Beatrice was a beautiful bride
Beatrice and new husband
Didn’t Princess Beatrice look beautiful when she got married in one of the Queen’s dresses?
Wearing something with a story and a connection means so much more than any fancy designer creation.
It’s stitched with family history and wearing it is a touching tribute.
When I married Colin in 1970, I wore an oyster-coloured mini dress and a big floppy hat, so even if I still had my outfit I doubt my granddaughter would want to wear it.
I don’t have any of Mum’s clothes but treasure her eternity ring.
I love opening the little trinket box to see and touch it. It doesn’t matter that there’s a stone missing.
Just holding it in my hand transports me back to the day we went to town to buy it. Mum had always wanted an eternity ring and Dad had a fair bit of overtime at the steel works.
Seeing her ring makes me feel Mum’s delight that day we bought it.
At the start of lockdown I decided to give my engagement ring to my granddaughter Caitlin. I couldn’t get it on my finger and, maybe because so many people were being taken by coronavirus, I realised life was short and it was time to pass on a few precious things. Caitlin smiled and didn’t know what to say when I gave it to her.
I’m sad to say I can’t remember how Colin proposed. But I recall all too clearly the sick feeling when I was newly engaged and realised I’d left my ring in a restaurant toilet.
I’d taken it off to wash my hands because I’d wanted to protect it from the soap. We were halfway home when I looked at my hand and screamed: “My ring!” Colin did a sharp U-turn thankfully, an honest person had found my ring and handed it in.
It isn’t as swish or bling as the engagement rings I see many of the young ones have today, because money was hard to come by in the 60s.
But the ring signifies a long and happy marriage full of laughs and love.
It means even more to me now to know I’ve passed it on. Isn’t that what life’s all about?