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Miss Reanna Strank, 25, and Mr Raich Niall Cameron Gilles Fraser, 24, will
marry in a civil ceremony on 07/07/07 at Kelso, in the heart of the Scottish
Borders. The bride grew up in Harlow, Essex, before studying at South Bank
University. Her intended lived in Kilburn until the age of 15, when fate
transported him to Reanna’s home town. The couple met in late 1999 at the
tender age of 17 across a “not very romantic” canteen table while working at
their local supermarket. Romance flourished in the wake of Valentine’s Day
2000 after machinations on the part of their colleagues. Raich is a delivery
driver for a tool-hire firm; Rea works for the NHS while training as a
biomedical scientist. After a spell in Watford, Raich has “made a return to
Harlow to live with the love of my life.” The honeymoon will be delayed
until the couple is feeling more flush, although both would relish
travelling before starting a family.
How did you meet?
RF: “We were introduced by a mutual friend at lunch while working in a large
supermarket. I could only mutter a sharp ‘Hi,’ as I got painfully shy around
any female I found faintly attractive. I’d seen Reanna walk past me earlier
that morning on the shop floor and I remember thinking she was the most
gorgeous girl I’d ever seen.”
RS: “I was working part-time at Sainsbury’s while I studied for my A-levels.
It was my first week, and a friend introduced us during our lunch break. I
remember he seemed very impressed that I could pronounce his name correctly.”
What were your first impressions? Instant infatuation or sexual-tension
spiced antipathy?
RF: “She was very cool and sophisticated for someone wearing a truly dreadful
Sainsbury’s uniform, and she had a lovely little laugh. I found myself
finding any excuse to wander past her checkout that afternoon just for a
quick glimpse.”
RS: “I noticed his height straight away, being tall myself. He seemed a little
mysterious, and I often pretended I didn’t know where things were in the
shop so I would have an excuse to talk to him.”
How would you describe your romantic history? In what ways does this
relationship buck the trend?
RF: “We’ve been through a lot both together and separately. We were partners
for two years from 17 years-old and engaged for one of those - which we both
realised was too young to settle down. After a four-year separation, through
which we supported each other unconditionally as best friends, we succumbed
to the inevitable and rekindled our relationship.”
RS: “It’s been a bumpy road, but we’re stronger because of it. Raich has
always been there for me, even when we were apart. We know each other inside
out, and even though there are sure to be more bumps in the road ahead, our
bond will help us overcome them.”
Details please: who asked whom?
RF: “I did the official asking. It was done while we were in Scotland hunting
for a location for our wedding, so it was never going to be a surprise. I
popped the question exactly a year before we were planning to get married so
as to make remembering all those anniversaries that little bit easier. I
parked our car on the bank of the River Tweed in the Borders and asked Rea
to marry me, with a gorgeous little arched bridge as a backdrop.”
Talk us through the big day.
RF: “Our big day is on 07/07/07 with a civil ceremony in the grounds of the Roxburghe
Hotel, Kelso. It will be a fairly small service with just 30 guests,
followed by a much larger reception a week later for the many friends
unfortunately missing out. I’ll be wearing a kilt for the first time, owing
to my father’s Scottish roots, so I have a vested interest in the weather
being warm.”
RS: “The wedding day is planned to be quite low key. We will have a piper
playing us in. Raich, his best man and my dad are wearing Fraser kilts. We
are having dinner in the conservatory, followed by drinks in the lounge. A
string quartet will also be there to keep the guests entertained. The
following weekend we are having a party in Harlow with 120 guests. We have
the usual party entertainment planned: including a DJ, karaoke, and a
projector to play videos and snap shots of the day for the guests who
couldn’t be there. It should be great fun.”
RF: “We each have a sister, both of whom will be bridesmaids, with Reanna’s
sister, Callie, arranging a few things including a Seventies-themed Hen
night. Hmmmn. Both sets of parents are providing an enormous amount of
financial support as well as arranging lots of little extras. Our mothers
have seemed very happy to help with our wedding, which has been a massive
relief as we’ve needed the assistance.”
Will the bride wear white, or is off-white less likely to provoke heckling?
RS: “My dress is ivory, and the bridesmaids are wearing green.”
RF: “Reanna has been rightly keeping me in the dark when it comes to her
dress. I’m finding myself getting more and more frustrated by my curiosity
about it though.”
What will the best man say to humiliate the groom?
RF: “My close friend Marcus Fearon will have plenty of embarrassing occasions
to recall if he can get over his very premature stage fright. He didn’t
sound too keen on having to speak in public when I informed him of his
duties, but I’m sure he’ll pull through. He’s a very colourful character.”
Who will wear the trousers in this marriage?
RF: “Neither of us on the day, which will be weird. Do knees get cold? I can
see our marriage being one big pair of pantaloons with both of us taking a
leg each - whether we both pull in the same direction all of the time
remains to be seen.”
RS: “One of the things I love about Raich is that he shares similar views on
what marriage should be like. Equality is important to us, and although we
both have strong personalities, we believe in discussing issues together
rather than making demands.”
What motto would best describe your union?
RF & RS: “Soul mates.”
How long do you give yourselves? a) Forever and a day? b) A bog-standard
11.6 years? c) A Britney-esque 55 hours?
RF: “My lifetime.”
RS: “I have no doubt I have found the person I was meant to be with forever.”
