Continuation

I've been ill this week with a stonking cold that Chris has generously shared with me. While he has been tucked up inside recovering and fighting the virus, I've been at work, so I should imagine that I will be hit with the full force this weekend. Fingers crossed that I will be fighting fit by Monday though!

I want to continue (in a way) my last post, as I don't think I am finished on the subject of the wedding or of marriage. It is really important to me that I don't forget the little things. Like having breakfast with my parents and brother in the Asda cafe on the Saturday morning, and the texts that Chris and I sent each other as the morning went by. The mad dash from the Travelodge to the Swan Hotel at 2pm when my hair was 1/3rd in rollers, 1/3rd pinned curls and 1/3rd still to be curled, leaving me booking into my room in jeans, a massive baggy black T of Chris's, unlaced boots and rollers.

My dress was very low cut at the back, and I had to be very careful what underwear I wore. This photo was taken at the shop I bought the dress at, and if you look carefully, you can catch a glimpse of my fucshia big pants at the bottom of my back. On the day, I had taken all my clothes off to put this dress on, and in the rush to get out the door, I never put my correct pants on. I got married without any knickers on! Brazen hussy. (I didn't tell Chris until after we were married, on the outside steps of the registry office while we were having photos taken.)

My friend Laura texted me on Tuesday morning, to ask me if married life was different to living in sin. It is. It feels, if that were possible, more permanent. Chris and I were already happy and committed and convinced that we would be and wanted to be together forever, but it still feels different.

I asked Chris if he felt different, and he said he felt like 'us' was now higher in his thoughts than 'me and you', that our future was now more in his hands. We both still want the same things, but somehow the perspective is different.

I am even happier than before. I'm not yet used to my married name, I can't sign without a lot of thought, I still answer the phone wrong and haven't got around to taking my dress to be cleaned. Most of my documents I have not even started to change, I haven't fully unpacked my suitcase, I'm working on my thank you notes and still reeling from the notes being 20p each and the stamps being 30p each, but despite all this, I FEEL married. Or maybe I just feel like a newlywed, and feeling married is yet to come?

Newlyweds

We did it, and it went with hardly a hitch!

I loved:
-seeing Allan filming the whole thing as I arrived at the registry office.
-standing just outside the marriage room, seeing my friend Liz just inside the door looking at my dress and smiling at me.
-walking in to see Chris for the first time that day, and smiling like mad at each other.
-grinning the whole way through the ceremony, and shaking from the nerves the whole time I was at the registry office.
-when the registrar asked Chris if he took me as his wife, and he answered 'yes' instead of 'I do'
-when we made our vows to each other, and I've never meant anything so much in my life.
-making each other laugh as we grafitti'd the fake register
-walking through town to the car to go and take photos, and standing on top of a concrete bollard while Chris used a public loo.
-Chris picking me up off the bollard and carrying me towards the car.
-taking photos in the woods on the way to the castle for photos, then clambering on the walls for more shots.
-arriving at the restaurant where everyone was waiting for us and enjoying each other's company.
-laughing and joking with all of our best friends and closest family.
-the Frustration tournament that seemed to happen between Laura, Lauren, Beki and Mike.
-cuddles with Conor, who was his usual curious self and behaved impeccably.
-the couple of hours after we got back to our hotel where we revelled in being married, and just enjoyed relaxing, discussing the day, opening cards and gifts, lounging around and drinking wine.
-waking up the next morning in our posh suite and going for breakfast.
-my veggie breakfast including baked beans, and Chris scraping them off as I held the plate, without us even having to discuss it.
-calling each other husband and wife.
-Chris being a lurgie monster on Monday, and realising while he slept that, actually, marriage had changed everything, and I love him even more now that we made that massive commitment to each other.