My great friend Anne got married on Saturday in a traditional Episcopal church service on a beautiful day here in Massachusetts, in a small town just north of Boston.

It was the first American wedding I’ve ever been to and in many ways it was quite different from those which I am more accustom to back home in the UK. The very formal service was followed by a very informal reception which had the distinction of being the first ever wedding I have ever been to that was alcohol free.

Most English wedding’s I’ve attended have comprised of a church service in which hymns are feebly sang by people who have no real interest in singing hymns but may well be later found singing at the top of their voice later that night toward the end of the party after much alcohol has lubricated their lungs.

After the service Anne and Michael posed for a few pictures, but this lacked the usual commotion of an English wedding where the photographer seems to spend ages herding up various groups of family and friends for a seemingly endless amount of staged pictures.

The reception was very informal and relaxed and as things wound down later in the afternoon there was another first, a post wedding softball game!

All in all it was a great day if for no other reason to see the broad smiles that seemed preeminently splashed across both Anne and Michael’s faces. They make a great couple!