Part II
Questions 8-12
You are going to read an article about a couple who recently got married.
The article is divided into 6 paragraphs.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list A – G.
There is one extra heading which you do not need to use.
There is an example at the beginning (0).
A Unconventional plans
B Traditional exchanging of services
C They had a ball!
D Green tendencies set the tone
E Home catering is always better
F The bride and groom looked great!
G Cheap weddings are possible
How to Have a Budget Wedding
0 G.
One bride and groom has managed to add new meaning to the word ‘budget’ by getting
married for just £1. This is a fraction of the £20,000 average cost of a wedding in the
UK. Georgina Porteous, 36, who married Sid Innes, said: "I don’t see the point in these
massive weddings. It takes away from what marriage is truly about." They had rings,
flowers, a cake and a photographer, and managed it with a combination of donations,
recycling old clothes and serving homemade food. They also hosted a reception with a
picnic, drinks, jazz music and dancing at a romantic setting in the Scottish Highlands.
Apart from the £70 they had to pay by law for their marriage fees, their only
expenditure was a pound on Georgina's vintage wedding gown. She added: "There is
nothing to gain from spending a huge amount of money. The day is supposed to be
about marrying the person you love and for us all that mattered was that we were
becoming husband and wife.
8.
Georgina, an artist, met singer-songwriter Sid, 39, at an art fair in Glasgow in 2009 and
immediately said 'yes' when he proposed in Berlin last year. Georgina said: "From day
one of the engagement we knew we wanted a small and cheap wedding, it was a natural
thing for us because we are so invested in recycling and self-sustainability. The couple,
who live near Inverness, started planning their big day but as they are both dedicated to
recycling and self-sufficiency, they vowed to keep their nuptials as simple as possible.
The only expense they could not avoid was the statutory £70 for the fees required to
marry, but everything else was donated or sourced for free.
9.
"We were really excited about organising it all. We have always been a bit alternative
and arty so I enjoyed doing something a little different from everyone else’s weddings.
We wanted to make sure we didn’t fall into the traps of “traditional weddings” where
everything costs a fortune with hundreds of guests”. So the couple decided to make it a
small affair in a barn behind their idyllic cottage, and decorate it with solar lanterns,
locally grown flowers and hay bales donated from farmers.
10.
Georgina was stunning in a 1960s hand-made floor-length ivory wedding gown with
embroidered sleeves. She found the dress the website ‘Freecycle’, an online community
where people can swap unwanted items, and it cost her pound - their only expenditure
on the day itself. Sid opted for a stylish tweed suit he had bought years ago from Marks
and Spencer. Georgina's mum Susanne, a church reader, conducted the ceremony in
front of 70 guests. The couple exchanged wedding rings hand-crafted by Georgina using
antlers she found in their garden.
11.
They were officially pronounced man and wife by local reverend Peter Donald, who had
offered to marry them for free so the guests had a whip-round to make donations to the
church. An official wedding photographer was on hand to capture the occasion after
Georgina, also a freelance film editor, offered to work for him in return. Each guest had
been asked to bring food and drink, so they tucked into home-made quiches, sausage
rolls, boiled potatoes, fresh bread and salad. Georgina's aunt had baked a three-tier
chocolate orange wedding cake infused with Lady Grey tea, with the couple's initials
intertwined on top for decoration.
12.
After the wedding picnic, everyone partied the night away, as Georgina’s talented
father, Harry, played some 1940s jazz on his saxophone. Georgina added: "We had so
much fun and it was exciting to see what dish everyone had brought .We all sat around
after the ceremony and had a little picnic, it was great and all the food was gone by the
end so we didn’t waste any of it. There was quite a relaxed atmosphere and everyone
was chatting to one another, and then when it got later everyone was enjoying the music
and joining in with all the dances. We had a whale of a time. The day went beautifully.
It was really family-focused and emotional. Lots of people said it was the best wedding
they have ever been to."