Back ground:
2009 in a field near Liverpool at a dance festival I met my now Husband. I was wearing a neon tutu, boots & a hoody and was rather drunk!
I was with my ex at the time so nothing happened he was just a cheeky chappy that I met and had a great weekend with my mate, him & his mates. Took his name so we could find each other on facebook. He lived in Essex I lived 132 miles away in Nottingham didn’t think I’d ever see him again.
Following year (we’d kept in contact via txt & fb) I had split from my ex & met up with him at the same field wearing a different neon tutu & spent the weekend with him dancing drinking and having an amazing time. This time we both felt something…nice bit of snogging to be done. So when we got home after the festival we decided to meet up again. He came up to Nottingham for a couple of weekends over the following months & then christmas came. fast forward to February 2011 and we decided we would give it a go as boyf & girlf and ‘see how the distance worked out’… fast forward to September 2011 and I came home on a Friday night when he’d come up early one weekend. I walked upstairs to find an engagement ring & champagne and strawberries. It wasn’t a surprise as I knew he had bought a ring but it was a surprise to be that day! November Booked the Wedding, December the big move from Essex to Nottingham.
Thursday (Day Before the wedding)
We woke up nice & early and had breakfast in bed with the OH.Was nice just having a bit of peace and quiet and not having to think about anything but was rather short lived as I had to go & pick up CBM for us to go and have our lashes done. This is a very new experience for me as I am not very girls when it comes to all the pampering side of being a girl but was nice and really loved my lashes.
We walked out of the salon to see a missed call from my mum. Nothing unusual there my mum rings a lot. I rang her straight back for her to tell me that my dad’s best friend & his wife weren’t going to be coming to the wedding because he had gout and couldn’t walk. Now, I am hard as nails usually …but I can cry at the drop of a hat. I had been told not 2 minutes before DO NOT GET YOUR LASHES WET….. PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT CRY! So I heavy breathed my way through this & rang two evening guests who luckily could come…panic over J
So went home, quick lunch (who ever said you don’t eat before you wedding hadn’t met me! My appetite never left!) then back out to have my nails done. Then got home & by this time my mumhad arrived. She was ironing the suits while I argued with the printer. The printer was not on this earth going to let me re-print the table of the people not coming. I was starting to lose my rag. With everyone. So rang the new comers said did they mind being mrs & mrs ABC rather than Mr X & Miss Y and he said “I probably would of looked at the table names rather than the plan”. Problem solved.AND BREATHE.
So we packed mums car up & we went down to the hotel. We were meeting Lee’s friends & family that had travelled up & my bridesmaids and I were going to set the room up. Didn’t take long to set the room up but was nice to have it how we wanted it and nice to see it before everyone else.
We went to the bar to meet the friends and family had a very rude encounter with the duty manager (complaint point 1) but had a nice hour meeting Lee’s grandparents for the first time & then a few drinks. All the BMs went home & then Mum and I said good bye to everyone and went to one of the BMs where we were staying the night. Don’t think it had hit home to me or Lee that we were getting married the next when Mum and I left because there was no big emotional good bye. Just “see ya in the morning. Be on time love you” cuddle kiss….gone.
So the night went quite quietly, the other Bms joined us for dinner & drinks. Mum had made little gift bags for everyone (bless her!!) and I gave my mum her present (matching jewellery to mine) and the girls their “day” bags (tote bags with sparkly transfers containing: mini bottle of champers, pashmina (which were VERY handy on the day as there was a chill in the air on the day), their jewellery for the day, tissues & a silver hand bag each. Had a bit of a cry on my mum saying I was a bit scared in case everything went wrong & OH has given up so much to be with me and I might not live up to his expectations…. Silly me L
We all went to bed about 11 but I didn’t get to sLeep until about 2am as couldn’t turn off so rather restless night for me….
Friday 15th… ITS NOT RAINING!!!!!
So I woke up at 6am & tried to sneak around. I am like a baby elephant so no sneaking was done. I peeked out the window and it wasn’t raining (it was meant to be thundering & lightening all day). My CBM who I was sharing a bed with woke up & said “oooeeeee its your wedding day” to which I jumped on her with a massive SQUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. I left her be for a while…. Peaked in on my mum on the sofa…who was then awake & cue second jump & SQUEEE!
The morning went nicely. The hairdresser was on time, we had a cup of tea and then a couple of glasses of champagne across the morning. OH had been telling everyone I would be plastered but the time I got to the aisle but I didn’t really fancy drinking too much. The nerves had started to kick in and I was very quiet for a lot of the morning but was loving the girls all getting ready. Also trying to keep busy & keep my clean freak CBMs house tidy so she didn’t fret while she was out so bumbled around while all the girls had their hair and make up. Mine was the easiest hair & make up so took next to no time.
Then we left (early) and got to the hotel for 11:50 (we could check in from 12). Got there & said… “we’re getting married today, we’re in the penthouse”. The lady behind the desk started writing a name on the slip for the door key…hang about…that’s not my name… “Oh, well then you’re not in the pent house. You’re in a double”.(Complaint point 2) This would not have been so bad but as we had me, my 3 bms, my mum & my dad getting dressed in the penthouse which had several rooms…. This was not going to work out in a double. I was getting rather inpatient due to the fact I knew oh would be arriving with in the next 15 minutes and I was still stood in the lobby so took the room…stomped up stairs…stomped back down stairs to get another room as well and started to get ready.
The photographer was due at 1 o’clock so plan was to get everyone else dressed, then mum & dad go down to the pub to meet the guests and Lee, photographer takes photos of me getting ready & the girls and then dad comes back to collect me. Mum & dad took the other room & I took dads presents down to him. He cried when I gave them to him which made mum & I both well up. It was nice to help him with his cuff links.
I left them be & went back to our room and then the flowers arrived… which were wrong. Lovely, but not right. My bouquet & the button holes were all correct, but the bridesmaids should have had a single colour of bouquet each (one pink, one orange & one yellow) but instead they had one flower of each colour…so like a wand of 3 flowers with pretty ribbons wrapped round. This was a bit too much for me to handle so I had a quick cry to get it all out my system (much to the annoyance of my cbm/mua!).
At this point all I wanted to do was get to Lee and cuddle him because I knew that would make it better. So instead I got my mum back. Good old mum cuddle helped lots. Then the photographers was here, I was in my dress & all ready to go (by 1:15 to get ready at 2!)) so loads of photos in the room of me & the girls. And then we were off…down in the lift met dad in the lobby (dad cried again) across the way & in.
The walk down the aisle was a total blur. After all the hoo har about worrying about music…I couldn’t tell you if it played or not. There was my man waiting for me. I said “Dad I think I’m going to cry…” He replied “Don’t cry” & promptly started crying..AGAIN!!! HELPFUL DADDIO!
Got to the table & gave my head a wobble! No more crying dammit. All the way through the vows & the reading I was calm as anything.. I didn’t cry, I didn’t wobble my words or anything (although my leg wouldn’t stop shaking but under my dress I don’t know if people noticed) whereas Oh was choked up & on the verge of tears all the way through bless him.
Then It was all done (the signing music was played…then stopped..then re-started..grrr) we went out side had a confetti shot, then trooped up to the castle for photos. We had them all in front of the band stand and it was nice and sunny. Had quite a few photos with different groups etc (nearly floored lee’s dads gf when I saw her reebok fit flops and her big shopping bag she had with her) and the traditional men pick the bride up…when the best man got a right good handful of my boob. Then all the guests trooped back down to the hotel and Lee & I went further up into the castle grounds for photos of just the two of us. Then the heavens opened. Its was a freak weather change from sunny to down pour freezing cold & a gale force wind so we had to run up the side of the castle & in the top, nearly losing my veil. We had some photos in the castle on the stairs, quick argument with a security guard and then an angel was sent… a friend of mine had run back up from the hotel with a massive umbrella for us & waited while we had photos to walk us back down. Bless him!
Got back to the hotel & had our fake cake cutting pics & there was everyones coats & things in the room…this was not right, we were meant to be the first to see it. When we got back to the hotel bar, everyone said they’d returned to the room & hadn’t been told the drinks were in the bar. I didn’t know this either (complaint point 3) and was disappointed that snotty idiot general manager from previous night was there & rude to us on arrival. Had a nice half an hour saying hello to everyone and the we were going into the reception room as Mr & Mrs. Dinner was loooovely. The wine was loveeely. The racist waitress was not lovely (complaint point 4) and was removed from the wedding. The speeches were short & most were sweet. My OH got so nervous he was sweating buckets & it was a total car crash. He just babbled through for a few minutes, wanged the gifts out & sat down. Luckily everyone laughed about it & toasted him for his speech. We cut the cake, and although I wasn’t going to make a speech felt the overwhelming need to so made a quick speech my self. Was a lovely couple of hours and then evening guests started arriving.
Was nice to have an influx of new people to hug & have a quick chat with. We didn’t have a massive wedding only 45 in the day & a further 20 (should have been 30 but people drop out- football was more important to some) so was a nice amount.
We had our first dance and I couldn’t help but cry. I was just in lee’s arms and it was all a bit over whelming the enormity of it all. Once we had finished our dance, I wanted to make sure my father daughter dance was as soon as. My dads not best health & I thought he might be flagging by now. He had his head in his hand on the table so I thought it best to hurry it along & get it over with. He didn’t know we were doing one so was a total surprise, but we got up there and danced to Don Mclean American pie….not slushy or traditional or anything but the song reminds me of my dad & we knew every word and my dad cried through most of it (honestly man pull your self together!). I thought it might have looked cringy & cheesy..but ya know what I don’t care even if it did. My dad loved it and it was nice to have a dance with him. Lee said he had to walk away because it was so emotional for him and he was welling up. One of my bridesmaids cried and everyone said it was just lovely & not cringy (although they could be lying for all I know!).
Then it was just dancing and merriment all night. The bacon cobs went down a storm! The flip flop basket only had 1 pair left at the end of the night. The freshen up basket came in helpful to me several times & lots of ladies commented on it. I think I put the guest book in the wrong place as it was near the flip flop basket on a separate table rather than near the card box. So there is one side of the room that didn’t sign it really.
We stayed until about 12 and by then I was so tired. We went back to the room I had a shower coz I was so hot from dancing and hugging, and although I was exhausted we were still wired form the day so we sat & opened all our cards and then zonked out!
Saturday had breakfast with some of lee’s family, & went home. We were meant to be out for dinner that night but we were so pooped still we snuggle dup and watched dvds in the horrible weather & got a takeaway. Sunday the sun came out & we went for our minimoon night away. We’d been upgraded to the honey moon quite & it was a lodge in the woods with an outdoor hot tub. It was an amazing night & was so lovely to be together and have no stresses or worries.
There were more than few bits to do with the hotel on the day that went wrong (only little niggles nothing to ruin the day but enough niggles to complain about, not just the points I highlighted here). I have since complained about this and now have a 2 night break in Cambridge booked with dinner & breakfast on both nights & a bottle of champagne. This has helped as I was starting to think bad things about my wedding day rather than all the nice parts.
It was a lovely day. I think I am a bad bride as it was a lovely day. I think the hype about the day builds up such an expectation that it can be a bit deflating as “the most amazing day of your life”. I had a great day & have some lovely memories from the day. I am now glad that I am a wife, and we can now focus on being together, in love & having money available to do the house up & go away & have nice times together to make even more amazing memories.
Thanks for reading J
