Vow renewal ceremony
The centrepiece of zoolyweds 10, the main event, the biggest celebration of the lot, the one we really hope you'll all be able to come to: on Sunday 30 August, four days before the tenth anniversary of zoolyweds, we'll be renewing our vows in a special mass wedding ceremony on the stage of the Royal Festival Hall at Southbank Centre in central London.
Last year, as part of Southbank Centre's summer-long Festival of Love, and to celebrate the legalisation of same-sex marriage, the centre held its first Big Wedding Weekend, inviting couples to marry (or renew vows) in mass shared ceremonies for two days.
As well as the main ceremonies for invited guests, the site hosted a number of wedding-related goings-on for anyone to join in with. We dropped by in our original zoolyweds outfits! Here we are after a comedy wedding ceremony in an inflatable church:
The Festival of Love and Big Wedding Weekend were such a success that Southbank Centre are repeating them this year. This time around, we'll be taking part in a real ceremony – and we're inviting lots of guests to come along and mark ten years since our original wedding ceremony!
Throwback reminiscences will include:
- An all-new puzzles sheet for every guest: an up-to-date take on the zoolyweds puzzles sheet from ten years ago
- A zoolyweds 10 take on speeches - including at last rectifying the sad omission from our wedding's speeches (caused by bridesmaid illness) of a speech about Edith's formative years!
- The return of some of your favourite zoolyweds 10 games: go on, get your trunks in!
- The chance to read and update dlogbook, our wedding diary and guestbook, with a new zoolyweds 10 section
- zoolyweds 10 balloons and probably other logo-plastered stuff to be determined
- A zoolyweds 10 cake (to be arranged)
- Other stuff we haven't thought of yet
…but will not include:
- Bizarre dismantling of the cake by catering staff into separately and glacially slowly served components
- Forgetting to get the guestbook out until we we're on the bus home
- PowerPoint presentations (probably)
Schedule
Here's a summary of the schedule for our guests on Sunday 30 August 2015:
| 12 noon onwards | Guests arrive at meeting point (Level 4 Green Side, Royal Festival Hall - PDF) - by 12.45pm at latest |
|---|---|
| 1pm | Vow renewal ceremony in Royal Festival Hall. Includes music on the hall's world-famous organ, fanfares from a small brass band and a 25-strong choir. |
| 2pm | A glass of bubbly for all our guests |
| Then | Speeches from us and our attendants, and that 10-year-overdue one about Edith's early years |
| and | A few official photos of us and our guests (exact timeslot to be announced) |
| and | The chance to buy food from any of the stalls, restaurants and cafés across the site |
| plus | The cutting and eating of our special zoolyweds 10 cakes |
| 7.30pm | Mass wedding reception, including big band, dancing and disco – see more info on entertainment below |
| Midnight | The end of the party |
We're told entertainment around the site will include:
| 11am – 3.30pm | Outside: Folk Dance Remixed – Maypole, Hip Hop, and Ceilidh Dancing |
|---|---|
| 12 noon – 5pm | Outside: 'Bridesmaids dress-up box and parade' (we think this may be for children but don't really know what it is!) |
| 4–8pm | Outside: Southbank Ballroom – Ballroom displays, workshops and group dancing with a live band |
| 7.30–9pm | Inside: the London Dance Orchestra play in the ballroom |
| 8–10pm | Outside: DJ for outdoor dancing |
| 9pm | Inside: first dance for all the newly married couples (second or higher dance for us!) |
| 9pm–midnight | Inside: DJ Anna Greenwood in the ballroom |
It's going to be quite a day! Although the official RSVP period is over, if you haven't said you can come but would now like to, please get in touch as soon as possible and we may well be able to sort something out.
Incidentally pretty much everything other than the ceremony and bubbly are open to all, so if you can't commit to making it to those, you're welcome to drop in for the afternoon/evening regardless!
Here's how to find Southbank Centre.
Photo from zoolyweds © ShootingHip.com