Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.  She was a new actress all of 19 years of age on her first major motion picture.  He, married for the third time, an accomplished actor with a string of great movie classics.  They meet and – BAM – one of the great love stories of all time.  I’ll bet if you ask them they will tell you that they didn’t see it coming.  Love is like that – don’t you think?  Something that happens while you are doing something else.  I am keen to tell more love stories this year – new stories about our clients and friends – about how they met, what they like about each other, habits and memories they cherish.

This is what Lauren Bacall said about her wedding day in her autobiography “By Myself and Then Some”:

In the bathroom I could hear the start of the Wedding March. Oh God, why hadn’t they waited? Later George told me Bogie looked up and said, ‘Where is she?’ George’s romantic reply: ‘Hold it! She’s in the can!’ I emerged – [the piano player] started again – and George and I started our descent. My knees shook so, I was sure I’d fall down the stairs. Bogie standing there looking so vulnerable and so handsome – like a juvenile…

When I reached Bogie, he took my hand – the enormous, beautiful white orchids I was holding were shaking themselves to pieces; as I stood there, there wasn’t a particle of me that wasn’t moving visibly…As I glanced at Bogie, I saw tears streaming down his face – his ‘I do’ was strong and clear, though. As Judge Shettler said, “I now pronounce you man & wife,’ Bogie and I turned toward each other – he leaned to kiss me – I shyly turned my cheek – all those eyes watching made me very self-conscious. He said, ‘Hello, Baby’. I hugged him and was reported to have said, “Oh, goody.’ Hard to believe, but maybe I did.

Give me a wedding day like that I’d be happy as a clam.  Actually when I think about it my wedding day was pretty similar – except the ‘in the can’ comment!