Weddings

This weekend is our Stag/Hen Weekend. The men are off paintballing all day, and mine is a surprise, organised by my bridesmaids, up in London. I'm looking forward to an afternoon and evening out with some of my favourite girls, and knowing my bridesmaids it will be good fun and a good laugh and as far removed from any dodgy-ness as possible, which means I am excited and not filled with dread!

As we are at the point of the Stag/Hen Weekend our wedding really is very close now. We are both very excited, maybe a teeny bit stressed as we finish all the details, but definitely looking forward to married life, starting with a good celebration with our Lord, families, and closest friends.

I have blogged about a couple of weddings. We have now been to a further two, both this month, both very different, both equally beautiful in their own ways, and both reflective of the personalities and characters of the different couples. It is such a joy to know people can have a special day that they really enjoy. It is great that we have so many different friends and family members who all have different tastes, so no one wedding is the same.

The first wedding is I ever went to was when I was 3. I was one of the bridesmaids, and it was for my uncle. I remember having fun at the reception, being allowed to stay up way past my usual bedtime. I also loved my peach frilly puff-sleeved dress, ballet pumps, and circlet of peach roses that I wore on my head (my fashion tastes have generally improved since then, but it was the 80s!) All I remember about the wedding ceremony was being tired of standing for so long (which probably wasn't that long at all!) Later on we attended a couple of simple registry office weddings of my dad's work colleagues, which I was fairly bored at as well - I didn't have the greatest attention span! Then, when I was 12, my dad's cousin got married - they had a blessing in the church, and then the reception was held at Hampton Court Palace, in a special private function room. I remember it being wonderful fun - my cousins and I getting lost in the palace maze, a clown entertaining our special children's table, eating delicious food, and dancing the night away to a live jazz band, as well as telling my younger cousins ghost stories outside when it got dark!

But, it wasn't until I was 21, when I was invited to my first wedding independently of my parents, of a couple from church at university, that I really came to understand weddings and what marriage means,. This particular wedding was the day after the last day of university. It was swelteringly hot, and me and one of my very good friends made it into the church just before the bride was to walk down the aisle, thanks to having been caught by a level-crossing going down! The service was incredible, and it was the first time I had been to a wedding where I focused all my attention on the vows being said, the words of the address, the lyrics of the songs that were played and sung. From then on I have come to appreciate the ceremony of all of the weddings I have been to, be it church or civil ceremony. It is the symbol of the couple's love as they make their vows, the meaning of those vows, the celebration of their uniting and coming together. I am an old romantic, admittedly, but when you are close to someone, or they are part of your family (blood or otherwise), you're right there with them, rooting for them, and pledging your support for them.

I have nothing especially profound to say now, other than I LOVE weddings!