CIVIL PARTNERSHIP DAY 24TH January 2020

Partnership day today. My partner bushwhacked me by presenting me with a small parcel which turned out to be cuff links celebrating our civil partnership day

All a bit of a blur really. From getting up to bed time it was full on in one form or another Having got to Beaumanor Hall it was a case of shepherding the guests into the bar while my partner and daughters disappeared to a room in which to change into their ceremony dresses and drink presecco. In all of this activity a good friend of my partner did practical things for us like sorting out the table seating cards and the music, which was a great help and relief.  In the midst of this I was separated out and spent time with the registrar who checked who I was and could answer all the questions I answered when giving notice. She went through the process step by step which was very comforting and helpful. Guests arrived and people introduced themselves in a friendly manner while the photographer quietly went about taking in formal pictures. At noon we were requested to prepare for the ceremony. The guests gathered at the foot of the central staircase, the music started, Mozart Flute Concerto, and my partner accompanied by our daughters appeared and walked down the stairs.

I and the guests gathered in the ceremony room and my partner accompanied by our daughters entered. The registrar introduced the ceremony to the guests and then our daughters read a “letter” from my partner to me, which was followed by my pledge read by my best person. At several points people, including the readers and the registrar were tearful. I think partly because of what was read but also the fact that everyone in the room was aware of the context in which they were being read, namely that I have cancer and the health issues that my partner and I faced earlier in 2019. We found our way through the formal part of the ceremony and then we signed the documents that were required to make our civil partnership legally recognised. Finally we were announced as a couple in partnership. I think people clapped.

As if by magic doors to the next room opened and trays of drinks and canapés appeared. The photographer gently moved us around to take lots of photos which included an excursion into the fresh, and chilly, air for some outside shots. One shot was of my partner and I appearing to be squirrels nose to nose round a tree trunk. Finally we sat around our big dining table where the photographer took his last photos before wending his way home.

We, family and friends, which included the registrar and her husband, sat in privacy and were served a lovely meal washed down with wine and various non alcohol beverages. Within the privacy and intimacy of our space we were able to chat and joke until I spoke a few words to tell those there how much they meant to my partner and I. I also had my turn to bushwhack my partner by presenting her with a signed and sealed copy of my pledge in a silver scroll holder. I also presented her with a new version of the triple ring that we had made when she first took my name prior to us having our daughters. It will hopefully see us through the rest of our partnership journey.

People chatted to 5 o’clock and then we all said our farewells and went our separate ways.

Back home the family chilled out over a DVD and chatted till the tiredness of the day meant we all retired for a well earned rest. I cleared the kitchen of debris and had a quiet moment to myself to reflect upon the day. In the days to come the photographer will make his photographs available and we will be able to construct a pictorial story of the day. In due course those that were not there will be able to share the pictures of the day. I notice that we have not opened the cards and presents that we have recieved and know that come the morning we will sit with coffee and open them all together with the family around us. Time for for bed.