Ten whole years ago today,
after knowing him for just six months, I married the man of my dreams.
I've been reminiscing about what I was doing this time ten years ago, both yesterday evening and this morning. Yesterday evening I was remembering meeting our friends as they all arrived into town for the wedding, and then taking them out for the evening to get to know each other so that they would enjoy spending the following day in each other's company.
The night turned out a little differently than planned when my bridesmaids decided that as I hadn't had a hen night, I should have one then and there! Suffice to say, the evening which we had intended to be a quick drink and then home for an early night, turned into a very late night indeed!
Then this morning, I've been remembering getting ready at home, then dashing to the hairdressers to get my hair done, and then dashing home again to get into my handmade lilac silk skirt suit, ready to be taken to the Register Office in a white Rolls Royce with my lovely father.
Right now, 11 am on 17th March, back in 2001, we would have been arriving at the Register Office, having a few photos taken, and then entering the Register Office to see all our guests seated and waiting in the main room. And that's when the nerves hit! Excited nerves.
My father walked me down the aisle of the Register Office, with my bridesmaids, and gave me away. And then I stood before the Registrar, with Adrian, my knees shaking and my heart pounding, and I promised to love him "
until death do us part".
And then we were married! The Registrar said that Adrian could kiss his bride, and when he kissed me three times, she jokingly reminded him, "Just the once!" :o)
And then we had our photo taken signing the register ...
Can you see my fancy hairstyle? It took millions of pins to create all those curls!
And then after the wedding ceremony, we had some photos taken outside, then Adrian joined me in the white Rolls Royce to make our way to have some photos taken at a nearby park, including this one ...
Then we got back into the Rolls Royce to go to our Wedding Reception ...
Me and my bridesmaids, my sister and my friend
The incredibly beautiful cake my father made for me
The memories seem so real that I could almost touch them, and yet the actual event was ten whole years ago today. I can't believe it. And yet in another way, it seems almost like a dream.
I love looking back over my wedding photos, but they also frustrate me. Our photographer had a film camera, and we could only afford a certain number of shots, so there were no re-shoots when things didn't go perfectly the first time, and we could only afford one large (well, 8x10) print and a small (7x5) album afterwards.
In these days of digital photography, the photographer could have snapped a million and one photos of our special day and truly captured it on camera for us, and the thought of all those missed opportunities seriously frustrates me.
But I do treasure the photos I do have, because they remind me of the day I married the man of my dreams. :o)
We've had our ups and downs over the past ten years. The first year of our marriage was one of absolute wedded bliss, but 13 months after our wedding, at our 22 week scan, during our first pregnancy, CF entered our lives and shattered that bliss, leaving us terrified of what the future might hold.
From then on, our lives have been endlessly challenging, and our marriage faced up to the biggest challenges of all. But we did it. Despite the odds being stacked against us, and despite some
incredibly rocky times, we are still together, still in love, and still going strong.
And so, to celebrate that, to celebrate our
TINth wedding anniversary, we have got a very special weekend planned. I'll share the details (and photos, I'm sure!) afterwards, but for now, I'm signing off for the weekend to spend some quality time with my amazing husband.
I was hoping to leave you with a clip of 'our' songs, but every time I try and embed them in this post, it crashes my computer, so instead I'll leave you the link to them, and some of the lyrics.
I want to spend my lifetime loving you,
If that is all in life I ever do,
I will want nothing else to see me through,
If I can spend my lifetime loving you. I want to spend my lifetime loving you, by Tina Arena & Marc Anthony From this moment life has begun,From this moment you are the one,Right beside you is where I belong,From this moment on. I give my hand to you with all my heart,I can't wait to live my life with you,I can't wait to start,You and I will never be apart,My dreams came true because of you. From this moment as long as I live,I will love you I promise you this,There is nothing I wouldn't give,From this moment on. You're the reason I believe in love,And you're the answer to my prayers from up above,All we need is just the two of us,My dreams came true because of you. From This Moment, by Shania Twain 
I've been reminiscing about what I was doing this time ten years ago, both yesterday evening and this morning. Yesterday evening I was remembering meeting our friends as they all arrived into town for the wedding, and then taking them out for the evening to get to know each other so that they would enjoy spending the following day in each other's company.
The night turned out a little differently than planned when my bridesmaids decided that as I hadn't had a hen night, I should have one then and there! Suffice to say, the evening which we had intended to be a quick drink and then home for an early night, turned into a very late night indeed!
Then this morning, I've been remembering getting ready at home, then dashing to the hairdressers to get my hair done, and then dashing home again to get into my handmade lilac silk skirt suit, ready to be taken to the Register Office in a white Rolls Royce with my lovely father.
Right now, 11 am on 17th March, back in 2001, we would have been arriving at the Register Office, having a few photos taken, and then entering the Register Office to see all our guests seated and waiting in the main room. And that's when the nerves hit! Excited nerves.
My father walked me down the aisle of the Register Office, with my bridesmaids, and gave me away. And then I stood before the Registrar, with Adrian, my knees shaking and my heart pounding, and I promised to love him "until death do us part".
And then we were married! The Registrar said that Adrian could kiss his bride, and when he kissed me three times, she jokingly reminded him, "Just the once!" :o)
And then we had our photo taken signing the register ...
Can you see my fancy hairstyle? It took millions of pins to create all those curls!
And then after the wedding ceremony, we had some photos taken outside, then Adrian joined me in the white Rolls Royce to make our way to have some photos taken at a nearby park, including this one ...
Then we got back into the Rolls Royce to go to our Wedding Reception ...
Me and my bridesmaids, my sister and my friend
The incredibly beautiful cake my father made for me
The memories seem so real that I could almost touch them, and yet the actual event was ten whole years ago today. I can't believe it. And yet in another way, it seems almost like a dream.
I love looking back over my wedding photos, but they also frustrate me. Our photographer had a film camera, and we could only afford a certain number of shots, so there were no re-shoots when things didn't go perfectly the first time, and we could only afford one large (well, 8x10) print and a small (7x5) album afterwards.
In these days of digital photography, the photographer could have snapped a million and one photos of our special day and truly captured it on camera for us, and the thought of all those missed opportunities seriously frustrates me.
But I do treasure the photos I do have, because they remind me of the day I married the man of my dreams. :o)
We've had our ups and downs over the past ten years. The first year of our marriage was one of absolute wedded bliss, but 13 months after our wedding, at our 22 week scan, during our first pregnancy, CF entered our lives and shattered that bliss, leaving us terrified of what the future might hold.
From then on, our lives have been endlessly challenging, and our marriage faced up to the biggest challenges of all. But we did it. Despite the odds being stacked against us, and despite some incredibly rocky times, we are still together, still in love, and still going strong.
And so, to celebrate that, to celebrate our TINth wedding anniversary, we have got a very special weekend planned. I'll share the details (and photos, I'm sure!) afterwards, but for now, I'm signing off for the weekend to spend some quality time with my amazing husband.
I was hoping to leave you with a clip of 'our' songs, but every time I try and embed them in this post, it crashes my computer, so instead I'll leave you the link to them, and some of the lyrics.
I want to spend my lifetime loving you,
If that is all in life I ever do,
I will want nothing else to see me through,
If I can spend my lifetime loving you.
I want to spend my lifetime loving you, by Tina Arena & Marc Anthony
From this moment life has begun,
From this moment you are the one,
Right beside you is where I belong,
From this moment on.
I give my hand to you with all my heart,
I can't wait to live my life with you,
I can't wait to start,
You and I will never be apart,
My dreams came true because of you.
From this moment as long as I live,
I will love you I promise you this,
There is nothing I wouldn't give,
From this moment on.
You're the reason I believe in love,
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above,
All we need is just the two of us,
My dreams came true because of you.
From This Moment, by Shania Twain