Simply the Best

dita von teese - by georges antoni - for harper's bazaar, originally uploaded by fashion.inspiration.

My best friend is getting married. Not to the man that she spent twelve years with. Neither to the one that she spent the last three years with. No. She's marrying the man that she never stopped loving after she split up with him over sixteen years ago! I wasn't surprised. Just a few weeks into her new found singledom, she told me that they were in regular contact and that she was going to visit him in France for a week. She returned happy and confident that she would be moving there to be with him and after the second visit he had asked her to marry him. Mais, bien sur!

We spent an afternoon chatting in my kitchen about her plans to marry in Soho in London with an intimate party of family and close friends. She's wants to go for a forties/Dita Von Teese look-how marvellous-and she's hoping to pull together some of the wildly talented Soho characters that she's known over the last 20 years to sing and play some ad hoc tunes.

I asked her what I could do to help and she said -'You're my Best Woman-did I not tell you? No, I said-never mentioned it-but I'd be honoured-what do you want me to do. 'Well, she said, arrange it, style it, everything.' 'And a speech?' 'Oh, yes, please , I'd love that,' she said. No pressure, then. Truly, she's my closest friend of over 20 years, I am so very happy for her and proud to be playing a significant role in her day. I know it's going to be gloriously unconventional.

I am sharing this story because she knows how to be authentic. She feels no pressure to conform and no need to fulfil expectations. She will wear her favoured dark tones to marry in and there will be no bridesmaids, ushers, wedding cars, chair sashes, gift list but it will be rich in personality, spirit, intention and love. It will be a great celebration of the union of two people who have remained unsettled in their lives until their paths were able to cross again and all the usual wedding stuff, in this case is just surplus to requirement. I just know I'm going to cry!