I have been e-mailed by a correspondent whose husband wishes her to remain nameless. My son’s impending wedding has brought back memories of her own son’s nuptials more than a decade ago.

Among her fond recollections are:

(i) The photographs: Their photographers are no longer in business, but even now there are policies of their procedures which I wish I had known about before the event.

The one that rankles most was their refusal to include the parents of the bride and the parents of the groom in one traditional group.

Now that I want to indicate to the growing grandchildren that we are all part of their family, I don’t have this important image.

(ii) The person who pretends there is a “just impediment to the marriage”, in this case, my late mother.

I truly do not think that she realised that she had voiced her statement out loud – to the effect that my son was already wed – but the howls of merriment that went round the church made me wish for a very large hole to open up beneath my feet.

(iii) Asking the whole congregation to walk over half-a-mile back to the reception, uphill, because “they didn’t think” there was enough parking adjacent to the church.”

Best wishes for the BIG DAY.

I think it’s luck I’ll be needing ..