We’re only going to do this once,’ said Keith.
When Charles and Diana announced their date, Melanie had whooped with delight. Melanie loved that she was getting married on the same day as the royal couple. The entire population of Southampton really went to town in their preparations to celebrate the future king and his wife, and Melanie was happy to imagine that the flags and the bunting were for her too. For her and Keith. How could having the entire nation in such high spirits have failed to have anything but a positive effect on anyone else getting married that day?
The only problem Melanie and Keith encountered was that one of his elderly aunts was prevented from getting to the church on time after getting lost on the drive there thanks to all the street-party road closures, but even that wasn’t too much of a headache. Auntie Mildred had been
‘Prince William and Kate Middleton. There’s an announcement on the Mail ’s website!’
One of the brides being fitted that afternoon had an iPhone. She quickly tapped through to the Daily Mail ’s website. It was true. The palace had announced the young couple’s engagement just that afternoon.
‘Oh, that’s wonderful,’ said Melanie. The phone was passed around. There was much cooing over the royal fiancée and her prince. The good feeling generated by the news was palpable. There wasn’t a woman in the room who didn’t remember Prince William as the child behind his mother’s coffin and for that reason alone everyone automatically wished him every happiness.
‘It’s exactly what his mother would have wanted,’ said Heidi. ‘Him marrying a commoner.’
‘Kate Middleton is hardly common,’ said Sarah. ‘She’s privately educated. She has millionaire parents.’
‘You know what I mean. She doesn’t have a title. Her mother was an air hostess.’
‘Nothing wrong with that,’ said Melanie, quickly remembering that one of that afternoon’s brides worked for Virgin Atlantic. ‘Well,’ she addressed the crowd, ‘I think this is cause for celebration. Sarah, there’s a bottle of Prosecco in the fridge. Will you bring it out here and’ – she did a quick headcount – ‘thirteen paper cups. Make it fourteen. Thirteen’s unlucky.’
‘But . . .’ Sarah hesitated. She glanced at the sign with the scored-through teacup. What about the salon’s strict no-food-and-beverages policy?
‘It’s a special occasion,’ said Melanie, ‘and I know these ladies will be very careful . . . Open the bottle over the sink.’
There was hardly enough sparkling wine for each of the assembled women to have a thimbleful, but Melanie knew it was important to mark the occasion. In her experience, women in love were a superstitious lot and to hear the announcement of a royal wedding while in a bridal salon would doubtless come to mean something for all the assembled brides. It was up to Melanie to make sure they assumed it was a good omen. Good omens meant better sales. While the Prosecco was poured, there was much excited talk about the possible choice of wedding date. Would sharing a wedding date with the royal couple be a good or a bad thing? one of the brides asked.
‘It might distract from your day,’ said another.
‘But there’ll be a national holiday, won’t there? Your guests would get an extra day off and could make a long weekend of it.’
‘Why don’t you let me tell you my experience,’ said Melanie.
Melanie remembered how excited she had felt when she first learned that Charles and Diana would share her wedding day, 29 July 1981. She and Keith had chosen the day well ahead of the royal couple since, for them, getting married meant saving hard for at least two years beforehand. Melanie’s parents chipped in their traditional share, of course, but for the kind of party Melanie wanted, extra funding was required. She and Keith worked all hours to pay for their evening do. They wanted a really big bash.
‘We’re only going to do this once,’ said Keith.
When Charles and Diana announced their date, Melanie had whooped with delight. Melanie loved that she was getting married on the same day as the royal couple. The entire population of Southampton really went to town in their preparations to celebrate the future king and his wife, and Melanie was happy to imagine that the flags and the bunting were for her too. For her and Keith. How could having the entire nation in such high spirits have failed to have anything but a positive effect on anyone else getting married that day?
The only problem Melanie and Keith encountered was that one of his elderly aunts was prevented from getting to the church on time after getting lost on the drive there thanks to all the street-party road closures, but even that wasn’t too much of a headache. Auntie Mildred had been
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