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.