As I look forward to celebrating my 4th wedding anniversary (where does the time go!?!) it occurred to me that our wedding was a pretty good analogy for my life as a Champagne Hippy.

OK, so it was probably more champagne (or rather prosecco) than hippy* but the contradictions were certainly there:

Our rings were hand crafted to our specific brief (champagne) but they have a range of hammered finishes and contain small, smooth stones (hippy). Oh, but I do have two engagement rings (champagne); one with my birth stone – a ruby and one with his – an aquamarine (hippy)!

My wedding dress was bespoke, with a made to measure corset and floor length skirt (champagne) but the bodice was a deep red lace (hippy), which required two people to get me into (champagne).

My bouquet was commissioned to match the colours of my then signature scarf (champagne) but it had a messy un-structured look with maiden hair fern, senneccio grey foliage and trailing burgundy amaranths (fairly hippy).

The ceremony was held in central London, at The Lanesborough Hotel on Hyde Park Corner (very champagne), as was the wedding night, in an upgraded – thanks to my Platinum Amex – (very, very champagne) the reception was a non-seated, party focused celebration at a wine bar with delicious Lebanese finger-food from Noura (a little bit hippy) but it was in Belgravia (much more champagne).

Upgraded suite, Lanesborough Hotel

Personalised stationery, Lanesborough Hotel

And the honeymoon to Jordan…well, that was champagne all the way – from upgraded rooms at the Four Seasons in Amman to the sea-view suite at the Kempinski in Aqaba…and all the other hotels, chauffeur-driven transfers and private guides in between!!!

Junior Suite, Kempinski Aqaba

Movenpick Petra

Movenpick Dead Sea

Roof terrace, Four Seasons, Amman