This weekend the Bear and I are celebrating our 28th wedding anniversary (yes, we were only 10 when we got married, tee hee hee).
Although nowhere near as momentous and exciting as our silver wedding a couple of years back, when we cruised the Mediterranean, we are still marking the occasion with a quiet weekend away. (We’re fortunate in that we got married on the May long weekend in Queensland, and usually have the Labour Day public holiday every year around the time of our anniversary.)
In the meantime here are 28 fun facts about our wedding, for your amusement 😉 …
Wedding Planning
- 1. We originally planned the wedding for 3pm but changed it to 11am when we discovered the vintage wedding cars we had our hearts set on, weren’t available at that time.
- 2. Our wedding date was set for a year to the day after we got engaged, to give us time to save up and pay for it.
- 3. I struggled over the wording of the invitations for months – because of my family situation I couldn’t use the traditional “Mr and Mrs X invite ….. to the wedding of their daughter …”
- 4. And, despite ordering said invitations with plenty of time to spare, they arrived from the printer late. So instead of being mailed out 6-8 weeks before, I had to rush to get them in the mail four weeks before the big day.
- 5. We had about 80 guests in total.
- 6. My mother and her partner refused to attend, because we had “dared” to invite my dad and his partner … in hindsight it’s probably just as well as she probably would have made a scene.
Bridal Preparations
- 7. My veil and tiara were the ones my sister wore to her wedding, three years earlier (and our youngest sister wore them for her wedding ten years later!).
- 8. I had my brows waxed for the first time ever, a week before my wedding.
- 9. I was so worried about having hay fever on the big day, that all the flowers were fake.
- 10. I bought my dress second hand through the Trading Post newspaper (anybody else remember that?!). Bargain!
- 11. My very talented mother-in-law made all the bridesmaids’ dresses.
- 12. She also made the cummerbunds and bow ties for the boys.
- 13. I gave each of my bridesmaids a pearl necklace to wear on the day.
- 14. During the wedding rehearsal, I was overcome by nervous excitement and couldn’t stop giggling. I don’t think the priest was very impressed!
- 15. I had to get up at 5am to be ready for the 11am ceremony – I teased my Bear that I must really love him to get up that early!
The Ceremony
- 16. Because my folks were divorced, I thought it would be simpler if I walked down the aisle by myself – but I don’t recommend it, it’s a good idea to have somebody to hang on to for support!
- 17. My sweet hubster thoughtfully hired red carpet for the church aisle as a surprise for me. So I really do know what it’s like to walk the red carpet!
- 18. Given the hubster’s upbringing, we had a full nuptial mass.
- 19. However as I was not a Catholic, I couldn’t actually partake of communion.
- 20. As we made our vows to each other, it was such a beautiful moment I had tears in my eyes (which I tried desperately to hold back – didn’t want to ruin my mascara!).
- 21. The priest forgot to say “you may now kiss the bride”. I was devastated!
The Reception
- 22. We had a three course lunch for our wedding reception – but I can’t remember what the entree was! The main was a simple roast dinner, followed by fruit salad for dessert.
- 23. For our bridal waltz (or should that be bridal shuffle, we don’t know how to waltz), we chose Billy Ocean’s “Suddenly”.
Hiccups
No wedding or major event is without it’s hiccups, here are a few of ours!
- 24. The gorgeous wine red fabric I wanted for the bridesmaids, was unavailable when it was time to actually purchase it, so I had to choose another colour. It was a toss up between purple, and a cerise (pinky/red). The cerise won!
- 25. We originally chose our photographer because they offered to quickly develop the film and present a slideshow of the wedding at the reception. Trouble is, they neglected to mention that it only applied to weddings near the Brisbane CBD and we got married out in the ‘burbs …
- 26. You can read more of my wedding regrets here.
And Now, 28 Years Later …
- 27. My tiny flower girl is now all grown up, married, with a child of her own!
- 28. I couldn’t wear that dress to a May wedding now, I’d overheat and get all sweaty. Not sure if it’s climate change or a middle aged thing …
And that’s where I’ll leave you for now, dear reader, as I need to pack and prepare for our romantic weekend away!
What stood out to you the most from my ramblings here?! Got any wedding memories you’d like to share?