Love was definitely in the air at St Breoke Church, Wadebridge, on Sunday 12 February, writes Revd Dom Whitting.

People of all ages gathered in the afternoon for a ‘Celebration of the Gift of Marriage’, just ahead of Valentine’s Day. Those attending ranged from a couple who will celebrate 65 years of marriage this year to a couple recently married.

Before the service began, the bells rang out and the organist played music often requested at weddings. The short service, which included popular wedding hymns and a humorous sketch entitled ‘Love is…’ based on 1 Corinthians 13, was followed by a short address and prayers.

The highlight of the event was the sketch; a performance that saw the congregation burst out in laughter. Was it the laughter of sympathy? Or was it rather the guilty laughter of recognition?!

The service was followed by canapés and a glass of fizz, plus an opportunity to mingle and to look over the display of wedding photos that had been brought in.

It was important to be reminded, on the eve of St Valentine’s Day, to celebrate the gift of marriage and, in particular, to celebrate the gift of love which – whether we are married, single, divorced or widowed – we all experience and value.