The Close, Boscombe Village, Salisbury, Wilts.
May 12, 1965

Dearest Machi,

Hugo’s wedding went off with a grand splash, much the biggest wedding I ever went to though I understand Hazle’s was four hundred - but hers being outdoors may not have seemed as much of a crowd. Molly says three hundred invitations were sent out. Ned and Sybil came Friday night and we set forth in our car at 9:00am feeling we would have plenty of time for any hold-ups of traffic and still be at the Pattens by noon to brush ourselves up and have buffet lunch. But we got into a slow-moving queue on that lovely section along Windsor Great Park and I really began to wonder if we would make it. Molly told us to take the new motorway into London, an overhead thing just opened, and that was marvellous. Otherwise we would have been very late. It took us without traffic signals on a double three-way highway right into the heart of London more or less skipping over lots of local traffic. As it was it took three hours. Janet and Kempie got stuck in the traffic and missed the wedding, but did get there in time for the reception.

At Molly’s were gathered besides themselves (but not Lee or Hugo), Harry and their older daughter, Rosamond, and Ellen. Michael had gone on business to Leeds. Ellen looked a large and very handsome woman but not particularly expectant. She wore a red dress Molly had made which hadn’t even been tried on - a two-piece wild silk looking maternity dress and a large black straw hat, also given by Molly. Lee was there at first but left to join the ushers, and Hugo had already gone with the best man to have his stock tied professionally. Molly had laid out a lunch of slices of cold beef and ham, salad ingredients and very thin brown bread as well as white, and we helped ourselves. Poor thing, she must have been worn to a frazzle as she’s been doing so much cooking for so many, and Harry and family had been there from the day before. And that day of all days Mrs. Roscoe’s step-mother died and was having her funeral - she must have died before. Anyway, she was invited to come to the wedding after the funeral, but Mollie thought she wouldn’t miss the parting of the garments afterwards for anything, and would much prefer a funeral to a wedding. So she wasn’t there to help with the food.

As the new flat is just a few doors from the church we all went there first to have a look - very grand indeed for London. Heated, with a refrigerator, metal sink, new stove &c and carpeted throughout with very grand stuff - big bedroom, sitting room, hall, kitchen and a place for a guest above on the way to a roof where they could sit in the sun. Also a nice bathroom - all brand new. It is the top floor of the old rectory which has been done over for the new church which is a Wren one restored, I understand, through the efforts of the bride’s father. Mr Bulmer-Thomas, Hugo and the best man all arrived as we were going to the church and I had a good look to admire him. He really looked grand in his formal wedding suit, (rented) tails and a grey top hat, and also looked remarkably like Jim. Throughout the wedding he seemed perfectly composed and not a bit nervous though Mollie said he was very much so when she saw him in the vestry just before coming to the ceremony. The church was packed, even the gallery had people, and there was lots of music and a grand choir. Jennifer’s younger (only) sister played most beautifully while the register was being signed. It was part of a Bach sonata for violin and keyboard (organ).

Jennifer’s dress was a plain cream satin, made simply with a circular skirt (probably Empire or Princesse) that made a slight circular train. Her veil was lace, and her grandmother’s, held on top by a small stuffed tube of satin studded with a row of pearls, I think. Anyway it was flat and sat on her head like a doughnut, and looked very Elizabethan and very becoming. Hugo told me Molly had either made it or suggested it. She looked lovely, carried a small bouquet. Her grandmother, 93, came from Herefordshire for the wedding and her mother looked like Edith Sitwell, only less so, and very pretty and attractive in spite of a rather Gothic face and nose. Sybil said she saw an identical woman in the next pew and I did too and decided that must have been a sister - in fact Sybil kept on seeing people who looked just like her. Her dress, bought so quickly one afternoon together with hat, was very becoming.

The Apothecaries’ Hall was a short walk from the church, both up what seemed like tiny back alleys, but that is the City of London - that and the church and rectory are tucked back behind St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was a very large and grand hall, quite ancient I imagine, and we all had to queue up in the entrance and up the large staircase to get up to the upstairs. This was tedious and tiring and seemed to take forever and we soon found out why. There was no reception line, just Hugo and Jennifer standing alone in the middle of a very large handsome room, and only one couple or family at a time was announced. You walked across to them, then had a little chat before going out by another door and the next couple was announced. Hugo said he was glad to see some really familiar faces at last, when Hugo and I got there as he had been meeting masses of completely unknown ones. From this room, we passed through the hall again and into a very much larger room, in fact huge with a high high ceiling. It was packed so tight that we had the greatest difficulty getting near the trestle table of food which stretched the length of one wall and across the side wall, covered with every sort of delicious hors d’oeuvre, sandwiches, ice cream, fruit salad &c, and piles of champagne was handed around all the time. As the wedding was very long it was about four and we were really hungry. The tables were decorated with four-candled candelabra, six of them all down the main table, and at one end of the room was a simply huge one with lots more candles. I imagine this was the property of the Hall. There were some large presses full of collections of ancient apothecary jars &c. The reception seemed to go on for ages and my feet really killed me this time with a bad toe - I just am not made to fit pointed shoes.

All the Pattens’ friends were there apparently, but I missed some I should have liked to see - too much of a mob to find everyone and too packed. But I did see the Platts - she is HUGE, the biggest expanse of bright Thai silk I ever saw, but handsome and pleasant to talk to. Pooh Bousfield was with her but I didn’t have an idea who she was - she had changed entirely and had become a skinny, handsome, long-faced very old woman, well dressed and entirely someone else. Quite a shock as I knew her fairly well and saw her frequently in Hong Kong. Three separate women came up to me and said I must surely be Marijane’s sister. The Sitwells were there but I never saw them.

After cutting the cake &c and speeches the couple departed. Hugo had on a very good-looking and becoming brown suit which Phil told me was his, and Jennifer wore a pale yellow bumpy tweed suit, quite plain, with a large shiny black straw hat. Molly said Hugo wanted her to leave in the stretch pants she was going to tour on their trip to France but Mrs B.T. said no firmly to this and that she would have to wear something less odd. There was too much noise in the hall to hear the speeches unless you were right beside them and I wasn’t far. Hugo I did understand once in a while and he spoke very well and quite happily to that large gathering. They stood on a dais for this. The little bridesmaids were sweet in plain little Empire dresses made by Molly. The older maid, about sixteen, or so, wore dark olive green with ruffles around her neck and sleeves. Quite a pleasant change from the usual sad old pastel bridesmaids.

We all went back to the Pattens’ and after a chat about everything we set forth for home. It was 7:00pm and no bad traffic and we got home in about 2½ hours.

Sybil thought Phil and Harry absolutely exactly alike at first, and certainly they are very much alike though Phil not so Gothic as Harry. Harry looked quite gorgeous in his suit with top hat as he is so exceptionally tall and slim. Sybil Patten very handsome now and Rosamond is a most attractive looking girl. She has a cute little turn-up nose which seems impossible when you look at Harry. Our Sybil was also very thrilled with the Pattens’ house, and said her eyes nearly popped put at Marijane’s bathroom which she thought gorgeous. In fact she wished Barbara, her younger sister, could see it as she would be so thrilled. The garden was fine with all the irises out and pansies and other things. My irises are tight buds. Ellen said she had a grand time in Paris. The past two days have been perfectly gorgeous with brilliant sun. The wedding day was dull and cold, but it has been that way for some time until yesterday and today. So I hope the bride and groom are having wonderful weather for their trip through Burgundy and up to Strasbourg. I must to bed now. I am having a tea party tomorrow and have been cooking and making all sorts of things.