I find it crazy to think that little over a week ago I got married.  Even though we hadn’t allowed years to plan our big day like most people do, it was always surreal imagining the day finally arriving.  And it did.  And it was amazing!

There’s so much I wish to share with you so you’ll have to bear with me while I break it down into separate posts.  Many people made the best day of our lives happen that I don’t want to forget a second of it nor fail to praise those worthy.

What’s almost as crazy as the wedding actually happening is, well, the day actually happening.  Looking back to my Grazia story back in 2014, I realise how much a world away those days of despondency are to where I am now.  At a socially barren stage of my life when I couldn’t imagine getting married without friends, I’m fast forwarded to now, where a week ago I did get married, all thanks to the friends I now have.

Of course there had to be a cloud to my sunshine.  Two months prior to my wedding I lost my Dad to cancer.  You could say that kind of thing wakes you up to what’s most important: the here and now.  Kicking myself why I didn’t marry sooner ‘just’ because I didn’t have friends, only to effectively sacrifice having my Dad present, is a bitter pill to swallow, but also a pointless one.

The sun shone bright on my big day and I like to think that my Dad was in that.  We’d had terrible weather the week leading up to Saturday – freezing temperatures and snow every day – and I prayed for sunshine each time I obsessively refreshed my weather app.  That Saturday morning when I pulled back the curtains and the sun blinded me, I knew my day was perfect.  I was finally marrying the man of my life!

Mr C and I have been together a silly amount of time and lived together since the year dot, so we weren’t massively interested in a huge wedding affair.  It became more about creating a fantastic but intimate day in a way that reflected our personalities, and so many people around us stepped up to the mark to make the day happen.  From photography to food, my outfit to my hair.  I just love how it all came together.

My friends Orla and Alexa were amazing photographers on the day.  These girls have given both me and Mr C some beautiful snapshots in time to treasure, and I can’t stop looking through the wedding album.

Another a good friend from church, Helen, is a hairdresser and trained beautician, so she gave me a gorgeous french manicure and styled my hair into the tousled, pretty ‘do I imagined right from my Pinterest.

And I wore some amazing pieces with my dress on the day, including a cute bubblegum pink shrug and petticoats from Lindy Bop.   Reviews of these will be following shortly, which you won’t want to miss.

When I made sure to apply waterproof mascara that morning the reason I ended up needing it was quite unexpected.  Turned out Mr C had planned a surprise for me: a personal acoustic performance via Youtube by Daisy Chute, from my favourite classical-crossover artists, All Angels.  She’s basically been an idol of mine since I fell in love with the group about ten years ago. It was quite poignant for me as I walked up the aisle to their version of Pachelbel’s Canon, Salve Regina, a piece of music I always said would be my entrance (it gives me goosebumps playing it back!)  Her video was so beautiful and yes, it made me cry.  Do check it out as it’s still up!

And I must tell you: as a post-ceremony sweetener we had a table of treats serving up baked goodies and sweets.  Big, fluffy vegan cupcakes were homemade by Orla (my ginger cake was so yummy!) and amongst the pink smarties and milk bottles were some glorious stacks of iced finger buns.  Yum!

Thomas the Bakers (my favourite bakery here in Yorkshire, hands down, not just saying it) astounded me the day before when they heard we weren’t having a wedding cake, and so offered to provide us with my favourite treat: 50 iced fingers!  They were baked and collected by the ushers on the morning, and devoured by our guests come the afternoon.  They were so good!  Lovely and soft, and looked pretty as heck on the treats table!

Considering it was a last minute arrangement, I was completely blown away by Thomas the Bakers coming forward like this.  If you’ve never tried an iced finger, honestly, you’ve not lived!

So the day was absolutely beautiful, perfect, my dream come true.  After 17 years I’ve married my Boo.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention… something about me being a certain Mrs Connolly now?!