I am so sorry it has taken me so long to do this, once i finally found time to do it, i just couldnt seem to stop so it does go on for a bit but i have added plenty of flashes along the way to ease the pain!!
So.....
My last day of work was on the wed so we went for some drinks after and I got a big card and vouchers!
Thursday i woke slightly fussy headed but I had cookies to bake, a cake stand to collect
Friday
Packed up all the stuff that needed to be taken to the venue and I couldn’t find my hair slide anywhere! I know I must have put it somewhere safe but couldn’t for the life of me remember which safe place it was in! Luckily I have made it myself and still had bits left over so threw another one together! We had so much stuff to take that best man came with his daughter (one of my flower girls) to load up his car too! Got a message from OH’s sister to say that his family had all arrived safely from N.Ireland!
I got really excited on the way to the venue and even more so heading up the drive and once I saw the venue I was so giddy! (OH must have had second thoughts at this point!!) My God father and his wife we taking a stroll around the grounds as we pulled up, here we are arriving!
As we got out the car my mum pulled up too, we all went in for a cuppa and went through the details with the organiser, before I knew it my CBM had arrived and my brother and his wife so CBM and I made our excuses and went to collect the dresses!!
When we got there they were still steaming the veil but that was fine as we had 20 mins to sit and chill out a bit, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that again for a while!!
When we got back to the venue OH was heading down he drive, to collect his suit, and hoping that it would be ready as they had messed him around quite a bit and it was about 2 weeks late!
My other brother and his family had arrived and my mum and God father’s wife had started on the centre pieces. There was a whole load of stress in that room so the rest of us agreed to stay well away!!
my brother watching OH putting cake stant together! 
Stress central!
Our beauty therapist had turned up so she set up and CBM settled down for her manicure and pedicure! OH sister and husband arrived and there was a load of hussle and bussle again so I grabbed two glasses of wine and headed back up stairs to the ‘beauty room’. When everyone had had their nails done, it was time to get in our glad rags and head down for dinner.
It was lovely to have our very nearest and dearest there, as I wasn’t doing a speech on the big day, i got up at the beginning and thanked everyone for their help and for whatever roles they were doing on the day. We had a lovely meal and it was great to see our best friends and family getting on so well! The day before my eldest brother had called to ask if anyone was making a speech at the Friday dinner as he would like to say a few words. He got up at the end of the meal and mentioned how my 2 brothers will be giving me away and my God father doing a speech for me, because someone very important wasn’t going to be there and this would have been a millstone in a father daughter relationship. I won’t go on as I am welling up just thinking about it, needless to say a few of us were in floods of tears! He gave me a copy of his speech but I can’t quite bring myself to read it as i get a lump in my through just thinking about it! I’m really glad he did it, I didn’t want my dad forgotten on the day but i knew it would be emotional so I’m glad he did it the night b4! OH got up after and thanked him and said some lovely words and talked about when he first met my family (I come from a British military family, each of whom severed in N. Ireland, OH and family are N Irish!) it was so nice mum and I were worried he had used his speech for the next day! We had a run through of the ceremony and we all had another drink or 2 then decided to head to bed. OH was actually quite tipsy, we got to the top of the stairs and it was time to part and he got quite emotional!
my speach 
brother's speach 
me and OH high fiving after being congratulated for organising a great night!
a slightly tipsy run through!!
I was sharing a room with my mum, we got into bed and had a natter then I managed to drift off to sleep quite easily. I woke once in the night and thought I’d never get back to sleep, but I did..........
The Big Day!
I woke about 61m and knew there was no chance of getting back to sleep, I thought for going for a walk around the grounds while everyone else was still asleep but could bring myself to get out of bed, then I realised that mum was awake already too!
First dilemma of the day, id supplied my own nail varnish to have my manicure the day b4 and realised that the beauty therapist had accidently taken it with her so had to text my sil to see if I could use hers! But I felt calmer after mum discovered a lady bird on my veil and sad it was a sign of luck!
It was really weird being in my room, I could hear everyone out in the corridor heading down t o breakfast! Mum went for a potter around and to get some breakfast so I had some time by myself, she sent up a breakfast tray and my CBM came and joined me for breckie. My niece was in and out of the room from7:30 . other bmaid popped in to say that OH, BM and daughter are going to shopping centre so going with them! Bit peeved about that as she was meant to be there for me, not him!
Hairdresser called to say she had got a bit lost but once she found the venue she was still on time. My nice had her hair done first and CBM and i chilled out on the bed, it felt so calm and i asked if i should feel this calm, she told me not to complain and make the most of it!
When BM finally returned, i sent her to give OH his pressie and when she came back with one for me i realised why they had all gone shopping, to get my pressie! Got my hair done and LOVED it, we were watching My Best Friends Wedding while we got ready! Then started doing my make-up, kept getting stressed by CBM was a star!
My SIL was busy taking pics of us getting ready and of my dress and veil. My mum stared to get quite emotional especially when I got in my dress! The official TOG came up and got a few pics. My 2 flower girls came in and got in their dresses.
I could hear LOADS of voices down stairs and started to feel a bit nervous!
Got my veil on, looked in the mirror and thought, “my god i look like a bride”. Then it was time to go and see the registrar so brothers made sure coast was clear! And mum headed down.
I went back to the room and my brothers said it was 2pm so we can g down in a bit, i said that as we are all ready and it was 2pm, we should go down now!
As we got to the bottom of the stairs, the TOG stopped us to get some pics, there was a window at the top of the side door to the ceremony room so I could see some of my friends and gave them a wave! We all stood in place outside the door, then I heard the reg to ask everyone to stand for the arrival of the bride which made me feel very nervous!! We had to walk in and turn right to be at the end of the aisle and in that process my brother stood on my dress which made us laugh and feel calmer!
My bro told me to slow down walking up the aisle! I had planned to just look straight ahead and focus but i saw so many faces of friends and family and beamed and whispered loads of “ hi”’s!
Saw OH at the end but he didn’t look around until the last min! Later on he told me that he had been feeling a little nervous but at that moment when he turned around and saw me, suddenly everything was fine and he felt great and really happy!
When i got to the end, I found myself stood in the middle with OH stood over to one side so with my eyes i tried to tell him to come and stand next to me!!! Apparently the reg had told him to stand there and he was taking it literally! We held hands all through the ceremony and later one of his sisters said that we looked so happy stood there holding hands and swinging our arms! OH sister did a reading, Captain Corellie’s mandolin, her voice started to crack towards the end and it made me start to feel emotional! I got an itchy nose at one point so used OH’s shoulder to scratch it and he told e off for wiping my nose on his new suit!
WE said our vows which the Reg messed up slightly, I didn’t actually say any and we both said the “i know not any lawful impediment” bit twice! It is probably for the best as when OH said his vows, my chin was starting to wobble!
My Nephew did a reading, the Lovely Dinosaur by Edward Monkton which was brilliant, my knee was bouncing the whole way through! I couldn’t control it, i think i was nervous for him
When OH got to ‘Kiss the bride’ we got a really big cheer!
She asked us to check the licence but
didn’t read a thing, very shaky hand signing the reg!
Right, i need a break and Im sure you guys to so the 2nd half will be comming soon!!
