Last weekend I went to Cambridge for a very special event – the wedding of two Lib Dem legends, Mick Taylor and Joye Rosenstiel. Mick is a former Calderdale Councillor and has been a parliamentary candidate in Calder Valley and in other seats in the North West. He’s a great friend of the site and a regular contributor in our comments. Joye was a Councillor in Cambridge for 26 years and Mayor from 1994-95. She has also been Church Warden of Great St Mary’s Church in central Cambridge.
The wedding was a wonderfully relaxed and happy event. There were two ceremonies. They were legally married in a Quaker ceremony. I’d never been to a Quaker wedding before, and I loved the way it combined due solemnity and tradition with equality and the ability of everyone to contribute. In a Quaker wedding, there is no person up the front marrying the couple. They marry each other and everyone present signs the wedding certificate – even children are allowed to if they were awake during the proceedings. This tradition comes from the 16th century – the long list of witnesses were presented as evidence to the authorities to ensure that the marriage was legally recognised.
Afterwards, there was a beautiful blessing in Great St Mary’s, It’s always great to have an excerpt from Winnie the Pooh as a reading.
Their three tiered wedding cake had a yellow Lib Dem tier, one with the Greek flag in celebration of their new life in Greece and one with a Union flag to represent the UK. The fruit cake was one of the best I had ever tasted.
There were a fair few Lib Dems present, including Gordon and Maggie Lishman, LGBT+ Patron Bernard Greaves, former Liberal Party Chief Executive from the time of the merger with the SDP Andy Ellis and his wife Helen, Jennie Rigg and I.
In the evening, we had the most delicious Thai buffet at the Cricketers Pub, where the picture was taken. I did take some at the ceremonies but they were terrible and I’m trying to find a better one.
I’m sure all the readers of this site will want to wish Mick and Joye love and happiness as they head to their new life together in Greece.
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings. You can find her on Bluesky at caronmlindsay.bsky.social
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
London tram driven the wrong way through Croydon town centre
The problem with balancing budgets
Long, long ago on a Policy Working Group far, far away...
Andy Burnham's bounce
Birthright
Peter Hirst
Peter Davies
John C
7 Comments
Hearty congratulations, and best wishes for long and happy lives together to Mick and Joye.(Mick is a friend and fellow Liberal from the good old days of the Yorkshire Liberal Federation
Really nice to come on here and see news about someone I used to work with that is happy news. Wishing much happiness to them both!
I wish them both much happiness in their new life in Greece. I knew Joye about 40 years ago and remember fondly.
Great to hear about this happy event for two friends I have known for many years; I became aware of their engagement when meeting them together outside the Barbican, York, during the Federal Spring Conference last year. Congratulations to both, and all good wishes for the future!
EVERY BEST WISH TO THE TWO OF YOU!
Congratulations, Joye and Mick! Wishing you many wonderful years full of happiness and adventure!
Congratulations Mick and Joye from another Lib Dem whose emigrated to an EU Country!