Ashley Shirlin (at Sibford 1969 ~ 74) and Amanda Brown (at Sibford 1972 ~ 78) were married on 16 June at The Guildhall in Poole with a number of old scholars present to celebrate their nuptials. Their marriage was featured in the weddings section of the September issue of The Dorset Magazine and we reproduce the article here with their kind permission.


The Second Time Around by Sophie Cass E


very wedding day is special, whatever your age and


whether or not it’s your first time walking down the aisle. Whether you are in your


twenties or your sixties, your wedding should be a special day to remember. From finding the wedding dress that is right for you to picking a theme, colour scheme and sorting the guest list, both older and younger brides have a multitude of elements to consider – but what additional challenges do older brides face, and how different is it to plan a wedding the second time around? We talked to recently married


57-year-old Amanda Shirlin-Brown from Dorset about her experience as a second-time bride. Amanda tied the knot on 16 June, 2018 at The Guildhall in Poole watched by 80 of the couple’s close friends and family. She and her now-husband,


60-year-old Ashley Shirlin, first met at school in the 1970s; after separating with their first partners, they began to see more of each other before moving in together in 2012. “We got engaged in Christmas


2017,” said Amanda, “and the wedding planning only took us a couple of weeks. The only


Old Scholars wedding reunion: Ashley and Amanda are pictured with Catherine Stokes (née Hunt), Pippa Lacey, Debbie Jenkins (née Price), Anita Sampson (née Brown), Chris Leo, Widge (Giovanna) Hammett, Simon Matthews, Martin Brown and Wendy Finch.


potentially stressful aspect was telling our respective children, but all three were happy about the event.” To add a personalised touch to her big day, Amanda designed her own wedding ring with the help of Westbourne-based jewellery designer, Emma Leonard. “Ashley ordered the diamond from the internet and it was delivered in the post. The rest of the jewellery I wore came from important people in my life, and Ashley wore a silk handkerchief that was my dad’s.” One of the most important elements for any bride is her dress. Amanda put in a lot of time researching style, colour and design of dress to try and find the right look for her. “I finally found a 1950s-inspired dress from Coast, and combined it with a vintage bag from Cornucopia in Bridport and pink suede sling back shoes from Tesco.” The day itself began with Amanda having her make-up done by Louise Godfrey from Loulabelle. “Both Ashley and I were dressed in Navy, while my best woman (and my cousin) Joanne Pierre wore navy and white. Ashley’s Malaysian relatives flew over to be with us, and his half-sister Rosnah did a reading during the ceremony to welcome me into their family. His daughter Maria did the other


The Sibford Rocket / 5


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