Then and now...

When Andrew and Nikki set the date for their wedding, Ele, Gail and I realised it could be the perfect opportunity to recreate a photo taken on this date, as it's so rare that Gail's two (Laura and Stewart) get to see Alan, Andrew and Jennifer at the same time, as they are now both London based.

Back in the day our three families holidayed in France together (and other locations) many times.  Alan and Gail are good friends of both our families and considered aunt and uncle and cousins to our lot and us to theirs.  

We have so many wonderful, happy and hilarious memories of our holidays together, and this holiday was no exception.  

This photo was taken after a lovely meal in a beach front restaurant that Alan and Gail missed, as when we all arrived at Larmour-Plage Gail was in a tizzy as she couldn't remember if she'd turned off her hair straighteners!  She and Alan had to head back to the holiday house to check, terrified the whole journey back that the holiday house would be up in flames!  Given it had taken an hour to drive to the restaurant, there was no point of them returning.  Of course Gail had turned the straighteners off and we still tease her to this day that she planned all along for her and Alan to have a child free meal :-)). 

Alan was so happy to see Laura and Stewart at Andrew and Nikki's wedding (17.07.24) and I was so happy to be able to attempt to recreate the shot.  

Despite seeing the original photo in my hall every day, I couldn’t remember where everyone was placed, which is a shame as it would have been nice to have everyone in their original spots.  Spookily both photos are taken in front of water with a small wall just behind them.  If I'd remember the original layout, Jen could have stool on the wall like she is in the original.

And who knew the next time I took a group shot of these waifs and strays would be Andrew’s wedding eighteen years later!  Time goes by so quickly!  Hug your little ones, in a blink they will be grown up and their childhoods will just be memories.