Despite not posting much I am a serial lurker and thought I would write a quick report of ‘my day’. I thought it would be difficult to write but in fact it keeps pouring out and in fact may well spill into several posts ….. So are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.
A quick background
Me and Rob met in 1999 after a few too many drinks at a bar in Nottingham, to ensure we met again we exchanged numbers and jewellery, I awoke with a cheap metal ring and an even cheaper wooden bead necklace. He awoke with my rather expensive Tag Heuer watch and a white gold necklace. Why he didn’t run off into the sunset I will never know, but he called and we exchanged jewellery back, and from pretty much that moment I knew he was special.
The proposal
So fast forward nearly 12 years, we now live together in a house be bought together 10 Years earlier, and have a small zoo of animals together. We have been through some rocky patches but the good times have always outweighed the bad. We had spoken about getting engaged but just never got round to it.
Its Christmas day 2010 there is snow still on the ground following the coldest spell of winter I can remember. I was up early to go and do the horses and am wearing about 6 layers of clothing and probably looking as unattractive as I can. Rob insisted before we do anything we take the dog for a walk, I oblige not really understanding the urgency or why he is so twitchy but don’t question it. We walk up though the woods I think he has tripped and giggle as he is on one knee on the floor, I suddenly realise he is pulling a box from his pocket. He asks me to marry him, takes off several pairs of gloves I am wearing and puts the gorgeous ring he has chosen on my finger. Obviously as I am now writing a wedding report I say ‘Yes’ and probably like most brides to be I manage to produce about 6 wedding magazines in the space of a week and start desperately planning a huge lavish affair at a castle somewhere, involving riding my horse down the aisle, having the dog as a bridesmaid and the chinchilla as a ring bearer.
The start of the planning
We have a week or so off after Christmas and discuss dates and decide rather than setting a date then finding a venue, we will find a venue and then decide a date. We sit and talk about ‘ Our wedding ‘ and what we both want, and realise that in fact a large lavish affair isn’t what either of us want. Unlike a lot of brides to be the thought of being centre of attention and everyone looking at me fills me with terror, and we toy with the idea of going abroad with just closest family and friends.
Back at work new year 2011 and i show off my ring to anyone that even glances at it for a second, and realise how many friends we have that I would hate not to be able to celebrate our wedding day with, so heading abroad goes out the window, and we spend a couple of weekends driving looking at local venues just from the outside and find ‘the one.’I ring and arrange to go and have a meeting and we love the place, but are like a pair of plonkers when asked questions as we still haven’t got an idea of a date or how many people, or really anything other than the fact we want to get married. We come away with lots of decisions to make and an idea of prices. We have a vague idea we will get married spring/summer 2012 but looking at the venue price list quickly realise it is loads cheaper to get married ‘ out of season ‘ in fact the venue hire charge in November, December, January and Feb is less than half the price of the summer months. Quick discussion hubby to be doesn’t want it this side of Christmas, January is too soon after Christmas, so that left February. A quick call to the venue and they confirm they have one Saturday available and that is the 25th, a quick discussion with both sets of parents and date set, deposit paid on the only venue we actually had a meeting at and looked inside, we are getting married Saturday 25th Feb 2012, just over a year away.
Planning, planning and more planning
Having booked the venue, we started to make a few decisions, We didn’t want loads of people at the ceremony but we wanted to celebrate with everyone….. So the decision was a small intimate ceremony and wedding breakfast with the 2 of us and 19 of our closest family and friends. Then a larger evening do at the same venue with a real party atmosphere in the evening inviting another 100 or so friends, family and work colleagues.
So that was the venue and the guest list ticked off our ever extending list of to do.
Next was the dress, now as you don’t know me I probably best explain a few things, I am not a girly girl, I have horses and spend most of my life in jodphurs, fleeces and yard boots, and the thought of having to strip to my underwear in front of a stranger bought me out in a cold sweat, so I was absolutely dreading dress shopping. It was around the start of August after lots of pressure I headed dress shopping with my Mum we went to one shop and I faffed a bit, looked at some dresses and eventually gave in and tried on a few that were the best of a bad bunch, one of which looked ‘nice’. Now I knew I wasn’t a burst into tears this is the one sort of girl so was almost happy to go with ‘nice’. As an only daughter my Mum on the other hand would not let me. So sitting outside one shop I rang my Dad told him to get on the internet and find me numbers for dress shops near the one we were at. A few phone calls later and a quick trip home to pick the dog up and we headed to another shop. The shop specialised in uncollected orders and preloved dresses so what you tried on was what you bought. Tried a few on, again lots of ‘nice’ then from the second one particular dress went over my head I just knew it was the illusive one, no tears but lots of smiles and I am soooo pleased I didn’t stick with ‘nice’. The dress fitted almost perfectly, a quick haggle later and I had my perfect dress, and arranged a fitting for the end of January, with instructions I could afford to lose some weight but not to put any on.
So amidst sorting a dress, we chose a colour theme, I fancied Cadburys purple or cerise pink, Rob was having none of it and in the end we compromised and went with a bright turuoise, perfect for brightening up a dull and grey day in February. We also paid a deposit to the florist, booked a free pre wedding shoot with a potential photographer, and found a lovely local lady that made cupcakes who agreed to do us wedding cupcakes.
We also made some big decisions OH chose his best man and I decided I didn’t want big bridesmaids instead I wanted OH’s little nieces as flower girls. A quick trip with the kids to Debenhams and we realised buying flower girl dresses off the peg with out adjustments being needed wasn’t going to happen. My MIL to be jumped in and offered to make dresses for her gorgeous grand children, I snapped her hand off decided a style, decided I wanted them In turquoise and promptly left her to it.
