A Happy Day

Yesterday, along with the rest of Cantante singers, I had the pleasure and privilege to sing at a wedding. A young British couple, who for legal and logistical reasons had already been to Gibraltar for a British marriage ceremony, held what they considered to be their 'proper wedding' with friends and family yesterday, and Cantante werre asked to entertain the guests as they arrived, and to lead the hymn singing during the blessing service.

It was held in the function suite at Sol Taberno, a restaurant set in the mountains above Albox. It took us an hour to drive there, and after several kilometers of open road with empty hills and valleys all around us, we did wonder if we were on the right road, but when we eventually arrived, the view was worth the drive. You can just glimpse the sea in the distance.

It was extremely hot! As the bride's mother said to

me, "The Spanish would hold a wedding at 8.00 in the evening and then party all night. Only a mad English family would do it at 5.00". So we were very grateful that they had erected two gazebos for the singers to sit under.

In fact we were better off than the guests, who were seated in the open, but they did put up some big parasols at the back which provided some shade for at least some of them. They had rows of seats with linen covers that were tied with a sash at the back.

It was all very nicely laid out with a wooden structure draped in fine fabric, where the bride and groom were standing, and a table with lovely flowers on it. (The flowers were put in place at the last moment so they were as fresh as possible).

Julie's husband Robin took a lovely, simple service, and we sang 'Love divine' and 'Make me a channel of you peace'. I think they may have struggled a bit with that one if Cantante hadn't been there to lead them.

Then they took us all by surprise when, as we waited for the bride and groom to lead everyone back to the suite for the reception, instead of the usual music, we suddenly heard a much livelier beat and the bride gathered up her train and lead everyone out doing a conga!!