Appropriately enough today is our 3 month wedding anniversary! Ahhhh!! Time is just flying by already! Anyway, so I thought what better day, to start describing THE BIG DAY! (19 December 2009)
After over a year and a bit of planning and preparation for the Big Day (with a fair few hiccups along the way), I can happily say, that the day went off absolutely fabulously! I honestly don’t think I could have asked for a better day. The weather was PERFECT, the sun was out and the wind stayed away (a record achievement for PE weather), and everything else just seemed to fall into place.
The morning started off well, with a tasty breakfast at Foresthall, with 2 of my Bridesmaids (Shona and Carol). Much to my surprise Carol presented me with a lovely little gift from my wonderful then hubby-to-be. A beautiful pair of diamond stud earrings. What a lovely surprise! After breakfast we had a wonder around the beautiful gardens at Foresthall, and on our way to our room, we saw the make-up lady (Theano) had arrived...time to realise that it was actually happening and the day really had arrived. Not long after that the hair lady (Helen) arrived and soon things were very much in progress. My mom, Claire (Maid of Honour), Tayla and Chesney (flowergirls) arrived, followed by Sue (mother-in-law to be). Not much later the videographer and photographer arrived and somewhere along the line my Gran and Dad did too. Everyone was there...so it was definitely all go!! It was such an amazing feeling, that after all the planning and stressing that had gone into organising the wedding, I felt so completely at ease and peaceful the whole morning of the Big Day. My bridesmaids were absolutely fantastic in keeping any kind of 'behind the scenes' stress away from me. Shona had control of my phone, and anything and everything was done through her.
After numerous attempts in trying to get my newly acquired diamond earrings into my 2nd holes, (as I had dangly earrings to match my necklace for the 1st holes), I finally got dressed and decided to go with just the one stud. Then ensuring I had my something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, the official photos began...and the poodle made its wedding debut!
Before I knew it, it was already 4pm, so I was going to be fashionably late and make Mark sweat a little! Our goodbyes (just to get to the venue) almost turned into a little teary moment, at the final good-bye to ‘Miss Cawood’, before jumping into the car (as elegantly as I possibly could in my dress) a few reverse attempts in and out of the car and my dad and I were finally on our way in our Vintage 1939 Plymouth. I don’t think the car could go faster than 40km an hour, so it made for a long and nerve wracking ride to the venue...this was probably the first time I felt nervous all morning.
Our song began to play (Somewhere over the rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole), my beautiful nieces had scattered rose petals on their way down the aisle as one of their flower girl duties, the bridesmaids were all in place in front, and it was time for my dad and I to make our entrance. My soon-to-be hubby (aka The Suit) was smiling in the front and looked even hotter than normal in his wedding suit (I do love him in a suit) and his groomsmen all looked pretty smart too.
The ceremony began...
Claire gave a lovely message, Shona read a scripture (Corinthians) and Shaz read a poem (On your wedding day). I was under the impression that the hymn we had chosen (O Perfect Love), was a ‘common’ and ‘well known’ wedding hymn... but no one seemed to know it! A few giggles into the first and second verses made for a bit of an ice-breaker, although painfully enough there were another two to go, as it was a 4 verse hymn... but thankfully by the 4th verse people had to started to feel a bit more brave and graced us with their singing voices to the unfamiliar tune (thank-you Stephanie!). The vows and ring exchange went off hitch free and the ceremony was brought to an end with a closing prayer by Grant (my brother-in-law). The walk to the register desk was however not as hitch free as the ring exchange, no I didn’t fall, it just didn’t quite go as planned either...due to a lack of space in the Boma. Anyway the signatures were signed...and the marriage became official when the bubbles were blown!
Photos, photos and more photos....
Family photos, beach photos, forest photos you name it and then it was finally time for the reception to begin. Our song began (Time of my life, by David Cook) and Mr and Mrs Attwood were announced! Walking into the reception hall was such a surreal feeling, nevermind being a Mr and Mrs, but to finally see all the hard work in getting the decor and flowers etc come together, and seeing that it had finally paid off for the very first time. The cake looked even better than I had hoped, and the flower arrangements were finally what I wanted all along.
Our stand-in Master of Ceremonies, Tim did a fantastic job kicking off the evening, by ‘getting grace out of the way’, which was given by my bridesmaid Carol. Tim controlled the running order of the evening superbly and ensured all things went smoothly and to time, as much as possible, coz let’s face it, they very seldom do!
Time for the speeches...
My dad was first up and set the bar really high for Mark and Craig (Bestman) to follow. His wise crack of ‘Bald is beautiful’ set the tone for the many jokes that followed throughout the speeches. Mark and Craig without knowing in their speech preparation had tried to out due each other (some things never change) with trophy’s and pizza cutter gifts. Both speeches were brilliant and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Tim very aptly ended the speeches with a lovely quote: "May your love be modern enough to survive these times, but old fashioned enough to last forever."
Then it was time to cut the cake...
The paparazzi were out in full force and Mark and I had to fight our way to the front of the crowd to carry out the age old tradition. Our cake topper, topped it off nicely, making the only reference of the evening to our much loved, and normally much talked about cat, Molly (aka DogCat).
1st dance...
Our song began (I’m Yours, by Jason Mraz) and Mark and I raced to the dance floor, not quite making it in time to start it off how we had always practised it, which threw me a bit, not to mention the first turn, as obviously never having practised in my dress before I hadn’t quite thought through the whole wrist band holding up the train of my dress. I had ‘cleverly’ put on my right hand, so every time we did a turn the dress kept catching on my hair! Let’s just say it made for an interesting first dance. Mark did very well in keeping the rhythm going, which was very impressive, since he was the more nervous one for the dance...it just goes to show...my man can dance!
The party started...
With the formalities out of the way, the party could finally begin. The dance floor was soon whipped into shape by all shapes and sizes. The tunes were a merry mix, although very few were from our list we had given the DJ, nevertheless it got the crowd going. An image I will never forget is my Gran grooving away and showing the youngsters how it’s done to ‘Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon’.
The garter and bouquet were thrown, albeit to the smallest of crowds (that’s what happens when you one of the last to tie the knot). Shona the usual favourite to win the bouquet toss had some stiff competition from Vicki and Michelle. Obviously the guns just weren’t warmed up enough and Vicki triumphed in the end. The competition from the guys wasn’t nearly as stiff, and Nick from the UK came out tops with for South African tradition of throwing the garter. Vicki and Nick did their victory lap, with their unique dance style, to ‘Islands in the Stream by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’. Interestingly enough this proved to be one of the most popular songs to dance to and after Vicki and Nick had sweated it out long enough in the spotlight, Mark and I joined them, only to be closely followed by almost every other couple.
As the night wore on and the crowd started to thin, Mark and I made the decision to stay until the end, instead of making the usual tunnelled exit. The few die-hards that stayed till the end however still insisted of making a mini tunnel for us before we headed out to our ‘beautifully’ decorated car where we were kindly chauffeured by Grant back to Foresthall, to end what had been the most wonderful, memorable, love and fun filled day, where it had officially all begun for the me and all the girls that beautiful morning.
Wedding DVD - Montage
After over a year and a bit of planning and preparation for the Big Day (with a fair few hiccups along the way), I can happily say, that the day went off absolutely fabulously! I honestly don’t think I could have asked for a better day. The weather was PERFECT, the sun was out and the wind stayed away (a record achievement for PE weather), and everything else just seemed to fall into place.
The morning started off well, with a tasty breakfast at Foresthall, with 2 of my Bridesmaids (Shona and Carol). Much to my surprise Carol presented me with a lovely little gift from my wonderful then hubby-to-be. A beautiful pair of diamond stud earrings. What a lovely surprise! After breakfast we had a wonder around the beautiful gardens at Foresthall, and on our way to our room, we saw the make-up lady (Theano) had arrived...time to realise that it was actually happening and the day really had arrived. Not long after that the hair lady (Helen) arrived and soon things were very much in progress. My mom, Claire (Maid of Honour), Tayla and Chesney (flowergirls) arrived, followed by Sue (mother-in-law to be). Not much later the videographer and photographer arrived and somewhere along the line my Gran and Dad did too. Everyone was there...so it was definitely all go!! It was such an amazing feeling, that after all the planning and stressing that had gone into organising the wedding, I felt so completely at ease and peaceful the whole morning of the Big Day. My bridesmaids were absolutely fantastic in keeping any kind of 'behind the scenes' stress away from me. Shona had control of my phone, and anything and everything was done through her.
After numerous attempts in trying to get my newly acquired diamond earrings into my 2nd holes, (as I had dangly earrings to match my necklace for the 1st holes), I finally got dressed and decided to go with just the one stud. Then ensuring I had my something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, the official photos began...and the poodle made its wedding debut!Before I knew it, it was already 4pm, so I was going to be fashionably late and make Mark sweat a little! Our goodbyes (just to get to the venue) almost turned into a little teary moment, at the final good-bye to ‘Miss Cawood’, before jumping into the car (as elegantly as I possibly could in my dress) a few reverse attempts in and out of the car and my dad and I were finally on our way in our Vintage 1939 Plymouth. I don’t think the car could go faster than 40km an hour, so it made for a long and nerve wracking ride to the venue...this was probably the first time I felt nervous all morning.
Our song began to play (Somewhere over the rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole), my beautiful nieces had scattered rose petals on their way down the aisle as one of their flower girl duties, the bridesmaids were all in place in front, and it was time for my dad and I to make our entrance. My soon-to-be hubby (aka The Suit) was smiling in the front and looked even hotter than normal in his wedding suit (I do love him in a suit) and his groomsmen all looked pretty smart too.
The ceremony began...
Claire gave a lovely message, Shona read a scripture (Corinthians) and Shaz read a poem (On your wedding day). I was under the impression that the hymn we had chosen (O Perfect Love), was a ‘common’ and ‘well known’ wedding hymn... but no one seemed to know it! A few giggles into the first and second verses made for a bit of an ice-breaker, although painfully enough there were another two to go, as it was a 4 verse hymn... but thankfully by the 4th verse people had to started to feel a bit more brave and graced us with their singing voices to the unfamiliar tune (thank-you Stephanie!). The vows and ring exchange went off hitch free and the ceremony was brought to an end with a closing prayer by Grant (my brother-in-law). The walk to the register desk was however not as hitch free as the ring exchange, no I didn’t fall, it just didn’t quite go as planned either...due to a lack of space in the Boma. Anyway the signatures were signed...and the marriage became official when the bubbles were blown!
Photos, photos and more photos....
Family photos, beach photos, forest photos you name it and then it was finally time for the reception to begin. Our song began (Time of my life, by David Cook) and Mr and Mrs Attwood were announced! Walking into the reception hall was such a surreal feeling, nevermind being a Mr and Mrs, but to finally see all the hard work in getting the decor and flowers etc come together, and seeing that it had finally paid off for the very first time. The cake looked even better than I had hoped, and the flower arrangements were finally what I wanted all along.
Our stand-in Master of Ceremonies, Tim did a fantastic job kicking off the evening, by ‘getting grace out of the way’, which was given by my bridesmaid Carol. Tim controlled the running order of the evening superbly and ensured all things went smoothly and to time, as much as possible, coz let’s face it, they very seldom do!
Time for the speeches...My dad was first up and set the bar really high for Mark and Craig (Bestman) to follow. His wise crack of ‘Bald is beautiful’ set the tone for the many jokes that followed throughout the speeches. Mark and Craig without knowing in their speech preparation had tried to out due each other (some things never change) with trophy’s and pizza cutter gifts. Both speeches were brilliant and thoroughly enjoyed by all. Tim very aptly ended the speeches with a lovely quote: "May your love be modern enough to survive these times, but old fashioned enough to last forever."
Then it was time to cut the cake...
The paparazzi were out in full force and Mark and I had to fight our way to the front of the crowd to carry out the age old tradition. Our cake topper, topped it off nicely, making the only reference of the evening to our much loved, and normally much talked about cat, Molly (aka DogCat).
1st dance...
Our song began (I’m Yours, by Jason Mraz) and Mark and I raced to the dance floor, not quite making it in time to start it off how we had always practised it, which threw me a bit, not to mention the first turn, as obviously never having practised in my dress before I hadn’t quite thought through the whole wrist band holding up the train of my dress. I had ‘cleverly’ put on my right hand, so every time we did a turn the dress kept catching on my hair! Let’s just say it made for an interesting first dance. Mark did very well in keeping the rhythm going, which was very impressive, since he was the more nervous one for the dance...it just goes to show...my man can dance!
The party started...
With the formalities out of the way, the party could finally begin. The dance floor was soon whipped into shape by all shapes and sizes. The tunes were a merry mix, although very few were from our list we had given the DJ, nevertheless it got the crowd going. An image I will never forget is my Gran grooving away and showing the youngsters how it’s done to ‘Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon’.
The garter and bouquet were thrown, albeit to the smallest of crowds (that’s what happens when you one of the last to tie the knot). Shona the usual favourite to win the bouquet toss had some stiff competition from Vicki and Michelle. Obviously the guns just weren’t warmed up enough and Vicki triumphed in the end. The competition from the guys wasn’t nearly as stiff, and Nick from the UK came out tops with for South African tradition of throwing the garter. Vicki and Nick did their victory lap, with their unique dance style, to ‘Islands in the Stream by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’. Interestingly enough this proved to be one of the most popular songs to dance to and after Vicki and Nick had sweated it out long enough in the spotlight, Mark and I joined them, only to be closely followed by almost every other couple.
As the night wore on and the crowd started to thin, Mark and I made the decision to stay until the end, instead of making the usual tunnelled exit. The few die-hards that stayed till the end however still insisted of making a mini tunnel for us before we headed out to our ‘beautifully’ decorated car where we were kindly chauffeured by Grant back to Foresthall, to end what had been the most wonderful, memorable, love and fun filled day, where it had officially all begun for the me and all the girls that beautiful morning.
Wedding DVD - Montage
And what an amazing wedding it was too.
ReplyDeleteah, just watched your wedding video - it made me cry!! can't believe i missed your wedding. it looked so stunning and so happy!
ReplyDelete