The dress was designer, Dad was walking me down the aisle, and I was taking Alexander’s last name in less than an hour. If you’d have asked me how traditional I’d be on a scale of one to ten before I started wedding planning, I’d have said a two or a three. But when it came down to it I found huge comfort in the age-old traditions of a conventional wedding day and gave in to almost all of them without much of a fight. I wanted the ritual of it all, the history and the expectation. My only outward feminist declaration was that I was going to give a speech at dinner before anyone else. At my friend Jo’s wedding she’d tapped the microphone and said, ‘Good evening. Thanks for coming today. My gorgeous father and wonderful best man and new husband are going to give their speeches in a minute—’ (at this point everyone roared and cheered). ‘But I’ll be giving one first, because over my dead body am I letting a bunch of men speak for me.’ (At this point everyone roared and cheered even louder.)

I’d thought she was hilarious. I wanted to do the same.

‘Right then, Mrs Francis, are you ready?’ Dad said. ‘Oh god, Mrs Francis. You’re not going to be a Wiig anymore.’ He turned to Freddie. ‘Don’t you ever get married, okay? You’re the next generation Wiig. We need you to carry on the family name.’

Freddie rolled her eyes playfully. ‘Daaaaaad.’

‘I know, Fred, but you won’t understand how it feels until you have your own kids who grow up and stun you with the woman they’ve become. It’s very affecting.’

‘I’m still a Wiig right now,’ I soothed him, reaching out to lightly rub the top of his arm. ‘And even when I’m not, I’m still your daughter.’

‘With the added bonus of giving me a son-in-law.’

‘Exactly. You’re not losing anything – you’re gaining.’

Dad bent his arm at the elbow and invited me to take it. ‘Let’s get a vodka shot on the way out,’ he said. ‘I need to steady my nerves. They should have some sort of special guide for dads on their eldest’s wedding day. I feel all … jangled up. Nervous.’

‘Nervous for you, or for me?’ I asked.