I AM going to a wedding this weekend and I cannot wait. I love everything about them.
3
Some people think they are a lot of fuss for just one day, but I like to absorb every moment of the day – and for this big day I can just be me as the kids are staying at home.
As a nation we are not particularly good at saying out loud how we feel about each other, especially in front of other people (not that I want huge public declarations 24/7 as I would die of embarrassment).
But at a wedding, it is a real privilege to witness someone standing up and being honest about the person they love, in front of their family and friends, without someone taking the mickey.
As an adult, our lives are filled with responsibilities and uncertainties, and a day focused on joy is a rare find.
But at a wedding, people laugh, dance and speak to complete strangers that are all united in one common theme – their love for these two people.
Even on a basic, less sentimental level, to get dressed up and put your glad rags on is a pleasure in itself.
You see other couples, both old and new, look at each other in a different way on a day of somebody’s nuptials.
3
When Mark and I are at a wedding I think back to ours – to how I felt, how he smiled at me and how much I loved all our friends being there.
For a second the fact that his wet cycling shoes smell like cat’s wee doesn’t matter and the fact that I watch trashy TV doesn’t annoy him. It’s just us remembering why we put up with each other’s flaws. Love.
Also let’s not forget the important stuff, like whose relative is going to get drunk and make a complete fool of themselves and which unlikely romances will form on the live edition of Blind Date that is the dance floor.
I still laugh out loud at the stories from our wedding – I can’t share them all or I’d have no friends left.
But there was plenty of romance blossoming in unlikely places and of course at least one full-on barney.
Children were invited too and we set up entertainment for them. But even without that, between dancing, a slidey floor and so many people, weddings aren’t as much of a no-go as you might think for youngsters.
Statistics show that marriage rates are in decline, but for me you can only do what makes you happy at the time and if you fully believe in your love then go for it, celebrate it and share it.
I wasn’t that girl who grew up dreaming of her wedding. I hated wedding dress shopping and didn’t want to spend for ever posing for photos. Of course I wanted a lovely wedding – but I wanted a marriage more.
This weekend, I cannot wait to see the nervous faces of the couple, or to wow at the bride’s dress and to watch the first dance.
For me, a wedding is as close to magic as you can get.
3
