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Good morning I’ve been enjoying the new �鶹�� series, Ultimate Wedding Planner and the unique ways that people choose to personalise their big day. This week saw the planners create a Wedding Festival with fairground games for the guests and a miniature goat as the ring bearer. I feel like I’m becoming a wedding expert. My Husband and I have been to a few this summer including for our nieces on both sides. Each ceremony has been special and different. Some had glorious sunshine, some required wellies! The Qur’an speaks about marriage and describes humans as being created from a single soul. From that, it says, come countless men and women. It also reminds us of the people around the bride and groom - at the heart of every wedding day is not just the couple getting married but also the families they're bringing together. So the Qu’ran asks “Be mindful of God and honour family ties.” My husband Nav and I got married 27 years ago and coming from two very different families, his Muslim with roots in Pakistan and mine not religious and mostly UK-based, we knew early on, how important it would be to make sure both sides remained part of our lives, and those of our children. I remember the Imam who did our vows talking about how the diversity within our families would bring with it challenges and joy. Although our backgrounds were different, we actually had a lot in common. We both grew up in the 70s, eating the same sweets, watching wrestling on the TV on a Saturday afternoon. Even so, I’m still not the person 8 year old Nav thought he’d end with up. He jokes that he can’t believe he ended up marrying the kind of girl he avoided back in primary school – one of those girls with ginger ponytails and a fluffy pencil case. For me, celebrating a wedding reminds me of the work I need to continue to do in my own marriage - and the ways I can keep uniting our wider families in our lives. After a recent ceremony, I was talking to the groom. With the big day nearly over, the plans realised, the pictures taken, we talked about the journey ahead, how you cope with problems together as a couple and how you navigate becoming part of a new bigger family too. I had to admit it’s not always easy. It has been a Summer of love and with another wedding coming up next month, I look forward to celebrating the future of two more people and reflecting on how their union will change the lives of the families around them.