I’ve gone to loads of weddings over the years but none in which I played so many roles.

Up early this morning I picked up Mouse from the hairdressers and dropped her at Martin and Fhai’s to have her makeup done and to put on her wedding dress. With the women inside making their final preparations Martin and I picked out ties and put the ribbon on the car for the drive to the Registry Office.

As we drove there something suddenly made me ask, “Who is giving Mouse away ?” and the answer was no one. In all the rush of the last few days it was never considered and here she was alone in a strange country, not understanding the ceremony and having to walk in on her own. “You’ll have to do it”, said Fhai to me, “because Martin is doing the video”.

In my role as chauffeur and photographer I’d gone out in the week to see where the sun was at 10 in the morning and where you could park but it was a surprise to see another photographer there talking to Mouse and Dave’s guests. He was a little surprised as well as he didn’t recognise them.

After opening the door for Mouse then grabbed the camera to take some snaps it was time to be The Father of the Bride and escort her in to meet Dave.

This type of service is always short but none the less still solemn. Mouse didn’t need Fhai to translate and negotiated her way through all the words a lot better than I could have done in Thai and when they turned to face us they were man and wife.

Back outside the stray photographer was on his mobile trying to track down his wedding party who seemed to have moved the event half an hour without telling him. We shared a moment to admire each other’s SLRs before I was off to take some pictures of the happy couple in the park before I was the wedding chauffeur again to take them home.

I’ve known Dave for years, he lived around the corner from me and his parents knew mine. He took his apprenticeship at my cousin Ted’s plumbing firm. What I didn’t know was that his parent’s house, where he and Mouse now live, was in fact his grandparent’s house. It’s rather like my house - a terrace with a garden - but today it was transformed into the reception for their wedding with food from the local Thai restaurant.

As the party died down it was time to head for the next one : Martin’s mum’s 85 at Anne’s. This was a much less formal affair with no ties and shorts. It was a very special day, surrounded as she was by so much of her family. With Paul in charge of the barbecue and Richard the barman we were all well looked after