Do you take this man?

I think weddings have been a little bit of a theme this year.

Prior to 2013, I  hadn't been to a wedding for absolutely ages.  Possibly the last one I went to was that of Richard's sister Annabel, a winter themed event in a Cambridgeshire hotel in mid-February some  eight to ten years ago. Obviously all my contemporaries got married many years ago, and now I seem to be turning up at the wedding of some of their children. Not brilliant for the self-image.

 This year I've been to three, or four if you count the highly successful one that we filmed for "Him and Her" series 4 which has just finished its run on BBC 3.Great to watch, but hard work to make. In fact after the five weeks filming of those nuptials I've vowed that if I ever had to attend a wedding again it would be too soon.

Of course when I said that I hadn't figured about the possibility of attending a wedding in Thailand, which was what we have just spent the last ten days doing. Not just a wedding, but a week-long party, a hectic schedule with various social events designed to bring friends and family together so that by the time we all settled on our beautiful white rose strewn chairs by the beach at sunset on Thursday evening to watch the bride and groom make their vows, we were one big international family.

It was an incredibly moving occasion, and several West End producers present were moved to tears - and not because they had just been told how much it cost. There was an incredible honesty in the way the bride and groom took their vows and I think it made all of us present think deeply about our own relationships. Certainly as the tears streamed down my face and I thought of the pack of Kleenex tissues still lying on the bedside table in our hotel Villa, I took Mr Howle's hand and held it in mine. The bride and groom asked for no posting of photos on Facebook or on social media, and I'm going to respect that here in my blog by not saying everything that went on or giving away every little detail. Suffice it to say it was probably the most magical wedding I've ever been to; a little piece of heaven translated to a strand of golden beach  under a tropical setting sun.

The greatest thing about it was that the week was peppered with social events  designed to bring the whole of the wedding party together, and it certainly did that. From brunch parties in designer hotels, to bouncing about in the back of a cheap jeep on the sort of jungle safari that Thompson budget  travellers might recognise, we had a ball. Instead of a hectic run up to next week's festivities, Mr H and I had a lot of time together. Lying side-by-side on the sand reading, soaking in the hot tub on the deck of our villa, and even indulging in a game of beach volleyball, we scarcely had time to remember December.

I'm sure that next week will be all the better for it. Christmas preparations were made weeks ago, and with the exception of some last-minute presents bought in Thailand, everything is wrapped. We head north on Tuesday to spend 3 days in a country house hotel with my mother, and chill and eat and make merry. I'm sure there'll be a moment when both of us will look at each other and think "this time last week........" but should we do that, it will bring a smile to us both.

Marriage is a special thing. Now I know that weddings can be too.

 A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to you all.