SATURDAY 26TH APRIL 2025

The big day arrived – the day my childhood friend became Mrs Saint John. To the best of my knowledge she has never conceded her maiden name in her prior marriages – but, hey it’s not a name to let pass one by.

The wedding was hosted in the San Ramon, California home of Lilly’s long time friend, Aqsa Shakil. A realtor (real estate agent) by day, Aqsa also organises event management and is a marriage celebrant. You’ll find her on Instagram and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aqsa.shakil.71?mibextid=ZbWKwL. As well this multi-talented, energetic, charming hostess is a superb artist – I’m talking off-the-scale professional. If you are a local and looking for a place for a private function in a gorgeous house surrounded by green rolling hills, Aqsa will give it that special touch.

Lilly is a resident of Texas, and had made long-distance arrangements for our hair and make-up. By coincidence this turned out to be a friend of Aqsa’s, and we went to that home for our makeover. Not being a girly-girl I was figuring two hours for the entire job. Wrong. I was wilting after four hours. A glass of red wine sustained us.

This kind of fussing is a bit lost on me but I have to say we were transformed. In her younger days nearly six-feet tall Lilly was a model and that shone through in her knowledge and bearing.

The wedding was to be at 4.20pm and we still had our bouquets to make up. On this we’d decided to keep it simple. We bunched roses together and wrapped them in ribbon. Being that not artistic, not girly, girl, I was grateful for Aqsa’s help tying off my bow.

Meantime Bridegroom Bob was finalising the music and a livestream of the event.

Lilly’s dress was an amazing celestial-themed creation she’d ordered online from India. Layers of material over more layers of stiff net petticoats. I helped her into the dress and her jewellery and then we waited in the bedroom until the signal to emerge. Lilly used the time to practice the vows she’d written.

Just as she’d done when being my bridesmaid in 1972, I preceded her down the garden aisle. And like back them, some of the guests assumed I was the bride, until Lilly emerged on the patio, on the arm of Aqsa’s eldest son. She looked stunning as she walked to Bob waiting under the floral bridal arch. Bob was wearing an electric-blue satin suit and his long red hair was tied in a ponytail plait.

(At this stage of the story I’m beginning to feel like one of those female journalists of the early twentieth century who were only allowed to report on social events).

I mentioned in an earlier post that the weather in San Francisco has been very cold. Not having acclimatised I was practically hypothermic after twenty minutes, and Bob was in a similar situation. But all’s well that ends well. We got them married and the after photos done, before we all scurried for warmer spots, including a fire pit built into the coffee table on the patio.

The original plan was to hold the party outside but that had already been reconsidered so we all moved inside for food and drinks, speeches and cake cutting.

Lilly had it couriered in but I lost track of from where. She had chosen the identical  style and recipe as when Jacqueline Bouvier married John Kennedy.

We partied on towards midnight. Luckily Aqsa’s husband had kept his head and was able to drive us back to our hotel.

And thus ended the event which is the reason we came to the Good Ole USofA