Marriage of the Chief

The marriage of the Chief of the Clan, Andrew Patrick Clayhills MacThomas of Finegand, to Anneke Kornelia Susanna, only daughter of Mr. & Mrs. A. Kruyning-Van Hout, took place appropriately enough on St. Andrew’s Day. I think the Saint was smiling on them both as it started a bit dull and it had rained in the night, but by 11 a.m. it had brightened.

Nobody was late, all participants arrived on time at Chelsea Register Office, in London’s fashionable King’s Road. Anneke looked stunning, the picture of elegance in red and green paisley silk shirt, very fitted green velvet jacket, and a green silk full skirt. And perched on top, a delightful red felt cossack hat to complete the ensemble. The Chief wore his old MacThomas kilt and wildcat sporran. They made a striking pair.

There was a festive air in the marriage rooms, with red carpet, a twinkling Christmas tree and golden wreaths hung from the walls. The best man was Martin Brackenbury, a friend of over twenty years, and the bride’s witness at the simple civil ceremony was her elder brother, Bart. A large number of the bride’s family had travelled from the Netherlands for the occasion. Mrs. Kruyning-Van Hout wore a navy suit with a white blouse and a smart navy hat. On the Chief’s side, his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth MacThomas, wore a tailored tweed suit in a heather shade with toning velvet collar and a neat feathered hat and his sister, Miss Gillian MacThomas, was in a striking red dress with black trim, black velvet hat and muff.

Altogether there were twenty guests present for the ceremony, where all the menfolk were presented with a white carnation to adorn their buttonholes.

After the ceremony there was a champagne luncheon for the immediate family, which was the greatest fun, finishing in good time to allow one to catch one’s breath and change for the evening reception at 7.30 p.m.

The small size of the marriage rooms at the Register Office in Chelsea limited the number of guests at the actual wedding, but 150 friends and relatives were invited by Mr. & Mrs. Kruyning-Van Hout to a reception in the evening, held in elegant rooms of King’s College, Chelsea, followed by dinner and dancing.

The skirl of the bagpipes floated through the dry night air as the Chief’s piper, Dr. Nigel Malcolm-Smith, who was invited by the Bride’s parents to represent the Clan, welcomed the guests at the entrance. Mr. & Mrs. Kruyning- Van Hout, Mrs. Elizabeth MacThomas, and Andrew & Anneke received the guests at the top of the stairs.

Anneke wore an electric blue taffeta off-the-shoulder dress with a sequined top and ballet-length skirt. To complete the dazzling effect she wore bold ear- rings in clusters of white, pink and blue crystal that shimmered in the light.

The Bride’s mother, Mrs. Kruyning-Van Hout, wore a well cut drop-waisted golden brown silk dress with a quite breathtaking diamond choker. The Groom’s mother chose a navy silk ‘A’-line skirt with a toning multi-coloured silk blouse with a cowl neckline. The Groom and most of the men wore dinner jackets, with a few, including of course the piper, sporting the kilt to lend further colour to a glamorous occasion.

Guests were greeted with champagne on arrival in a happy family atmosphere, where many cousins and friends mingled, before sitting down at intimate tables of six to an excellent three-course dinner.

The traditional speeches that marked the occasion were a happy blend of the expected ribaldry, good-natured fun and genuine feeling. The first speech, the toast to the Bride, was proposed by her elder brother, Bart Kruyning on behalf of his father, who feared that he might be too overcome with emotion to do it himself. In true brotherly fashion he teased her about past boyfriends and childhood pranks. Then on to the Groom; the Chief made a quite short but witty speech, saying that no one had thought this day would come!  “My Mother had given up hope, my Sister was in despair, and the Clan has had words about the succession!” He thanked all for coming and especially Mr. & Mrs. Kruyning-Van Hout for the wonderful reception. He paid a warm tribute to his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth MacThomas, and presented bouquets of flowers to Mrs. Kruyning-Van Hout and his mother. Then it was on to the best man, Martin Brackenbury, whom Andrew had met in Italy while a student in the early 60’s. After reading out a few telegrams, including one from Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and his wife Sonia, and another from actress Elizabeth Taylor, he gave us a highly amusing resume of Andrew’s life from the time he won a Best of Baby contest in Edinburgh, through mishaps at school and into teenage life and the challenge of the fairer sex. Being over 40, he had had a longer run than most! and Martin Brackenbury told us that over the years he would get phone calls from Andrew saying “This is it”, but it never was; but when Martin met Anneke for the first time he realised that “This was indeed it”.

Once all the speeches were over the band struck up and the dancing began, and the party atmosphere bubbled through. The Bride and Groom left about 1 a.m. in a shower of rice and many a good wish for their future together.

It was disclosed later that the Chief and the new Lady Finegand had sped off to a suite in the Ritz before leaving London quietly the next day for a honeymoon in the country.

Gillian MacThomas & Anne Turnbull

Added 29/11/2010