Life | The wedding of the year, daaaahlings!

Hello,

Having got Rach's permission to post my photos of the wedding day, here we are.

Weddings are always lovely no matter how well you know both parties, but even more so when two of your best friends marry each other. Sometimes as a guest at a wedding you know one half of the married couple better than the other - usually the bride in my case - but having known Rach and JP for so long, it was doubly good. Over the years I've become close to Rach's mum and dad and consider them friends and jokingly consider them my adopted parents, even though they're only 10 years older than me. There are 16 years between Rach and I - I like to say she's mature for her age and I'm immature for mine. We meet somewhere in the middle. ;) I've also become friends with Rach's sister H and Rach's childhood bestie S over the months (the other bridesmaids) so it has thrown me into the midst of lots of great people. JP's parents are also wonderful, so it was a case of being amongst many friends.

I arrived at Rach's mum and dad's just after 8am of the wedding day. The other bridesmaids were there and we all got ready together after having a lovely breakfast made by Rach's dad. Rach's friend Carla did Rach's hair, plus all 3 of us bridesmaids and the mother of the bride. 5 different hair styles! She worked her socks off. Carla and I have also become friends as she's such a lovely woman. When Rach came down the stairs in her wedding dress I teared up as she looked so amazing. She did her own makeup (as well as helping out with everyone else's but mine - I was happy to do my own) and did a fantastic job of it.

Getting ready

We went to the church in a swish black Jaguar, and I felt very princessy getting out of it until I hit my head on the roof getting out then broke the embellishment off my shoe as I kinda stumbled out of the car door. I must win an award for the least gracious exit from a wedding car ever. :P I stuck the embellishment back on with someone's half chewed gum and it held up for the whole day. Yay for chewing gum! They say things go in threes, and a lady passed out halfway through the ceremony (low blood pressure, she was fine thankfully) topping off that comedy of errors.

The church ceremony was lovely, and the wedding was held in the church Rach's mum and dad got married in, as well as several other family members. The vicar taught the groom and best man RE at senior school, so it was a special ceremony in many ways.

Surprise, you're married!

Happy married face.

After the ceremony and photographs were over we crossed the road to the village pub, where a huge marquee was laid out in the field out back country style with miles of bunting (lovingly made by the mother of the groom), hessian table runners, wooden barrels and a rustic looking bar. We sat in the large beer garden surrounded by summer blossoms and clucking pub chickens as we ate canapes and drank Bellinis in the sunshine while they readied the main meal. That was no hardship at all. :)


We all had lunch and drinks, then the speeches which were all lovely and really funny. JP has had a lifelong fear of speaking in public but he did an amazing job and spoke really well. After that the dance floor opened, but having sprained my ankle the week before, this was the only wedding I've ever been to that I didn't dance at enough to cripple me for the next few days. I merely swayed a couple of times. Rach and JP's first song was Wherever You Will Go (this version), and then Rach danced with her dad, which was emotional for me as it reminded me I missed this bit out of my own wedding. Doofus! (Just another reason to renew our vows - I have several reasons so far so it needs to happen.)

About the third song in was Amazed by Lonestar (which was the song I was supposed to walk down the aisle to at my wedding, but I was so late I never did get to hear it, oops) so I got back from the loo in time to sway about like a loner to it on my own as James was taking the car back home and coming back in a cab with my dad and brother.

They all turned up at about 8.30pm. My mum and step dad were invited too, but they couldn't make it because of my step dad's chemo. There was a photo booth at the wedding which opened at 8pm, and I spent a lot of time in it or queuing for it. It was really popular all night and you got a copy of each photo as well as being able to download them from the company's website afterwards.

The cake was a behemoth and looked wonderful. Now that's what you call a wedding cake!!

Mother of the bride/view from the church/the cake/the marquee/bouquet toss

Tipsy bridesmaids/fellow Fibro sufferer & friend E/James/my family/first dance

Bride resplendent in petals/my fam/sunset

I could chat on forever about what a beautiful day it was, surrounded by great people in the loveliest of surroundings. You usually get at least one arsehole at every wedding, but every person I spoke to was happy and friendly. It wasn't a cliquey wedding at all.It was a gem of a day and I wish Rach and JP many, maaaaany years of wedded bliss.

What have been your favourite weddings to attend? Are you married yourself? What kind of wedding was it? Ours was budget and there are a LOT of things I'd do differently, and I hope to one day. :)

I've been to lots of weddings as most of my friends have settled down. The furthest wedding we travelled was in Sweden (James was best man), and we've been to a couple of cracking weddings up north that turned into lovely weekends away. I've been to a couple of beautiful civil ceremonies, too. Any time people get together to celebrate their love, I'm down for that.

Thanks for reading.
Leah xoxo

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