We got married.
We said i do In the church i was baptised in as a baby. I got slightly squiffy* beforehand as i was terrified of walking down the aisle. It worked wonders but i told everyone ( EVERYONE!) i was wearing no knickers. Poor underwear planning – don’t ask. *more socially acceptable way of saying pissed.
I also had a fear of bridal shops and netting so i didn’t set foot in a single one. I ordered two dresses online. Tried on the first and was dead pleased, tried on the second and it was even better. Job done.
We were bloody lucky with the weather. A crisp bright December’s day with a pink sunset.
One of the most important things for us was pictures on the beach, our favourite place to be. It was very, very cold (especially with no knickers) but worth it!
We had our reception in the beautiful Hotel Du Vin (and did actually invite some people too). Check out the wine glass chandelier – my kind of interior design :)
It was a big Christmasfest.
With a sub theme of rabbits (have i mentioned before i love rabbits? I do.)
Getting hitched with a toddler in tow had its err hitches! But we were lucky to have such an adorable best boy.
We did it all our way. With lots of cheese, there will always be lots of cheese.
And had all of our best friends and family around us.
A fantastic Jazz band played for our first dance ‘Let There Be Love’, to our last dance ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’. Don’t vomit all at once now.
I wouldn’t say it was perfect because things in life rarely are but is was real and according to the wise old Skin Horse that is all that really matters.
First Reading : An excerpt from The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”
“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”
“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.
“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”
“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
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P.S. I have a new book OUT NOW! You can nab it on Amazon here or in your lovely local bookshop :)
Aw! Such a beautiful wedding! I love Brighton, you are lucky that that is where you have always called home. I loved living there when I was a student back in the early 90s! I used to love the fact that the sea never looked the same any given day. We also got married with a toddler – JJ was just turned one when we tied the knot in Guildford.
Beautiful photos, I love the venue – it’s how a wedding should be. The idea of a cheese wedding cake made me smile xx
Oh my goodness what a beautiful day and what a gorgeous knicker less bride you were! Many many congratulations xxx
Ha ha thank you Emma xx
Fantastic photos and our first dance was Let There Be Love as well xxxx
Ah how funny! Well I guess it’s actually quite a popular choice but still high five, good choice! X
Gorgeous photos, your wedding looks beautiful. We’ve been married 4 years on Thursday and also got married in the church where I was christened.
I loved our winter wedding, and the snow started to fall as I was getting ready. Just perfect.
Me too! Ours was the first winter wedding I had been too, I loved it being all Christmassy and it being out if wedding season also made people more enthusiastic I think. Happy anniversary got Thursday xxx
I love, love, love this post! So love your photos and you were a beautiful, radiant bride (still are of course :) Was that really your first reading? I love it! I think I want to get married again so I can borrow your idea :))
Thanks Dean! It was indeed our first reading, my sister did it. I love it so much :) x
Love, love, love this. The top photo is particularly beautiful. I had a December wedding too – originally Dec 15 but changed to Dec 30. Winter is the perfect romantic backdrop.
It is! Funny I didn’t know anyone with a winter wedding but seems quite a popular choice in the blogging world! We loved it :) x
Happy Happy Anniversary – you looked stunning (regardless of the knicker situation) and your pictures are just beautiful!
Ahh thanks Carie :) x
oh wow happy 2nd anniversary to you both. what a beautiful knickerless bride you made and i love how unique your wedding was, with the cheese wedding cake and the reading from the Velverteen Rabbit is just gorgeous. what a lovely and romantic fuelled post x x
Thanks Jenny. It’s about as romantic as I get! And the cheese wedding cake was great :)
Beautiful! Happy anniversary x
Thank you so much! X
Beautiful! And you really had no kecks on? *applauds* xxx
Happy anniversary! We also read The Velveteen Rabbit at our wedding. It got all the aunties blubbing! Still sends a shiver down my spine when I read it, thanks for sharing.
Ahh good choice!! :) x
I love this, such a gorgeous day, and winter weddings rock! The Velveteen Rabbit is my favourite book of all time. You were a beautiful bride. x
Its the best book ever!! Thanks Katie x
Beautiful pictures. We got married on Brighton beach and it was also very windy!
Happy anniversary.
Oh did you?! we contemplated getting married in the band stand but was worried about it pissing it down!
You look incredible!! What a gorgeous wedding day!!
Oh thank you lovely :) x
No knickers?? You are very brave. I’d have told everyone too!
Your dress is gorgeous. Happy anniversary. xx
hee hee yes it’s true i’m afraid ;)
What a gorgeous day!
What a beautiful post, what beautiful pictures and a beautiful bride and groom (and mini page boy!) We got married with our then seven month old as guest of honour. I also bought my dress online, I was the opposite of a bridezilla with a baby to look after and four months to plan and have a wedding!! And as for your first reading, how perfect, it almost had me in tears, I used to love reading The Velveteen Rabbit, I’m off now to find it on Amazon as a stocking filler for my daughter, so thanks for the reminder! x
Thanks so much for your lovely comment :)) Glad you liked the reading and yes The Velveteen rabbit is simply amazing – we got a copy for all of the kids at the wedding! x
What a beautiful post – and a beautiful bride! Congratulations! All I Want For Christmas Is You – best Christmas song of all time (Mariah, obvs). x
Thanks Jess and i totally agree, gotta love Mariah! x
Looks bootiful x what an amazing wedding you had! Bet it feels like yesterday :)) x
Happy Anniversary!!! What a gorgeous (panty-less) bride you made. The pictures are amazing.What a happy day to remember. Hope you both had a chance to celebrate childless!!! ;) wink wink lol
What a beautiful bride! I love everything about your theme and decorations. What a special day. You both look truly happy :) Happy Anniversary and all the best for the years to come x
Oooh your nice I’ll keep you!! Thanks lovely xx
What stunning wedding photos and you looked so beautiful! That reading was on the shortlist for our wedding too (I’m a really bad wife and can’t quite remember if my friend read it or not on the day but neither can my husband now I’ve just asked him so we’re as bad as each other!) Happy anniversary! I wish my kids could have been at our wedding – that would have been so sweet, but instead we took the boys to the place we got married and got some photos there with them when they were about six months old. I love a good wedding! xx
Just having a catch up with my much neglected blog reader…… And WOW!!! Such a beautiful wedding! You made a stunning bride (knickers or not!) Happy – very belated – anniversary! x
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Oh Katie. I didn’t read blogs a year ago – I started reading them as my New Year’s resolution in January so I have just seen this for the first time – thanks for linking back :) I love it when your blog gets mushy – it doesn’t happen often but when it does it is AWESOME.
Your wedding looks perfect – and I laughed out loud at the rabbits. Your Little Man looks just like him too, you can totally tell that it’s him! Happy Anniversary again x
We had the same reading at our wedding!