Our Wedding - Part 1
This is part 1 of my wedding posts (part 2 is here, part 3 is here). As I started to write I realised I had wayyyy too much to say for one post, so I've split the day into 3 posts (4000 words!). I wanted to get as much down as possible to share with you guys (and for future me!) while it’s all still fresh in my mind, but I’m sure over time I’ll do more posts on the details of the day (I mean, let’s face it I have nothing better to do now!) when we get more of our “official” photos back. But for now enjoy a few of our amazing official photos (taken by the incredible Amy Louise Photography) and a few family snapshots.
If there was one thing I kept being told on the days leading up to our wedding, it was “it goes by in a blur.”
And obviously I hated hearing this! I spent 16 months planning this day and I wanted to enjoy it!
Fortunately for us, it didn’t go by in a blur at all.
I woke up early, which I had to as hair and makeup were arriving at 7am. I woke my parents (who are normally super early risers!) up jumping on the bed like it was Christmas, shouting “I’m getting married today!”. I had a cup of tea with my Dad (who at this point, was not crying, more on this later) and text Phil who had been up even longer than me.
Another thing I heard and worried about was it not feeling real, but from the moment I heard my bridesmaids arrive downstairs, it was completely real to me. It was my wedding day!
You probably already know this, but I am the least chill person ever, so it was a surprise to everyone, especially me!, how relaxed I was on the morning of my wedding. I was just walking around, taking everything in. I knew that there was nothing I could do at this point to change anything and that I’d planned everything I could, so now I had to enjoy it.
Phil and I had agreed at embargo where we couldn’t text after 7.30am. Luckily, he opened his present before we had to stop so I was thrilled he loved his Fossil watch which I also had engraved with our names and the date. Then I sent a “see you in church!” text and that was it!
Because my makeup was being done last, I spent the morning making tea and coffee and snacks for the bridesmaids and hair and makeup ladies! It was so nice to get ready with everyone and see their hair and makeup one by one.
While we were getting ready, flowers arrived for The Mother of the Bride from my Mum’s friends, and soon after surprise balloons and banners for the house arrived too!
Then it got super real when the flowers came! Funnily enough, we almost forgot them! I had my bouquet, the bridesmaids’ bouquets, and corsages for my Mum, Dad and Nan delivered to my parents’ house where I was getting ready and we were told to keep them somewhere cool so we kept them in the porch. It was only when the bridesmaids were leaving and my maid of honour said “are our flowers at the church?” that I realised we hadn’t given them out!
(More on flowers later, or another post if this gets too long!).
We decided to “film our own” wedding with Friends Film It, as we wanted a relaxed video of the day that felt real and like us, so during the morning I did some filming and my bridesmaids helped me out with some filming in the morning.
Before I had my hair and makeup done, I opened my card and presents from Phil. My card was beautiful and I’ve reread it so many times (the front says “It would have been cheaper to elope” haha) and I got the best presents! Phil got me a Liverpool shirt with “Cantillon 19” on the back which I completely love and, coincidentally, a navy and gold watch – very similar to the one I had bought for him! My sister-in-law Suzie told me after she’d been involved in the choosing of them both, and we’d both sent her a photo when we’d bought them within minutes of each other!
Once everyone (well, not me!) had had a bacon butty, it was time for my hair and makeup.
I had my hair and makeup trials in January so I knew what I was going to have on the day, but it was super exciting to see it all come together. I went for a gold smokey eye and a neutral lip, and my hair curled (of course) and half up, half down to flatter the neckline of the dress.
All morning had been super chill and suddenly I made the mistake of checking the hairdresser’s phone for the time and arghhhhh, it was 12pm! I should have been in my dress by now!
While the last of the bridesmaids had their hair and makeup finished, I rushed upstairs with my Mum and maid of honour to get into my dress.
My dress was the most beautiful Mora Lee princess dress, but it did come with a LOT of tiny buttons down the back! I’d had loads of fittings (more on this later!) but we weren’t able to try doing all the buttons up before the day as the buttons would stretch out. All I could do was stand there and breathe in while my Mum, Maid of Honour and in the end, photographer, tried to fasten me in, all the while trying to stay calm and not worry about being late!
Fortunately, I’d given everything plenty of time in the morning, with the bus for the bridesmaids and my Mum coming at 12.20pm and the car for my Dad and I coming at 12.30pm with the church only 10 minutes away we didn’t need to panic!
Eventually, my dress was on, my shoes were on, my jewellery was on (and my perfume was not on, one thing that I forgot which has been driving me mad ever since), Amy, my photographer, cleared the room so I could have a first look with my Dad.
It’s been an on-going joke in my family about how much my Dad would cry at my wedding, and it’s not even been a joke. I think we’d both already cried in the morning but as soon as he came into the room and saw me in my dress his face completely crumpled. It was such a lovely moment just the two of us, and one of my favourite memories of the day.
Then, while my Mum was quickly throwing on her dress and hat, we did a first look with my bridesmaids. I’d tried to ensure that only my Mum and Maid of Honour had seen my dress – even my bridesmaids didn’t know any details, so it was so nice to show them my dress for the first time, and see them all dressed up in their bridesmaids dresses!
And then it was time to go! I could see the vintage routemaster bus outside ready to take my Mum and bridesmaids which looked amazing, and the vintage car for my Dad and I was waiting outside too. My Dad dropped off a crate of beer and bottles of prosecco on the bus for after the ceremony, my Maid of Honour grabbed the flowers out of the porch and handed me my bouquet and they were off!
When I came outside all my parents’ neighbours were out to see me with cameras and it was like being a celebrity! The day was light and bright and I was so happy that it was my wedding day, I couldn’t stop grinning.
And then it was time to head to the church!
Those vintage cars look nice but when you are wearing a huge dress there is no elegant way to get in, so you kind of have to bundle in in a very unladylike way! There was just enough room for my Dad next to me! It was such a lovely ride with my Dad in the car and I’m pretty sure we both cried.
As we arrived at the church we were actually a bit early and beat the bus, so we ended up going around the block so I didn’t arrive too early! Once we’d gone around the block I could see people waiting outside and one of Phil’s best men waiting outside the church, and then it felt completely real! (I did ask him too “Phil is here right?” haha)
I bundled back out of the car with help from my Dad and then walked up into the church...
Read Part 2
If there was one thing I kept being told on the days leading up to our wedding, it was “it goes by in a blur.”
And obviously I hated hearing this! I spent 16 months planning this day and I wanted to enjoy it!
Fortunately for us, it didn’t go by in a blur at all.
I woke up early, which I had to as hair and makeup were arriving at 7am. I woke my parents (who are normally super early risers!) up jumping on the bed like it was Christmas, shouting “I’m getting married today!”. I had a cup of tea with my Dad (who at this point, was not crying, more on this later) and text Phil who had been up even longer than me.
Another thing I heard and worried about was it not feeling real, but from the moment I heard my bridesmaids arrive downstairs, it was completely real to me. It was my wedding day!
Because my makeup was being done last, I spent the morning making tea and coffee and snacks for the bridesmaids and hair and makeup ladies! It was so nice to get ready with everyone and see their hair and makeup one by one.
While we were getting ready, flowers arrived for The Mother of the Bride from my Mum’s friends, and soon after surprise balloons and banners for the house arrived too!
Then it got super real when the flowers came! Funnily enough, we almost forgot them! I had my bouquet, the bridesmaids’ bouquets, and corsages for my Mum, Dad and Nan delivered to my parents’ house where I was getting ready and we were told to keep them somewhere cool so we kept them in the porch. It was only when the bridesmaids were leaving and my maid of honour said “are our flowers at the church?” that I realised we hadn’t given them out!
(More on flowers later, or another post if this gets too long!).
We decided to “film our own” wedding with Friends Film It, as we wanted a relaxed video of the day that felt real and like us, so during the morning I did some filming and my bridesmaids helped me out with some filming in the morning.
Before I had my hair and makeup done, I opened my card and presents from Phil. My card was beautiful and I’ve reread it so many times (the front says “It would have been cheaper to elope” haha) and I got the best presents! Phil got me a Liverpool shirt with “Cantillon 19” on the back which I completely love and, coincidentally, a navy and gold watch – very similar to the one I had bought for him! My sister-in-law Suzie told me after she’d been involved in the choosing of them both, and we’d both sent her a photo when we’d bought them within minutes of each other!
I had my hair and makeup trials in January so I knew what I was going to have on the day, but it was super exciting to see it all come together. I went for a gold smokey eye and a neutral lip, and my hair curled (of course) and half up, half down to flatter the neckline of the dress.
While the last of the bridesmaids had their hair and makeup finished, I rushed upstairs with my Mum and maid of honour to get into my dress.
Eventually, my dress was on, my shoes were on, my jewellery was on (and my perfume was not on, one thing that I forgot which has been driving me mad ever since), Amy, my photographer, cleared the room so I could have a first look with my Dad.
And then it was time to go! I could see the vintage routemaster bus outside ready to take my Mum and bridesmaids which looked amazing, and the vintage car for my Dad and I was waiting outside too. My Dad dropped off a crate of beer and bottles of prosecco on the bus for after the ceremony, my Maid of Honour grabbed the flowers out of the porch and handed me my bouquet and they were off!
When I came outside all my parents’ neighbours were out to see me with cameras and it was like being a celebrity! The day was light and bright and I was so happy that it was my wedding day, I couldn’t stop grinning.
And then it was time to head to the church!
Those vintage cars look nice but when you are wearing a huge dress there is no elegant way to get in, so you kind of have to bundle in in a very unladylike way! There was just enough room for my Dad next to me! It was such a lovely ride with my Dad in the car and I’m pretty sure we both cried.
I bundled back out of the car with help from my Dad and then walked up into the church...
Read Part 2
Comments
Post a Comment