by Claire Frost
‘But you’re not some reality star!’ her mum replied, not hiding the distaste she clearly felt saying those two words. ‘You’re supposed to be a responsible professional woman, not someone who goes round marrying a complete stranger and seeing how many freebies you can get in the process! It’s so cheap, Hannah. I knew I was wrong to listen to that rubbish your father was spouting about modern marriage – to think I’d almost come round to the idea and have been looking at hats on the John Lewis website! You can do whatever you want, as you have done for practically your whole life without thinking about anyone else, but don’t expect me to come along and watch you selling yourself in front of everyone.’
‘Mum, I—’
‘I don’t want to talk about it, Hannah, I’m too upset. Ah, Jess, there you are. Shall we have a slice of that cake now?’
Fifteen minutes later, Hannah and Jess were pulling out of her mum’s leafy road and heading back towards Jess’s house. ‘Well, that didn’t go as well as I would have hoped,’ Jess said. Hannah continued to stare out of the window, attempting to swallow back the tears and frustration that she knew would bubble over if she opened her mouth.
‘Han, are you all right?’ Jess asked, placing a concerned hand on her knee as they waited for the traffic lights to change. ‘Joan of Bark will come round again – she did the first time after all. You just need to get your dad to talk to her again. Who knew he’d be the one to get through to her after all this time!’
‘This isn’t Dad’s problem.’ Hannah squeezed her eyes shut so the tears gathered in their corners were locked away inside. ‘I need to fix this.’ She turned towards her friend, swiping her arm against her face to catch the drops she was still willing not to fall. ‘And maybe Mum’s right. I don’t need all those Insta-perfect bits; we need to strip it back a little. The important thing is that I’m marrying a man who you and Save The Date have matched me with and we get to go and live our happy-ever-after for years to come. And that’s it.’
‘I do hear you, Han, but why not make it the best day ever at the same time?’
‘Because it might mean my mum doesn’t come to the wedding,’ Hannah replied immediately. ‘I know this has to work for the business, Jess, but it is also my life. Can you imagine if your mum hadn’t come to your wedding? It would have been a completely different day, wouldn’t it?’ Her tears were now gone and in their place was a fierce determination to give voice to all the thoughts she’d been pushing down for the past few weeks. ‘Look, Jess, I love you and I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done to make this a special day for me, but I think we’ve got a bit carried away and forgotten what this is all about. Save The Date is well on the way to global domination, or at least we’ve almost hit those figures the bank came up with, haven’t we? And there’s still so much scope for membership to grow and for the company to become massive, so I just don’t think some sponsored Insta posts are going to matter.’
Jess pulled into her drive and turned the engine off. There was silence for a moment, but she reluctantly agreed. ‘You’re right, they’re not,’ she replied. ‘I just want your wedding day to be amazing, Han. When I got married, of course I couldn’t have done it without my mum there, but we hardly had any money to spend on the day, despite my parents giving us what they could and Tom’s mum and dad helping us out too. And when I look back on it now, I just think you can see in the pictures how cheap everything was.’
‘But it didn’t matter!’ Hannah cried. ‘I was there watching two of my favourite people in the world declare how much they loved each other, and that was everything. Isn’t that what you think of when you look back on it? That happiness and contentment that was spread all over your face for the world to see?’
‘I suppose,’ Jess said quietly, fiddling with her car keys. ‘It all feels like a very long time ago now, anyway.’
‘Well, it was what, nine, nearly ten years ago? But you could renew your vows one day and have the wedding you always wanted at that point. Especially if Save The Date actually takes over the world!’ Hannah smiled.
She was more shaken by her mum’s words than she cared to admit, maybe because she knew there was an element of truth to them. It made her think about all those Sunday afternoons curled up in G-ma’s armchair, when she’d asked her to tell her the story of her and Gramps’s wedding day, just seven days after they’d both asked their parents’ permission and Robbie had asked his colonel for a few days’ leave. The Second World War might have been over for a good few years, but it had changed everything and rationing was still in force. Yet the folk in the small Cornish village where Vera and her family lived chipped in their own rations and lengths of material so Vera’s mother could run her up a wedding dress and make her own mother-of-the-bride frock.
Hannah had always found the idea of the town coming together to support the bride-to-be during such a tough time unbelievably romantic, which is why she’d originally been so up for all the things companies had offered her for her own wedding day. But the make-do-and-mend wartime spirit was the antithesis of the fifteen-minutes-of-fame feel of Instagram mentions and #gifted and it had begun to sit a bit strangely with her. And her mum’s outburst today had crystallised everything for her. Now she watched her friend as she continued to spin her keys in her hand and look worried.
‘J, I’m sorry to spoil your plans, I really am,’ she added pleadingly. ‘And I’m sure there’s some kind of middle ground and we just need to pare it back a little. Tell me you understand?’
Jess sighed and gathered her keys into her palm. ‘I do understand, of course I do, Han. And I’m sorry if I’ve forced this all on you. Let’s go inside and look through exactly what we’ve been offered and turn down anything you’re not happy accepting. And then I’ll call Toby and let him know. To be honest, I haven’t given him any details anyway as I wanted to get everything sorted first, so he won’t know any different.’
‘Thank you, I appreciate it,’ Hannah replied, giving her hand a squeeze. ‘I’m not saying we have to say no to everything, especially if it would help Save The Date in the long term with contacts or whatever. But I need to be able to tell Mum that she was right – urgh, the very thought makes me feel sick! – and we don’t need all those things. It’s the only way she’ll come round, I know it is. And maybe even that won’t be enough to persuade her. But at least I’ll have done everything I can.’
‘It’s fine. It’s your wedding day after all. Dare I ask how you feel about St Lucia?’
‘God, I’d almost forgotten about that! But maybe if we just don’t mention to Mum it’s a freebie and say Save The Date are paying for it, it will be fine. She’s not going to look at Instagram for god’s sake! The lure of sunshine and mai tais is too much even for my new-found morals. Does that make me a bad person?’
‘It most certainly does not!’ Jess replied immediately. ‘Bring on the palm trees!’
Hannah hugged her friend before they made their way inside. ‘You are the best best friend, J, you know that. And don’t think I’ll forget about the vow renewal thing – you should do it for your tenth wedding anniversary at the end of the year.’
Jess grimaced. ‘If we make it to our tenth anniversary.’
SAVE THE DATE
Find out more about our blind-daters with a difference…
There are just DAYS to go until our #marriedatfirstswipe couple tie the knot, so this is our last chance to check in with them before the big day! If you’ve been caught up by the romance of their story and want to feel the love for yourself, subscribe to Save The Date and download our app now to meet your Mr or Mrs Perfect.
Let’s find out how our bride and groom have been getting on…
Dear Hannah
The last few weeks have flown by in a blur of suit fittings, wedding day schedules and a growing feeling of ‘Oh f***, this is really happening’! So I’m glad Save The Date only gave us one question to answer.
What’s the one thing you’d like the other person to know befo
re you get married?
In one of my letters I mentioned that I’d had one big relationship in my life, which was two years ago. What I didn’t say is that two years ago I was engaged. We were so happy and we thought we had our whole lives ahead of us. We made plans to leave our jobs and take a year off to go travelling after the wedding. Tragically, she was involved in a car accident on a country road and four days later she died in hospital surrounded by her family. We were obviously devastated. I wasn’t in a great place for a while and it took me a long time to process my grief. But the thing that kept me going was knowing that she would have hated to see me so broken. So eighteen months later I finally decided I needed to get my life back on track and try to find the old me. It took time, but here I am. Although I’ve realised I’m not the old me, I’m just me. What happened will always be with me, it’s a part of who I am now, but that’s not a bad thing.
I’m telling you all this (and in a public forum, too) not to scare you away (and I really, really hope it doesn’t), but to give you another little piece of me before we get married. Everyone who I care about and who cares about me knows what happened so I wanted you to know, too.
The only other thing I want you to know is that I’ll be there waiting for you on our wedding day no matter what. Excited? Yes. Nervous? Probably. But I will be there.
Until then,
Toby x
Dear Toby
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman about to marry a man she’s never met must be in possession of nerves of steel (sorry, Jane!). So although I am crapping it – as I’m sure you are too! – I am also trying to be as calm as possible about our impending nuptials. I have never used the word nuptials before, go me! I was intrigued by Save The Date’s one and only question for our final letter to each other before we become husband and wife, as I actually thought this might have been one of the questions they asked us earlier – what if whatever I’m about to tell you is a total deal-breaker and you call off the wedding?! Let’s hope not for everyone’s sake, eh! But hopefully my answer won’t put you off.
What’s the one thing you’d like the other person to know before you get married?
The thing I’d like to tell you is relevant to why I signed up to #marriedatfirstswipe in the first place. I want to find the kind of love my grandparents had. Gramps and G-ma have always been a massive part of my life. Sadly, Gramps died fifteen years ago, but I’ve never known two people so devoted to each other. Even in their old age they still did little romantic things for each other to show they cared. I want to grow old with someone who I’m utterly devoted to and who’s devoted to me. I haven’t been able to find this person myself, so I asked Save The Date to do it for me.
Maybe it was much more simple in the 1950s when my grandparents were courting, without apps and swiping and cyber-flashing. But I’m not asking for a knight in shining armour and rose petals and chocolates. Instead I want that security of knowing the other person is at home waiting for me after a long and tiring day, and that someone is my equal, intellectually and emotionally. Is that too much to ask in the modern world do you think? Well, hopefully you don’t think it is, otherwise you wouldn’t be taking part in this mad plan at all, would you?!
I want to meet the right man for me – but also a man that G-ma thinks is the right man for me. And I very much hope that man is you, Toby (no pressure then!). I can’t wait to find out in just a few days’ time.
Love, your wife-to-be, Hannah x
Chapter 13 Hannah
‘What’s the word when you feel a mixture of excitement and fear?’ Hannah asked as Jess perched on the edge of the bed in her and Tom’s spare room and handed her a cup of tea. ‘Fexcitement?’
‘I think the word, or rather words, is bride-to-be on the morning of her wedding,’ Jess replied gently. ‘Don’t worry, everyone feels like this before they get married. I can remember being almost mute with terror the whole time I was getting ready, but as soon as I saw Tom at the front of the church, I relaxed, and this incredible calmness came over me and I knew it was all going to be okay.’
‘Hmm, well, you had the bonus of knowing the man standing waiting for you, remember. I know about ten things about my Toby-to-be and that’s it. But actually, I do totally remember you being stressy that morning. You were trying to take your engagement ring off to put it on your other hand and it wouldn’t budge, and then you got more and more worked up so you got all hot and funny and then it definitely wouldn’t move. We spent about half an hour dunking your hand in iced water, but it was a slab of butter that finally did the trick if I remember rightly!’
‘All right, no need to remind me, it’s not like I’ve ever forgotten about it!’ Jess huffed. ‘Anyway, shove up and let me in this bed before I do a Lily and fall in a heap on the floor. And don’t steal all the duvet.’
‘God, you’re so demanding. I hope Tom likes being ordered around in bed!’
‘Han! We’re not here to talk about me or Tom, it’s your wedding day. Other than the “fexcitement”, do you think you’re ready?’
‘I’m not sure I’ll ever be properly ready to marry someone I’ve never met. But I guess? I didn’t quite know how to feel when I read Toby’s last letter. What a horrible thing to happen. Imagine starting the day thinking you have everything and ending it with nothing. But all power to him for picking himself up and managing to build a life afterwards. I’m just worried there’s even more pressure on us to get this right. After everything he’s already been through, I couldn’t bear for him to get hurt because of me. You’re the one who’s met him in real life – is this going to be okay, Jess?’ She turned to her friend with a pleading look.
Jess grabbed her free hand and squeezed it reassuringly. ‘I think it is, yes. Firstly, I truly believe Toby has all the qualities you are looking for in a husband. Remember when we talked about all those things that are important to you – that he was kind, chivalrous, funny, interesting, intelligent and up for adventures? Well, when you’ve been reading his letters, how has he come across? If you ask me, he’s already ticked all of those boxes. And while I can’t promise you’re going to want to tear his clothes off the minute you set eyes on him, I think he is your type.’
‘Okay, I trust you, Jess.’ Hannah took a sip of her tea and shook herself a little. ‘Bring on the fireworks! But maybe you could just quickly show me a picture of Toby to put my mind at rest? I’m going to see him for real in a few hours so it doesn’t matter if you let me stare at a picture for ten seconds, does it?’
‘Hannah! You’re like one of the twins on Christmas Eve: “Mummy, can I just have a look at my present, I won’t open it or anything, but I need to see what shape it is!” No, you cannot just stare at a photo of Toby for ten seconds, or in fact any seconds. Now, come on, finish your tea, you’ll need to start getting ready soon. But first I’ll make us all eggy bread for breakfast as a special pre-wedding treat. The twins have never been so excited about a wedding in their lives. And you need to make sure you eat something before the ceremony – we don’t want you collapsing before you’ve even walked down the aisle.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’ Hannah smiled. ‘Although do you think my actual mum will make an appearance today? I keep veering between thinking she won’t want to miss all the drama and remembering what she said when we went over for lunch.’
‘But you’ve explained to her that we’ve turned down quite a lot of the freebies we could have had, haven’t you? Then she’ll have come round, I’m sure, especially with a bit of help from G-ma and your dad,’ Jess said gently, stroking Hannah’s hair.
‘But what if she hasn’t and decides she can’t countenance coming? Don’t forget, she’ll also have to see Dad and Charmaine and Seraphina all together as one happy family, which is a tough ask for her at the best of times. She might decide she can’t face the whole thing and not turn up.’
‘I really believe she will come. And she’ll have G-ma by her side, plus Scott, Julia and Leo to show off to pe
ople so hopefully John and Charmaine aren’t going to worry her too much. And it sounds as if this whole thing has helped bring her and John a bit closer again, which can only be a good thing after all that bitterness! But if she doesn’t come, there’s nothing you can do. Joan knows her own mind and we aren’t responsible for her decisions. She’s a grown-up just like you are, Han.’
‘I know, and you’re right, but it’s just hard. God, why is my life never simple!’
‘Because you’d get bored and probably have a sulk if it was!’ Jess laughed. ‘Right, I can hear the sound of hungry children baiting each other, which signals it’s time we got out of bed before we have a full-scale fight on our hands!’
* * *
Three hours later, everyone was fed, washed and almost dressed. Hannah’s dad had arrived, along with Charmaine and Seraphina, and the children had posed for the obligatory photos and were now playing some kind of camping game beneath a duvet under the kitchen table.
‘Well, at least we got a couple of shots of them before they completely ruined their outfits,’ Jess said brightly. ‘Although Seraphina always manages to seem clean and tidy no matter what she’s been doing, whereas my two look like something the cat brought in most of the time. You’ll have to let me into your secret, Charmaine.’
‘She’s just that type of child,’ Charmaine replied breezily. ‘She doesn’t like getting too mucky and will take herself off to wash her hands when she needs to. She’s pretty self-sufficient like that.’
‘Lucky you! Please can you get her to teach Lily and Sam how to do that? Seriously, I don’t know how they do it, but they always seem to look like they’ve been digging in mud even when they’ve been no further than the sofa! Right, Hannah, it’s time you put your dress on and I’ll start rounding up the troops. John, you’re going to drop us and Charmaine at the venue, pick up G-ma and then come back for Hannah and Seraphina, aren’t you?’