Gate-crashed!

It's a bit much when you reach the age of 67 and you suddenly find that you gate-crashed a wedding.

We were at Ken's funeral, waiting in the church , when Deanne and her son arrived. (Deanne is another cousin's widow). They sat next to us and Deanne sat chatting and reminiscing. 'Of course we gate-crashed their wedding,' she said.
'Gate-crashed?'

Then the music started and there was no time to say any more. 

I planned to quiz Deanne about it later but, as it happened, I didn't have to. At the wake, Husband and I were looking at the photo collage, which naturally included wedding photos. Anne happened to come along at that point and was pointing out photos to a group of friends. 'You were at my wedding, weren't you?' she asked me.
'Yes! Is it true that we gate-crashed it?'
'Yes it is!' exclaimed a rather annoyed Anne, who obviously might have forgiven but hadn't forgotten. 'I don't blame you,' she hurried to add. 'You were only about four. But the rest of them!'

Anne and Ken it seemed had planned a small wedding because her parents weren't well-off and she and Ken were both students. So it was just going to be Ken's close family and some of their friends. I should point out that Ken and Anne were both from Bristol where the wedding was taking place. But, it appears, you don't deter the Honey family that easily.

At least half of that group weren't supposed to be there. And here the scalliwags are, waiting for the bus back to the train station.

'I think my mother knew they were coming,' Anne said, 'but she always denied it. And Ken's family were strict Methodists and you know what the Honeys are like for enjoying a drink.'

Years later we had a coach trip to Hull for another wedding and, so legend has it, all the drink that had been bought in for the wedding disappeared in a couple of hours the night before.

But seriously, how could you blame an innocent like this? I obviously didn't know what was going on then. Nothing much has changed now.