80 Saturday April 30 2022 | the times
Readers’ Lives
America. Andy grew up in Torquay
and met his best man playing for
Torbay Hockey Club.
He was excited by the
photographer’s idea for a drone to
film him arriving at Hedsor House in
his Aston Martin Vantage, along with
his groomsman in his Ferrari. Lise’s
instructions were clear: “I don’t want
it to be a car video with a little bit of
wedding in it.” The bridal suite was
open house for female guests.
Lise wore a pair of electric blue
Louboutin heels under her Pronovias
dress. She felt relaxed all morning
until walking into the ceremony on
the arm of her father in front of 50
guests. “I found it really stressful,” she
says. “Everyone is staring at you.”
Andy struggled not to cry. “It was an
unforgettable moment.”
The wedding breakfast, served at a
long banquet table, was followed by
the newlyweds’ first dance to Nicklas
Sahl’s New Eyes. They had heard him
perform at a company dinner in
Copenhagen and agreed on a slowsway that required no preparation.
Afterwards, Lise changed into a pair
of sparkly trainers.
The next morning, guests gathered
for breakfast and a dog walk. Lise and
Andy went skiing in Switzerland for
their honeymoon. A fortnight later,
they went skiing again, this time with
her parents as a thank you for their
help with the wedding.
“Not only is Andy my partner but
he is my friend who brings out my
best qualities while at the same time
making me cry with laughter,” says
Lise. “It’s still quite fun to refer to him
as my husband. It feels a bit like
impostor syndrome.”If you would like to feature a
wedding or engagement or the
birth of a child on these pages, call
020 7782 5583, Mon-Fri, to discuss
the content and cost, or email:
[email protected]
thetimes.co.uk/static/terms-and-conditionsAfter saying goodbye to her parents
on her first day at university, Lise
rallied her new flatmate to knock on
doors in their hall of residence and
make some introductions. They were
on the fourth floor and methodically
started at Flat 1a.
Andy answered the door. “I thought
she was very attractive,” he says. “And
very bubbly and outgoing. My initial
impression was, wow, university is
going to be fantastic if everyone is
this friendly.” He had been to
Australia on his gap year and grown
his hair long. “The men all loved it,”
she says. “The girls not so much.”
Lise and Andy were part of a
friendship group at Imperial College
London, where she studied zoology
and he was a chemistry student. After
graduating, they occasionally saw
each other socially. “We always had a
really good time together and he
made me laugh,” she says. “I do
remember thinking ‘oh good, he’s cut
his hair’.”
In 2015, Lise invited a friend from
university for supper at her house in
Maidenhead. He arrived with his
girlfriend and invited Andy to make it
a double date. Having known each
other for nine years, that evening was
a turning point. Within three months,
Andy had moved in. “It just felt right,”
he says.
He is a night owl and she is an early
riser. “If we are in the mood, we are
huge social butterflies,” she says. “If
we’re really not in the mood, we can
be hermits.” He admires her
intelligence. “She is committed to
anything she puts her mind to,” he
says.
Andy got Lise into cycling and they
have both completed triathlons. She
used to compete at showjumping until
a few years ago. In 2016, he took part
in the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon
in San Francisco.
They bought a house in a village
outside Maidenhead in 2016. Getting
their dog, a working cocker spaniel
called Indy (after Indiana Jones), felt
like a significant commitment for
Andy. “That was the proposal,” he says.
He struggled to choose an engagement
ring. Then Lise’s younger sister got
engaged, followed by her older brother.
“Andy dragged his feet,” she says.
He proposed after planning to
Marriages and engagements
‘We met on our first day of university’
arrange to meet friends at the end of a
local walk in May 2021. Lise wondered
why they weren’t taking the most
direct route. Then Andy went down on
one knee with a ring by a large oak
tree. Their friends were waiting for
them as it started to rain with a bottle
of English sparkling wine to celebrate.
They wanted guests to be able to
stay at their wedding venue and chose
a Friday in February to ensure
availability. Lise’s parents live in
Beaconsfield and she had driven past
Hedsor House, an impressive
Georgian mansion in
Buckinghamshire. Designed by Sir
William Chambers, who also
designed Somerset House, it was once
the home of George III’s mother and
is now a film location.
Lise had two bridesmaids: her sister
and a friend from Houston, Texas,
where she lived as a teenager. She was
born in France (her mother is
French). Her father’s work in oil
exploration took them to Australia,
Scotland, England, Brazil andLise and Andy were part of the same friendship group at Imperial College London. Nine years later, they got togetherNew readers
Kim was eager
for her first
pregnancy to be
smooth so did
10,000 steps
every day right
up until the day
of labour. But
when it turned
out that Helier
was positioned 180 degrees backwards
she was rushed to have a forceps
delivery. “It was a complicated
procedure which could only be
performed by the most skilled
surgeon,” Kim explains.
Before the pregnancy Kim and
Gareth attempted to climb Mount
Suilven in Scotland but were turned
back by bad weather. They hope
that Helier’s middle name might
instil in him the same love of the
outdoors and they would like to
master the mountain with Helier
some day. Kim’s family is from Jersey
and the name Helier, which means
“cheerful” in Latin, is a nod to the
capital of the island.Emily was,
unusually, born
exactly on her
due date. But the
build-up to the
labour wasn’t
straightforward;
Gemma broke
her foot a few
days before the
birth and had to wear a protective boot
to the hospital and for some time
afterwards. Alex, who is The Times’s
business correspondent, enjoyed the
opportunity to roll up his sleeves and
play a more prominent role at home
while Gemma was sofa-bound. Emily
is far more serene than her bubbly
older brother, Lawrie, who is, at four
and a half years old, already fiercely
protective over his gentle little sister.
Emily’s middle name Ffion is a nod
to Gemma’s Welsh roots. Since
Gemma’s cast has come off they have
enjoyed taking Emily around
National Trust sites and gardens. Alex
says: “Emily is a delight and we’re
enjoying watching her grow.”Lise Watkins, 34, an accounts
manager at Full Production,
which works with the entertainment
industry, and Andrew Biggs, 34,
group head of risk and liquidity at a
financial services company, were
married on February 11, 2022, at
Hedsor House, in Buckinghamshire
Emily Ffion Ralph was born on
September 21, 2021, at St Richard’s
Hospital in Chichester to Gemma, 41,
and Alex Ralph, 36Helier Suilven Willis Jones was born
on April 19, 2022, at the Royal United
Hospital in Bath to Kim Willis, 39,
and Gareth Iwan Jones, 40JOHN NASSARI PHOTOGRAPHYThe perfect gift
for new parents
‘She has her father’s eyes
and face shape but her
mother’s lips and nose’
Celebrate the arrival of
a newborn in Readers’
Lives, a service in
contracted tributesCall 020 7782 5583 or email
[email protected]50%
discount for
subscribersPIPPA SUZANNE DRACOTT WAS BORN ON MAY 28, 2020,
AT BROOMFIELD HOSPITAL IN CHELMSFORD, ESSEX,
TO CLAIRE, 30, AND GARY DRACOTT, 30