Brides

Today was one of those days which celebrate 'firsts'. On this occasion it was the first of my daughter's friends to get married. How can they possibly be old enough to do something as grown up as that?!

Rachel met Jo at secondary school and they have been friends ever since. They have certainly had some adventures together and have so many memories and crazy stories to tell. They have shared rooms on French exchange trips, scared themselves silly sleeping in the open air on a beach in Wales on an Outward Bound course, tried to wax their own legs on the kitchen floor, helped out on ski slopes for my son's 10th birthday ski-bobbing treat, taught him how to ice skate, and generally shared the laughter and tears of teenage girls growing up. Along with another friend, Harriet, they were - and still are - a formidable threesome. There have been fashion disasters, hairdressing disasters and general 'Rachel, Jo and Harriet getting into problems' disasters.

There have been a few years where their lives went in different directions, Jo went to a different 6th form to Rachel, and then Rachel went off to uni while Jo trained to be a beauty therapist locally. But although they have been apart, they have kept their friendship and been there for each other through thick and thin.

And now Jo is married. I have seen her dressed up on so many occasions, but I have never seen her look as lovely as she did today. This picture shows the three of them outside the church at the end of the ceremony.