Claire's Wedding Diary….The Finale!

 

So, I’m back….and MARRIED!!!!!!

We had such a fantastic day – October 12^th really was the best day of our lives!
First of all I want to say a big thank you to everybody, past and present clients who have sent me such lovely cards and messages – it really was over-whelming.

Well, you all want to know how the big day went…but honestly…I can’t remember!!! Or at least I couldn’t until I’d seen the photographs and watched the video and then it all came rushing back to me!

The day flew by so quickly that I just didn’t have time to take it all in, despite telling myself that I should! I was so full of adrenalin that the day was, and in parts still is, a blur due to my memory loss! The day after I was very emotional and kept crying. Also, all I could remember the following day was the things that sometimes can happen, which is all part of the day, but shouldn’t happen such as both my husband and I not being served drinks or canapés by staff and feeling ignored by them, taking of my little bolero for some of the photos when in hindsight I should have left it on, not asking for certain photos that I wished we’d taken, the cake and evening buffet all going so quickly without Nicky & I having time to eat any of it!
One thing that does stick in my mind is walking down the aisle and feeling really tiny as everyone was standing, despite me being 5.7” tall, and seeing Nicky waiting for me with a big smile on his face….that made it all worth it!!!!
Of course, once I watched the video and saw the photographs more details came back to me even though all I kept saying whilst watching the DVD was “I don’t remember that!”. Now, I’m pleased to say, that I do remember the day in more detail and remember how I felt at certain times of the day.

So, the venue was the beautiful Horsley Towers in Leatherhead, the date was the 12^th October – a fantastically warm sunny day and one which many summer weddings would have been envious of!  I love the venue, I just think it’s so beautiful. Our guests were very impressed and all loved it too!

We travelled to Horsley Towers on Saturday 11^th October with a car full of stuff. Both really excited but a bit nervous however we were both singing Chapel of Love and giggling for most of the way!!!
Once we got to Horsley we unloaded the car, checked ourselves into our separate rooms, I hung my dress up straight away and then we headed straight to the pub to meet our family and friends who were all staying. Due to their being a wedding at HT we couldn’t walk around the grounds when we got there and we didn’t want to sit in the hotel bar even though the Management Suite, which is where we stayed, is separate to the Towers but only a short 2 minute walk across the grounds.

Meeting lots of our family and freinds in the pub for drinks was a great way to start the celebrations!
I decided that I wanted to spend my last night as Miss. Butler with my parents so later in the afternoon Nicky (my Husband!) & I said our goodbyes as we got back to the hotel and went to our own rooms. Everybody else who stayed over went back to the pub for dinner. My parents and I had dinner at the hotel before we went to the bar for a drink. A little later on everybody else, including my husband, all came back to the bar so unexpectedly we all had a drink together before I decided to head back to my room with our neice, who was one of our bridesmaids and who was staying with me for the night.

All in all I had around 3 hours sleep. I just kept thinking about the day ahead and feelings of excitement, nerves, worries etc all rushing around my head. I heard everyone else going back to their rooms, including Nicky who I’m happy to say had a reasonably early night!!!

So, eventually I got up at 6am! I found a card under my door which Nicky had slid under during the night (during the 3 hours whilst I was asleep!) so I sat and opened that which brought a tear to my eye!! I went downstairs to see who was around but there was no-one except the hotel staff!!! So I got myself a coffee and went and sat outside! It was a really misty, cold morning and starting to get light but it was lovely as it was so quiet. I went for a walk around the venue on my own which sounds really sad but it was lovely just to be on my own and think about the day ahead.
I knocked on my parents door as I could hear that they were up. My dad went to get me some breakfast and we sat in their room talking for a while before I went back to my room to get showered and wake my niece!

My friend and hairdresser knocked around 9.30am to start doing the first of our three bridesmaids’ hair. There was nothing I could do at this point so I just sat on the bed reading the hotel magazine and chatting. Then chaos started! People knocking on my door, people in and out of my room…all starting to drive me bonkers because there was nothing I could do and nowhere I could go as Nicky was at the Towers sorting stuff out so I didn’t want to go for a walk in case I bumped into him!

I had a call at 10.30am to say that Mel, my make up artist, had arrived and that my Towers suite was ready for me so I had to transfer my stuff to the Towers to get ready in the bigger room and also move our bags for the Sunday night.
I really wanted to get ready in the Towers as I wanted to walk down the lovely staircase. So 3 of our ushers, our 3 nephews, came and knocked at my room to tell me that Nicky was on his way back to his room so I could get ready to leave my room whilst Nicky was in his!!!! All very Private Eye!
Once I had the nod from the 3 ushers they helped to transfer my stuff to the Towers whilst I left Michelle to finish one of the bridesmaids hair before they joined me.

It was a beautiful bright, sunny and warm day so walking across the grounds was lovely. The colour of the trees was stunning and to be honest it was just nice to get outside for some fresh air after being stuck inside all morning!!!  I felt quite overwhelmed walking across with the three boys knowing that in a few hours I’ll be getting married.
On the way over I bumped into our photographer, a friend of mine Peter Prior, who was photographing the day for us.

Once in my room I could then relax and unpack my dress and all the other stuff that a bride needs! As I carefully positioned things – knowing that everything would get photographed – I started to get really excited knowing I was about to get ready for the biggest day of my life!!!

Once the hair and make up was done we all had a glass of champagne. I think the staff forgot about me as no-one came to see me so I called down for someone to bring my dad to my room. Once he saw me he couldn’t believe his eyes!!! His little girl all grown up and ready to marry the person she’s going to spend the rest of her life with!! It’s always one of my favourite parts of the wedding day when a father see’s his daughter ready for the first time and also when the groom see’s his bride walking towards him – two emotional parts of the day. So, as my dad knocked and the door opened I was ready for the floodgates – mine, not his – but I really didn’t want to cry because of my make up…and although I really wanted to I’m proud to say that I didn’t, once! I had a lump in my throat and watery eyes but concentrating so hard on having no tears – that was the order of the day for me. I had a good cry before I had the make up on but once it was done I was pretty good all day.

We made our way to the ceremony and as I stood outside waiting to walk down the aisle I remember feeling really nervous but excited and squeezing my dad’s elbow – which I did until he sat down – as I held onto his arm. As I entered the room to The Beatles ‘All you need is love’ after the bridesmaids I felt really small and looked at a few guests on the way down but I mostly looked at the floor until I knew I could probably see Nicky waiting for me which is when I looked up and saw him watching me walk towards him with a big smile on his face and a tear in his eye!! I really wanted to walk down elegantly and tall but I don’t think I did. I desperately tried not to cry, all throughout the ceremony, and guests say that all they could see was my shoulders going up and down as I laughed and smiled…but although I was laughing and smiling I was really trying not to cry because I knew if I did I wouldn’t stop, my make up would slide off, my nose would run and generally it would just get messy! SO each time I felt as though I’d cry I’d look at Nicky and smile. I kind of regret not crying and letting it all out but it would have just been messy! I remember feeling really nervous and hearing my toddler cousin making lots of noise, shouting ‘no’ as we put the wedding rings on – although I don’t think he was saying it to us!
We personalised our vows which was lovely and although emotional I still held it together despite a wobbly voice!

Ceremony over, we somehow raced down the aisle and made our way out to the sound of the ceiladh band that we’d hired. Nicky has Irish roots so it was a tribute to his late mum and dad. They were fantastic and played as we greeted our guests!! Guests enjoyed Pimms and canapés on the terrace in the warm October sunshine chatting whilst listening to our band. Some had caricatures drawn – which was Nicky’s surprise from me – whilst having photographs taken.

Mingling and group photographs over our guests then entered for dinner much to their amusement. For place names we had a framed photograph of each of our guests – some were not very flattering much to the amusement of others!
The dining hall looked great, we had chair covers which I think just give a perfect finish to any room plus the flowers looked absolutely stunning! We chose birds of paradise and willow for the tables with a mixture of mango calla lilies, orange gerberas and anthirium lilies for the top table – all flowers which we had in our bouquets and buttonholes.

The speeches were very emotional, my dad was emotional but held it together and although he had a speech written he decided to say it from the heart! Nicky and his best man and brother both paid a moving tribute to their parents who both would have been very proud and I’m sure were celebrating with us somewhere.

And so the evening celebrations began…it was brilliant!! Everyone dancing and having a great time until 4am the following morning!!!! Nicky and I, being the lightweights that we are, went to bed at 2.30am leaving a handful of people in the bar…until they were asked politely by the staff to go to bed.
A few hours later, and not having had much sleep, everyone met up for breakfast and talk about the day before everyone then made their own way home. Nicky and I had a final walk around the grounds before we left, said goodbye to the four geese who were standing by our car, and made our way home…this time as husband and wife, the new Mr. & Mrs. S!!! 

A few days after the wedding we enjoyed our ‘mini-moon’…few days in the Lake District and again were very spoilt with such lovely weather. A beautiful and picturesque part of the country, so relaxing and well needed!

We’re now looking forward to our belated honeymoon in March to New York and Las Vegas in March!! Can’t wait!

Memories and advice…

My memories from the day…not sleeping the night before, feeling quite stressed in the morning before I got ready, crying before getting ready, my mum dressing me, my mum and nan both looking fantastic, my dad seeing me for the first time, my dress looking like a disco ball when the sun reflected on it, holding on to my dad’s arm really tightly as we walked down the stairs and down the aisle, seeing Nicky watching me walk down the aisle, feeling overwhelmed during the ceremony but holding it together, walking down the aisle as husband and wife, seeing everybody looking fabulous, everyone telling us that everything looked fantastic, being announced into the dining hall as Mr. & Mrs. S and our guests cheering, dancing to our first dance, dancing all night, feeling the happiest the I’ve ever felt in my life!!

My advice – the day flies by so quickly, take a few minutes alone together just taking everything in whether it be just after the ceremony, whether you sneak off alone together for 10 minutes at some point or even whilst everyone has sat down for dinner before you both sit down. It’s nice to just be alone together and take it all in. It’s impossible to do this when everyone is around as everyone wants to see and speak to you – we didn’t talk to a few of our guests as the time flew by so if possible see everyone by going around the tables during dinner and make a point of speaking to each guest.
We didn’t take time out alone together because as soon as we came out of the ceremony room we were approached by someone and then started greeting our guests. We looked around during dinner but we really want to watch everyone take their seats from the gallery above the dining hall but we couldn’t. That’s my only regret from the day, we didn’t spend enough time together, alone because although we were together we had people with us – so just take 10/15 minutes out for you….everyone will still be there when you get back!
Finally, enjoy it!! Forget everyone else, you will almost certainly upset someone along the way (probably without realising it) but they’ll get over it. This is your day, the day you’ve planned, you’ve done it your way and now it’s here and it’ll be over tomorrow so just enjoy it.

Happy Planning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thank you for you reading!!! Hope you enjoyed it and found it useful if you are planning a wedding.

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