What amazing but exhausting weekend!

Last year we were asked to cater for a wedding in Wales, after much deliberation and talks with the team at Fur Clemt, and despite the venue being a two and a half hour drive away we decided to take the booking.

Since then we visited the venue twice, so we knew what to expect and to iron out the details of the day. Over the last few weeks, we have been stockpiling food in the freezer so we could provide a quality service.

It's was like a small military expedition getting us, the food and the equipment over to Aberdovey, inevitably some things got 'lost' on the way, in particular, the paper plates! But we managed to arrive safe and sound and settle down for the night ready to get started in the morning. We planned a leisurely morning, meeting up for breakfast to fuel us for the busy day ahead. The ceremony would be at 1.30, so we had plenty of time.

An idyllic venue was already set up on the village green overlooking the beach; the ceremony was to be held on the beach and then the festivities in marques dressed beautifully to reflect the lifestyle of the Bride and Groom...beautiful...and then.............

Despite the weeks of blistering heat, the coast was hit by gales, the marques and their contents blown down! Devastation!

And yet...(being witness to what happened next was a real privilege). Word went around the town and family, guest and community came together to rebuild the venue in the more weatherproof village hall.

Tables and chairs arrived, followed by flowers, crockery, cutlery, room decorations, bar, drink...tablecloths found their way to an industrial dryer, tables seatings were hastily redone, bunting hung, paper lanterns strung and sanity restored. It was amazing to watch and be a part of. Finally, teas and breakfast sandwiches appeared, and people could relax a little knowing that Bride and Groom would after all get the wedding of their dreams and still there was time for nails to be polished.

For our team, we found our working day started earlier than anticipated and our workspace reduced dramatically, but we had hot water, cookers and enthusiasm so on with the show. On the plus side, we didn't have to transport the food from the kitchen to the beachside location which had been a niggling concern on the weeks leading up to the big day.

I couldn't have asked for more from the team on the day. Brendon got the van with the food, equipment and male volunteers there down the winding roads in one piece. Katy came for the day from her holiday leaving husband Jon looking after three children. Rose took the 'basis' accommodation in good cheer. Jan kept us all upbeat, Kris was his usual hard working self. James was...James! At one point I thought he'd been drinking!! And Dave...long-suffering husband of mine ploughed through the work, networked and promoted us like a pro and even unblocked the sink! They all worked tirelessly with few breaks to get the canapes ready and then to ensure the main meal was served on time. Lots of clean plates came back so it must have been good and plenty of compliments from the guests.

But oh...! The washing up!! 150 plates, knives, forks and spoons, 150 bowls and that's not including the serving dishes and prep equipment. That's a lot of dirty dishes. Yes, there was a dishwasher, but it was a small one, that helped a little but still meant hand washing on a large scale was the order of the day.

And then back to it for the evening buffet. With more washing up due to the missing paper plates!

Our food was well received as was the 'Real Junk Food' message.

So exhausted but happy we retired to bed with aching feet, creaking bones dodgy backs...I'm getting far too old for this game!

We wish Kate and Dan every happiness.