Wedding (Monkey) Anniversary

Did you ever have one of those gags where you aren’t quite sure how it started and you really had no idea how far it would go?

Well, let me tell you the story of Wedding Monkey.  We first met Sureka and John at a wedding fair at Kempton Park while they were planning their big day.  While talking to a couple I will sometimes make offers to “seal the deal”.  Sureka and John were planning their wedding on Monkey Island on the River Thames at Bray, but apparently there are no monkeys on Monkey Island.  The obvious solution here was to promise that if they were to book Silverball Leisure for their wedding day, they would receive a monkey so that for one day at least there would be a monkey on Monkey Island.

The day was wonderful – but hectic!  The load in was over a narrow footbridge, the ceremony was to be outside.  At the time I wasn’t using the flightcases that I use now, so there were boxes and a sweaty DJ, but I had time to set up…until the weather started to look iffy and the ceremony was moved indoors!  Rapid tidying up, ensued, boxes stashed and hidden everywhere while the chairs were set up indoors.  (At the end of the night I had to search for some of the boxes!)  Then the weather looked ok again so we all moved chairs back outside!

The bride looked stunning, the ceremony went without a hitch, and when the happy couple sat down to the reception Wedding Monkey was sat on top table waiting for them, holding a wedding day card.  The monkey was popular and kept changing hands, so the event manager promised to protect him, and he spent part of the evening sat high up on top of a disco speaker for his own safety!

The story doesn’t stop there.  Sureka and John went off on honeymoon to America – and took Wedding monkey too!  In fact, not only did they take pictures, but he had his own album on their facebook page!

The story doesn’t stop there!  After some time passed, Sureka and John were blessed with their first child.  A photo popped up on facebook of baby in cot…along with Wedding Monkey.  When they were expecting daughter number 2 – guess who made the announcement? He was in the newborn’s cot again – now firmly a family mascot.  When the twins were born it was no surprise to see who sneaked into the photos!

Sureka and John celebrated their wedding anniversary with a post on social media celebrating their marriage and family.  There were more photos of wedding monkey in that post than there were of husband John!

Whenever I see a picture of Wedding Monkey, I get a small lump in my throat.  What started as a gag has become something so special – for that couple, for that family and for me.  To see repeated reminders that I played a part in the history of a beautiful family is something that makes my “job” such a pleasure and a privilege, and I hope that wedding monkey demonstrates not only that I treat my “clients” as friends but also I have the imagination to make every single event that little bit different and a little more memorable.

Happy Anniversary Sureka and John – and Happy Birthday Wedding Monkey!