When we arrived at the reception we were announced as Mr and Mrs McBroden again. I loved hearing that and wanted to clap and cheer along with everyone else. I had the giggles again and Mac was grinning as we walked in arm in arm. We were both glowing with happiness. I was starving as was Mac and probably the rest of the bridal party so we were all grateful that the first thing we had to do was sit down to eat a meal.

The food was good, not great, but good enough. I am not a big fan of food that is mass produced. No matter where you go or how much you pay, no one seems to have worked out how to maintain the heat and the taste. Still for someone who hadn't eaten much because my tummy was upset, any semi-hot food was welcome.

While we ate, we laughed with the people on the bridal table. I gave Mac a taste of the chicken I was eating and He fed me some of His potatoes on His fork. My sister and I made sure we got different desserts so we could share. It's something we have always done.

After dinner there were the speeches and while some beautiful things were said with much feeling by everyone, it was Mac's speech that touched me the deepest. He stood beside me and with such ease He just spoke like it was something He does everyday. If He was nervous at all, it didn't show. This is what He said:

First, would like first to thank sarah's Dad for granting his generous permission for me to make his beautiful daughter my first wife.

I am sure everyone here will also join me in appreciating the loveliness of the bridesmaids, who have charmed everyone all afternoon and who show no signs of stopping yet.

I would at this stage also thank my best man for turning up, for not losing the ring, and for ignoring (as yet) the traditions surrounding best men and older bridesmaids, but of course the night is yet young.

Now it may come as no surprise to many of you, but sarah has been badgering me for some time to prepare a few words to say today. As is traditional I have not found this easy. Do I say some revealing things about sarah? I think her Dad should be given that honour. About myself? I am sure my best man will step into that particular breach, no doubt flirting with the margins of sacrilege, truth, profanity and even libel. So what do I say? I thought I would see what apt words I can remember people uttering about marriage itself.

I think Socrates was on the right track when he said "By all means marry. You will either get a good wife and be happy, or a bad wife in which case you will become a philosopher".

A female dentist I spoke to had her own opinion. "A husband" she said "is what is left of the lover after the roots have been removed."

Bruce Friedman had a few wise words to say about fidelity, which I would ask rivals for sarah's hand to remember. "Never, ever, EVER, approach another man's wife with the intention of sinning with her. Nothing on earth justifies such indescribably awful behavior. Unless, of course, she is very pretty"

Of course we have all heard about the man seen opening a car door for his wife, and the onlooker nudging his friend and whispering "Look. New wife. Or new car".

I guess that's why someone once observed that when we look at a newly married man and he looks happy, we all know why. When we look at a ten year married man who looks happy, we all wonder why.

This wedding has, like most weddings, been arranged in a whirl of activity on behalf of the bride and her mother, watched from afar in a bemused haze by the men who are told they are going to be involved. It seems only a week or so since the day Sarah informed me that I would be asking for her hand, but apparently it is 8 months. I think this is the first time she has sat down since. And now here we are. Sarah has joined the other ladies here entitled to call themselves Mrs McBroden. I think she is joining an impressive club. I know she is joyfully welcomed to the ranks.

Mr and Mrs Broden, I am like all most men on the day they marry...stunned at the beauty of my bride; a little bemused that this gorgeous creature wants to marry me; enervated at the adventure I am embarking on with her small hand gripping mine; humbled at the significance of the vows we have taken....BUT, in addition to the vows in the church I will also make you a promise.

I will be to your daughter what I think every man should be to his bride. I will be her lover. I will be her protector. I will be her friend.

People WILL look at me in 10 years time and wonder why I am happy. The answer is sitting right here beside me.

Thank you all for sharing in our day.

Needless to say, I was teary eyed when He sat back down beside me and let me kiss Him on the cheek. The guests asked for more, so of course we kissed again.

When the speeches were done, we were asked to cut the cake and Mac's hand engulfed mine as we held the knife together. We cut a piece and then broke it and fed it to each other while cameras clicked all around us. Mac kissed the cream from my lips then He took my hand and led me to the dance floor. I had my train attached to my wrist by a loop. Mac took me in His arms and held me close to Him and while our song played we danced.

"I love you, Mrs McBroden." He whispered to me.
"I love you, Mr McBroden." I whispered back. "I love being Your wife."
"Good." He said. "You are going to me my wife for a long time, Sarah McBroden."
I smiled up at Him and He kissed me.

The bridal party joined us on the dance floor. Then our parents and other guests joined in too. The song changed to a love song and Mac was tapped on the shoulder by His father and I danced with my father-in-law while Mac danced with His mum. Then my father took Mac's dad's place and Mac's dad danced with my mother for a while. Then my mother danced with Mac. I kept glancing at Mac and He kept glancing at me. I knew we could both hardly wait to be together again. I danced with the best man, Ben, and he asked if the new Mrs McBroden was happy.

"It's amazing." I said. "I didn't know I could get this happy."
"Well I couldn't ask for anything more for you Sarah." He said. "You deserve it all."
I kissed him softly on the cheek. It was lovely.

Mac and I both danced until we were delivered back to each other again. Mac took me in His arms again and held onto me. We spent just one more song on the dance floor, simply because it was the closest we were allowed to get. Then we did the right thing and we went to mingle with everyone.

And the champagne and wine and beer had been liberally applied to everyone and I guess it was only a matter of time before someone got upset at someone else. Unfortunately it happened to be my sister's husband who thought that she had flirted with Ben, her partner in the bridal party, a bit too much. She was crying in the ladies room and someone came to fetch me and when I went into her she got upset that I had been told. Mum was already with her. My sister said it was just stupid. Her husband had refused to dance with her after she had danced with Ben. He told her she should dance with Ben again. I felt bad about it, I know that my sister's husband can be a jealous prat. Ben is quite attractive and very interesting. There is hardly a place in the world he hasn't been. I should have known her husband wouldn't be able to handle it. I wanted to find him and smack him good. For whatever reason, my sister loves him and he should learn to appreciate that fact instead of using it against her. I wanted to sit down beside her and cry for her too.

We stayed in the ladies room for a while and instead of smacking him or crying, I did my best to make her laugh. She ignored my attempts at humour and badmouthed her husband some more. Eventually she decided she didn't need him anyway and was going to come out and have some fun. Apparently someone else had been talking to her husband, and when she came out he looked almost ashamed of himself. They went off together and I saw them dancing rather close a little while later on. Mum and I just rolled our eyes.

Mac was perfectly oblivious to the drama going on. I found Him near the bar enjoying JD on rocks and listening to the men from His family telling tales about when they were young. When I walked up to Him He sort of folded me into His arms and kissed my forehead. I relaxed and realized that it felt good to be where I belonged. I decided to stay there for a while.

It was close to midnight when we did the traditional throwing of the bouquet and tossing of the garter and everyone got into a circle to say goodbye. I went one way and Mac went the other and we kissed and hugged and shook hands and accepted congratulations from everyone again. When I came to Mac at the half way point, He dipped me back over His arm and kissed me, much to everyone's delight. Then He put me back upright and carried on.

People followed us outside and we got into the car to much cheering and clapping and shouts of goodbye. We waved as the car drove us away.

Mac tucked me into His arms again as we drove along.

It was time for us to spend our very first night as Man and wife.