Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:38a.m.
We did it! On Saturday 30 January 2010, I became a wife and scored myself a mighty fine husband.
All my fears were put to rest when the sun rose on Saturday morning setting the scene for the finest summer day Wellington has seen this season. Not a cloud in the sky and just a gentle breath of wind to keep the mercury down (a tad!).
I spent the better part of the day getting ready at Spa Horrobin & Hodge with my bridesmaids and mum. Such a perfect setting – gorgeous views, great food and a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere, (we had the entire spa to ourselves for the day). We arrived at 9 am and left some time before 2 pm – bliss!
We returned to our accommodation and after a good half hour trying to lace my dress up tightly enough, we were ready! Then it was time for the finishing touches including shoes, jewellery and lots of practicing of my vows. Having been a complete emotional mess trying to get through them the night before at the rehearsal, I needed to repeat repeat repeat so I had some chance of getting them out on the big day. My bridesmaids lent a hand with some helpful actions to jog my memory (it worked a treat by the way – I pictured them polishing furniture for 'I pledge this oath' and a rollercoaster arm motion for 'till the very end')
About 3.15 pm the wedding cars arrived and the butterflies started. A few family photos and our next time check was 3.25 pm. Too early to leave! A 3.34 pm we decided it was time to make the 30 second car trip to the ceremony location. Dad and I jumped into one car, the girls into another. Dad was brilliant at making small talk while I tried to hold the nerves (and tears) back. Before I knew it, the music had started, the girls were heading off down the aisle and I was next! Borderline tears, so plenty of deep breathing (similar to the technique I used while in labour actually) – it doesn't make for great photos but I got down the aisle and met hubby-to-be without shedding a tear. The ceremony whizzed by, with the hot sun looking down on us all.
After our official ceremony we had a short naming ceremony for our 18 month old son. He was plodding around doing his own thing (he didn't even recognise me all done up!) but gave everyone a huge grin when they applauded for him at the end.
A very long receiving line later and I'd lost count of the times my veil had been pulled out! We headed off to a few locations for our photoshoot, including plodding through a paddock of sheep and down at the beach with Kapiti Island in the background. Can't wait to get the professional photos back!
Only running 20 minutes late, we returned to our guests and were introduced as Mr and Mrs for the first time. Our MC did a great job keeping the evening going and our speeches were funny, friendly and didn't drag on at all. Plenty of banter was had, but nothing too cringe-worthy!
Before we knew it, the music for our first dance was starting. We'd managed a quick run through in private earlier in the evening, and decided some dress alterations were necessary! Thankfully I could detach my train and remove my veil, and resorted to tying a knot in the flowy front chiffon section of my dress! With bare feet we cha-cha'd to The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson, and didn't miss a beat. Our technique was far from perfect, but done with big grins on our faces and was met with plenty of applause from our very surprised guests.
We mixed and mingled and danced the night away, making the short walk back to the cottage just before midnight.
Our day was better than anything we could have imagined, and we'd do it all again in a heartbeat!
Here's a few snapshots from our day:
I'll be back next week with my last blog entry to complete my wedding journey!