Ian Edwards' Otter Cane

On Sunday 10th July, I received an email from Mark Davies (aka Country Sticks) to let me know that the hand carving of the head for my otter cane for the wedding is complete. The order was very last minute as I only saw his work for the first time last week. Usually he wouldn't take on an order at short notice, but he was very kind to take this on, and worked all through the weekend to complete it.

I created a mock up of the head with both brass and silver collars on a number of shanks, and then tested with the grey wedding suit that we're hiring.

In the end, the brass collar was the clear winner. The straight, shiny black cane will not be an option, but we've asked Mark to use the darkest shank that he has and it should work out really well.

I've requested the total height (from top of head to bottom of ferrule) to be 37.5 inches as this is the height of the umbrella that I most often use as a stick.


The next day, Mark sent through photos of the otter with brass collar mounted on the final stick. In the end, he made a special trip to his supplier to find this chestnut shank, and the finished stick just looks fantastic. The glue will dry over night, and then he will apply a final coat of varnish on Tuesday, before posting it out to us special delivery on Wednesday.

The cane should arrive by 1pm on Thursday, and I have to admit that I can't wait to see it!

I think Mark's work is incredible, and it is wonderful that the stick will be in our wedding photos. I'll enjoy the otter stick for many years and I hope that it will remain in the family for generations to come.

A walk in the countryside

Today we went for a walk up to the church at the top of Pinhoe village. We took our wedding rings and programmes to photograph in a natural setting.

The programmes

We had intended to print our own ceremony programmes, but having not managed to do much with our invitations we decided to leave it to the experts this time.

We chose a design from optimal print with maple leaves on:

The ceremony music

After much deliberation we've chosen to play the following pieces of music during the ceremony:

Jim Brickman - piano solos (Prelude)

Enya - Book of Days (Processional)

Dario Marianelli - music from the film Pride and Prejudice (Signing of the register)

Bach - Unaccompanied cello suite no. 1 (Recessional)

The readings

An Apache Blessing
(to be read by Jo Edwards)

Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there will be no loneliness,
for each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two persons,
but there is only one life before you.
May beauty surround you both in the
journey ahead and through all the years,
May happiness be your companion and
your days together be good and long upon the earth.

Treat yourselves and each other with respect, and
remind yourselves often of what brought you together.
Give the highest priority to the tenderness,
gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves.
When frustration, difficulties and fear assail your relationship,
as they threaten all relationships at one time or another,
remember to focus on what is right between you,
not only the part which seems wrong.
In this way, you can ride out the storms when
clouds hide the face of the sun in your lives – remembering that
even if you lose sight of it for a moment, the sun is still there.
And if each of you takes responsibility for the quality of your
life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

Blessing for a Marriage by James Dillet Freeman
(to be read by Clifford Elliott)

May your marriage bring you all the excitements a marriage should bring, and may life grant you also patience, tolerance, and understanding.
May you always need one another - not so much to fill your emptiness as to help you to know your fullness.
May you need one another, but not out of weakness.
May you want one another, but not out of lack.
May you entice, but not compel one another.
May you embrace, but not encircle one another.
May you succeed in all important ways with one another, and not fail in the little graces.
May you look for things to praise, often say, "I love you!" and take no notice of small faults.
If you have quarrels that push you apart, may both of you hope to have good sense enough to take the first step back.
May you enter into the mystery which is the awareness of one another's presence - no more physical than spiritual, warm and near when you are side by side, and warm and near when you are in separate rooms or even distant cities.
May you have happiness, and may you find it making one another happy.
May you have love, and may you find it loving one another.

The napkins

We bought ivory napkins from Linens Limited:

and then had them embroidered with an otter, our names and the date of our wedding by Willow Embroidery:

The napkins will be finished off with ribbon and raffia and with these luggage tag place cards:

The finished napkins:

All ready to go to Otterton Mill:

The Flowers

The flowers for the bride, bridesmaid, buttonholes and tables will be from Wiggly Wigglers.

We're also hoping to gett some hopbines from them to hang from the beams at Otterton Mill: