Thursday 6 August 2015

My Wedding Memories

Mr CSW and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary this month and I went through the photos and thought I would share some of my memories with you.

I got married in my thirties.
I never expected to get married so when I finally did I didn't really have any ready plans on how to have a ceremony.
I wanted to elope but legally weddings in the UK need to have two witnesses.

But I thought it would be actually odd just having 4 people at town hall so I decided we would invite only a few close friends.
Only the close friends and not their partners.
I know.
Controversial.

But this was my wedding and I wasn't in the business to play diplomatic games and appease everyone.  It was made slightly easier as there was only one family member of ours who came and that was only because that person lived in London.
I was no bridezilla.

In fact, people thought I was joking when I went into wedding dress shops asking if they had a dress I could buy in a month's time which is the time we prepared for it.

I finally got a dress from Amanda Wakely.
It was an ivory version of a cocktail dress and the train can be tied up and it waterfalls.

Wedding shoes seemed simple but as most women will know, there is a huge difference between white and cream and ivory and very few shoes matched my dress fabric.
But I found these.
It also was my something blue.
I wasn't convinced with the muslin pom pom but they looked better on.
They were so high that it changed my foot arch for the next two days.


My last night as a single woman was spent just enjoying my own company in the hotel room where we would have our festivities.
I got upgraded to a huge suite which was a nice bonus but wasted on a single person.
 
I didn't have a hen night but instead 
I went traveling and was apart from Mr CSW for 5 months to make sure we were making the right decision.

Everyone thought I was nuts but my logic was
if we couldn't survive that then I figured that we wouldn't be able to handle married life together.

But the suite came in handy when my girlfriends came over the next day and got ready with me.
 We got married in the same town hall where I also eventually got my UK citizenship.
The wedding breakfast/dinner was in a special room that was designed by Oliver Messel who was a theatre set designer.  
He was commissioned to design the rooms and they were loosely based on the famous ballet set he created for Sleeping Beauty that made Margot Fonteyn a star.
The rooms were also project managed with his nephew 
Lord Snowdon who was married to Princess Margaret.
 
But what made me choose this venue wasn't necessarily the rooms but the terrace with views that also provided an intimate and comfortable setting for my 16 guests.

 
 This heart was already there and I didn't prepare this detail as some of the guests thought!
 
 Not did I organize orchids in the loos.
 Nor did I organize that bouquet in the town hall.
 
 I only knew what my bouquet looked like on the day of the wedding.
The florist said she had never met a bride that told her to do what she liked.
 But I did put in on the mantle as a form of decoration as I forgot to arrange flowers there during our dinner.
 
We had champagne and sweets immediately after our ceremony.
I had macaroons in the form of a tower.
And cupakes.
I did not realize there was such a waiting list for cakes!
I didn't blog back then but the signs were there.


Once again the florist did a nice job providing flowers without overwhelming the setting.
As it was a small group I was able to provide a menu where guests could choose rather than the standard chicken/vegetarian option.
I also did another controversial move.

Wedding meals can be long and I have experienced and heard many stories where guests are stuck with guests where there is no mutual interest except for the bride or groom.
I was once stuck next to the dullest man and the only mutual thing we shared was that we were both the plus one of the guest who went to school with the bride.
He was also a maritime lawyer and at one point I had to resort to asking stupid questions just to bridge awkward silences.

"So have you met any pirates?"
was one of my many reaches which included many glasses of wine.
I had been to enough functions to know that you could be stuck next to someone where it was such hard work that you would then hear the following week that they thought you were an alcoholic but you were actually trying to numb the pain.
Or was that just me?
So half way through the meal I had asked the male guests to change seats and that way if the guests got along they could cement their chat after the meal during more drinks and/or dancing.

But if you didn't get along with the guest and you had a friend-in-law relationship 
( where the only common bond is the one friend and you both ask them why they are friends with them!) then at least you would only be stuck with them for a few courses.
Convention has never really been my thing in many areas of my life.
But between you and me, the guests said it was nice to just enjoy the party without having to footnote past anecdotes and making sure and quietly worrying that your partner was being polite but bored.

It was a lovely day and I still joke around that I can't believe we are still married hehe.

You guys know I don't normally post pics of myself and I know this isn't a proper one.

But I love this picture because of the pearl chandelier I am sitting under.
Those white things are pearls!
Isn't it exquisite?

90 comments:

  1. You are so amazing! You're gorgeous as a bride and certainly every day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is so sweet of you to say but my hair was a mess. Bad part of not preparing was that I could find only one hair and make up artist at short notice and she wasn't very good and I had to haircomb my hairstyle out!!

      Delete
  2. That's the way to do it. Just beautiful! Happy anniversary!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well it's one of a million modern ways! Thanks Connie

      Delete
  3. Thankyou for sharing that, love how you March to the beat of your own drum x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not all the time but at least when you do it your way you have no regrets! X

      Delete
  4. Ccngratulations. Enjoy your anniversary celebrations. Your wedding looks wonderful. Congrats again. Den xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Den - still deciding what we are going to do to celebrate - he is trying to get away with it by saying everyday is a celebration but that isn't cutting it with me! xxx

      Delete
    2. I hope you had a great celebration for your anniversary. I hope he wasn't a tsingouni (Mr CSW being of Greek heritage will probably know what it means). Den xxx

      Delete
    3. Oh Den - you made me laugh! He isn't a tsingouni but he isn't wasteful for sure hehe xx

      Delete
  5. Love this post, and your casual attitude to getting married!! I think you had a very elegant wedding for something so last minute and obviously a lot of things fell into place with the beautiful bouquet, the dress and the shoes. You couldn't have done better if you'd spent months stressing over all the details.
    I was a highly organised bride (does that surprise you?!). But I did think when we were doing the planning that weddings are really about families joining together, and there were things that had meaning to family members that we did because they really wanted it, so it was a group effort (things like we cut the cake with my grandfather's naval sword per family tradition, Mum insisted on having a trumpeter at the church, my father in law picked the readings, i wore my mother in laws family veil etc etc). It makes me cringe when I see women get all bridey over THEIR big day. It's not, you're a part of the whole.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am leaving out a lot of nitty gritty but I think my wedding would have been very different if I got married when I was younger. It would have been sooooo different but ultimately I just did it our way and actually I got a conventional dress because my mother wanted a picture of me in one. The dress I got one week before. Who knew it was so hard? Traditional Korean/Australian/Greek wedding would have been too much for anyone including me!!!

      Delete
  6. So lovely. Simple and graceful and elegant...

    And I'm still smiling about the pirates.

    By the way, I didn't have the wedding I wanted or even the wedding I planned - I'm fond of saying that the only good thing about that day/night was that Himself showed up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Would have been simpler except the venue had experience and asked some pertinent questions that I would not have thought about it! But haven't you been stuck like that?

      I'd love to hear about your wedding but I say to everyone it's the marriage that is important not the wedding...

      Delete
  7. Love it! Sounds like the perfect start to a wonderful marriage. Happy anniversary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tell him I have never been with anyone this long but it keeps him on his toes! Thanks BB

      Delete
  8. Naomi, it was such a wonderful stylish wedding! Everything is stunning - your beautiful dress and shoes, the flowers, the fairytale Princess Aurora setting, even the cake - so original with the brightly coloured macarons and the non-traditional white figurines on top. Would have been beautiful in a movie too. Pulling all this together in such a short time is remarkable - you would be a fabulous event planner!

    G and I married in Cambridge - he was studying there, arriving from Oz six months ahead (so our relationship tested by time and distance too). Neither had any money (during service, when he said "with all my worldly goods I thee endow" there was an audible "there goes his bicycle").
    Didn't want to pay big money for a special dress to schlep around Europe so planned on a floaty white jumpsuit number (fashionable then and affordable - just) I could wear again. But best man announced he'd ordered a kilt in G's clan dress tartan - so not possible therefore! - risked jokes about who would wear pants (he looked fabulous in full Highland regalia!). Hired dress from Moss Bros instead. Shoes were my friend's (matron of honour) from her day as a bride. A size too small! No relative or old friend attended - all back in Oz. In the days before people jumped on long haul flights to attend weddings. Given away by a lovely prof. from our old U who'd travelled on same ship as me for his sabbatical year at G's college. Married in Gt St Mary's and reception at college/garden. Great mix from all over - US, Ghana, Ukraine, Spain, Nigeria, Oz as well as UK. Happily still friends with many. Not stylish like your wedding - but a lovely day on summer solstice many years ago. Pammie xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you have proved it's the marriage that follows that matters and the details of the wedding are just a fun memory ( most of the time ). I loved hearing about your story Pammie! Yes those days before facetime - did you write letters everyday so both of you would get something in the post? I remember ringing an ex once a week and that was a big deal back in the early 90's. Cost me 20 bucks to talk to him for 10 minutes. That was so funny about the bicycle! Made me laugh out loud. I did wonder why people need one to two years to plan a wedding. I mean even Kate Middleton got married in 6 months or so. But then again she could barge in on the queues I suppose! xxx

      Delete
    2. We wrote every couple of days on blue aerograms. Sometimes had huge misunderstandings about things we'd scribbled too quickly and then he'd send enormous bouquets of red roses to apologise. The Problem: it wasn't v private as in my first year out of Uni I was a resident mistress (English/French) in a girls' boarding school. The girls all knew about the heaps of overseas mail and all the red roses (there was a roster for distributing mail in our pigeon holes). They made up their minds my boyfriend must be French: only a Frenchman was romantic enough to send so many red roses - so they reasoned (obviously hadn't dared to study the envelopes too closely). They were always asking me about him but I tried to keep it a mystery as it was a bore to be subjected to third degree every day. They were v excited for me when I left near end of last term to join him. Received lots of cards, notes and presents from them wishing me well in marrying my "Frenchman".
      We never even thought of telephoning each other back then. Before mobile phones - and I was living in a boarding house with almost no privacy and he was in a college share house.

      Yes, had friends back home who spent months planning their weddings. My brother's first wife and her mother had a very lavish wedding organised - cost a fortune - it lasted only long enough to produce two children. But that's another story.
      Also had a friend later on who made us laugh by recounting how it was really her mother's wedding as she'd decided and chosen absolutely everything. The bride and groom had no say. She showed us a picture of two hands together, also on a sword, cutting the wedding cake. "Do you notice anything odd about this?" she asked. Looking more closely I saw that both hands were female - her mother had cut the cake with her! Somehow she'd elbowed the bridegroom aside. Not a good start - but they've been happily together for a long time and for years they've been able to laugh about it. Pammie

      Delete
    3. I love the stories - roses sent to work always cause so much fuss and rumours!! I love wedding stories and that mother seems like she was having her second wedding! I think that certain people should renew their vows to get the party fever out of their system and let the couple do as they please. In Asia the wedding is so formal and has nothing to do with the couple oddle but the issues that come out of planning and the politics actually cause a lot of weddings to never take place because someone took offence. I have heard so many nightmare stories and while not everyone was pleased about our wedding the way it took place it did limit damages because I think with all the different cultures there - someone was bound to be offended or insulted. I have learned that when you compromise then most times no one seems happy...

      Delete
    4. That's so lovely you have that history with the letters Pammie. I have emails! Not quite the same being typed and fairly short in comparison to letters. And mostly about what time I'd be arriving on the train etc.

      Delete
    5. Can understand why you chose not to involve the family Naomi. It could have caused lots of problems with all the different customs and expectations. Another couple we used to know had a problem like that - came from very different families and countries which created huge problems. They called off their wedding in the end. But then discovered they couldn't get a refund on the pre-paid honeymoon so they went anyway. They were so happy while they were away they decided to get married after all, but without all the family and others.

      Yes, Heidi, the letters were such an important part of our lives back then. I used to rush to my pigeonhole every morning to see if there was a letter. Sometimes there'd be nothing for days and then two or three would arrive at once. He wrote about Cambridge and the colleges and the new friends he was making - his travels around the UK, including New Year's Eve on a Scottish island. Mine would have been less interesting - school stories and friends' engagements etc and my travel plans. Yes, emails are never the same as letters. While the cyber world has many benefits, we've also lost some old customs that were rather good. Pammie

      Delete
    6. Interestingly now with facetime I find there truly are less remnants and words to peer over and reminisce. Especially with Snapchat which erases the message the minute it is read!

      Both your kids will love going through all those love letters!!!

      Delete
  9. What a great wedding day story - thanks for sharing! It sounds like it was an amazing day and enjoyed by all. Your dress and shoes are lovely - such a gorgeous photo of you! Happy Anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your dress is very elegant and timeless. The fit is lovely. What's not to like about the shoes?.. Total perfection. Very impressive ... to execute in 30 days and achieve "happily ever after." Congratulations
    How nice that you and your guests shared an intimate ceremony among true friends. Unusual, yet the ideal. Not many can say they did the same. Susan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amanda Wakeley cuts generously and her dresses make great evening gowns if you dye them. I keep meaning to but haven't gotten around to it as I might have to squeeze into it right now. The shoes were rather high though and my feet were in shock!

      Delete
  11. Thank you Naomi for sharing your lovely memories with what looks like to be exactly that- your wedding. Bravo. Many happy years together
    Marilyn xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Marilyn - I am contemplating dyeing my shoes a green and wonder if I should dye my dress black for a evening function. xx

      Delete
    2. don't die the dress - if the thread used is poly cotton (common as it is stronger than cotton) then it won't take the dye and will stay whitish. Plus zip may need to be changed too. I had my satin wedding shoes dyed black and it didn't work so well - used to sort of fade and I'd touch it up again with shoe polish!

      Delete
    3. People now do trash the dress parties where they go paint balling but I wouldn't do that as it's a waste and I'd rather donate my dress. But theoretically I was thinking green then black for extra mileage but I have heard about issues with color runs. But meanwhile it has sat in the closet all this time so a few more years won't hurt!

      Delete
    4. Can only imagine women trashing a wedding dress if the marriage had worked out v badly.

      Instead of dyeing it, have you thought of having a tailor remove the train - and perhaps slightly shorten it? Could then be an evening dress. Also worth considering whether you could have either hand embroidery above the hem (or elsewhere) or beading/sequins or both. Could be in silver, or a favourite colour. Then it would be less like a wedding dress. Though I love it as it is - the beautiful cut and the lovely simplicity of it. But if it remains so you could never wear it again except to re-affirmations of vows and special anniversaries.
      One of the reasons I was OK with hiring a dress as I was reluctant to have a beautiful gown I could never wear again. But can understand that most girls want their own dress - when I suggested it to our future DIL she said it had always been her dream to have a beautiful dress made specially for her. What can you say but "if it's your dream and you can afford it, then that's what you should do". She took me along to what was supposed to be her last fitting - the dress was indeed a dream and she looked so beautiful. I was really happy for her, though the dress cost a small fortune. Pammie

      Delete
    5. Trashing your dress is now a "thing". People go raving or swimming in it then roll in mud - everyone has their own way! I can barely squeeze into it so I might have to get into it again before I play around. People do like that one off dress and I see people decorate their bedroom or closer with it. I'd donate it but oddly wedding dresses seem to be one thing all women seem to splurge on nowadays.

      Delete
  12. Awww. congratulations on your anniversary! The pictures are so elegant and beautiful.. thanks for sharing
    lovely

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's wedding and anniversary season isn't it? Thanks Dawna

      Delete
  13. I like it very much! Should I get married today, I would absolutely change a lot of what I did... I did a lot to try to please everyone and you can guess the result! I love small weddings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I find personally when I try and please other people that they aren't fully happy either then no one is happy!!

      Delete
  14. Oh that dress is stunning, old Hollywood movie star glamour. I knew you wouldn't let me down and of course I gawped at that interior on IG - even better than I had imagined!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those rooms are fabulous and I do want a birthday party there one day! The dress was comfy and she does cut for a proper woman which is refreshing!!

      Delete
  15. How stylish. You look beautiful. I do prefer this to the manufactured affairs many go in for these days. That dress is stunning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think getting older weddings need to be adjusted because it is a bit mutton dressed as lamb affairs. Thanks Jen

      Delete
  16. I thought I was reading my own weeding history. Married at 31. Got the dress from the store two days before the ceremony, it was a tara jarmon Ivory cocktail dress. Had 30 guests...... but everything turned out great and everyone had a great time. If I were to get married again, I wouln't change anything.....
    happy anniversary!!!!!!!!!
    laura

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing your story. I must say I don't think I would change anything either! Thanks Laura

      Delete
  17. Your wedding was gorgeous and I love that you just did it your way, no fuss yet somehow so beautiful and elegant, and of course it all came together beautiful. You look stunning in these pictures and those shoes are of course amazing. Love the column simplicity of the dress.
    Happy Anniversary!
    We did our wedding the way we liked too and I remember just ignoring some requests of our parents (for example my mother didn't want me to wear white), well it was our second kick at it for each of us, we paid for it and had 3 children of our own, I had five flower girls and of course our son was the ring bearer. The children had a table at the front of the restaurant with their own menu including make-your-own banana splits, they made a huge mess but had a blast.
    It was really fun and just felt like a good party.
    Love that you had people switch it up halfway for the sake of conversation. Just adore this post Naomi and your attitude towards it all. XO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your wedding sounds like a true party! How amazing that the kids were there and could be part of the memories too. Banana splits on tap sounds like the dream. I'd love to see what you wore Dani - have you already done a wedding post ages ago and I missed it from before when I blogged? Would love to see it x

      Delete
    2. I have never done a post on it but it would be fun, I have hilarious pictures of all the kids looking adorable. You won't believe the dress I wore, miles of white tulle.
      My blog friend Susan from Texas suggested I do a wedding post last year or so- so now that's two, maybe I should it would be good for a laugh! XO

      Delete
    3. Yes please! I want to see everything ;) x

      Delete
  18. Oh Naomi we have yet another thing in common--my husband and I were also married in this fashion! We got married at City Hall in NYC with just one witness (you only need one in NY). Then we had drinks at our place in midtown and went to dinner at the Rainbow Room, back when you could do such a thing. I knew I was not a big wedding girl so we eloped and probably irritated so many family members...My dress was off the rack from Lord & Taylor. I love these pictures of you! You probably thrilled so many vendors and florists by being so un-bridezilla-like. I personally think weddings have gotten out of control. I feel like plenty of these gals really want a princess-y coronation and have no idea of the actual work a marriage requires. I know several women who had gigantic expensive weddings and they are all divorced now. Great post. Happy Anniversary to you and Mr. CSW! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Another eloper!! The florist was quite pleased but the dress shops were not so friendly when I told them my lead time. In London most lead times are 6 months minimum and a year if it is a special order. I wanted a pretty cake that looked like a rose and she was booked out 9 months ahead. But yes the average spend for a wedding is the size of a depost for a house purchase. Weddings are easy and it seems people get depressed once the wedding is over. Thanks for your wishes xx

      Delete
  19. "I didn't blog back then but the signs were there." - classic!!

    Lovely post. Thanks for sharing about your wedding and happy anniversary!

    We also had an unconventional wedding and there has been silent family pushback (the worst kind!) and your post, remarkably, made me feel a lot better about it all and more trusting of our choices - they were right for us.

    Wishing you all the best this week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I still hear a comment and some still want that huge party in a ballroom. But rarely is everyone happy so do enjoy your happy memories of the day! And thank you Olivia

      Delete
  20. And how could I forget to say, you look lovely!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. WELL! What a fabulous bride you were! Pretty hard to beat the glorious combo of an Amanda Wakely dress and Louboutins. And good for you to defy convention and arrange your own special day - looks pretty perfect to me! Yes, 'exquisite' is the word.
    The world and his wife came to our wedding, forty-eight years ago. There were so many relatives in the house that they used all the hot water and I was left with a cold bath before getting into my finery!
    Wishing you both a very Happy Anniversary,.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A cold bath!!! Mind you I think brides do that to shrink and tighten the skin nowadays!! Thank you :)

      Delete
  22. Happy anniversary! Weddings can be so complicated and stressful. I love a simple wedding.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Naomi--I have chills....I adore a wedding-always do (have had three myself-but that's another story;). I find this post to be so personal and beautiful in sharing the details of a most special day. Despite your unconventional thoughts on planning you pulled off the perfect, elegant, stylish, romantic wedding and party for yourself and your guests. The shows, the gown, the terrace--flowers-gorgeous! Happy Anniversary to your and Mister CWS!
    Thanks for sharing this beautiful post with our lifestyle linkup this month!
    xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Heather and of course happy anniversary to you too xx

      Delete
  24. Aaaaw Naomi this is such a lovely post. Although I'm not planning to ever get married, despite people telling me I'll change my mind, I love everything about weddings. You had a beautiful venue, beautiful place setting, a beautiful dress, beautiful shoes and yeaaah a full picture of you and your OOTD!! Please join the narcissistic world of showing more outfit of the days. Happy Anniversary xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I dint know why people impose such huge stuff on others. A slice of cake or coffee fair enough but when people go - get married and have kids I think but it's a lifelong commitment! I have tried selfies but it's always wonky so believe me you're not missing out xx

      Delete
  25. So stylish, so beautiful, so individual. Feels like you've told us more with this post than 30 of the others. Much as I like them:). You have fabulous taste - as if we didn't know, but still, so visible. I bet it was a wedding to remember, and I hope your days have been and will be happy, happy, happy.

    We'll have our second anniversary next weekend. Ever so happy:).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wishing you a happy anniversary and I loved your pictures too!

      Delete
  26. I loved this post SO much! Your wedding looked beautiful and adore the dress and the shoes! Can you share the story of how you met your husband?! I always love hearing how people meet! I spent a long time searching for my Mr Right, and finally found him thanks to Internet dating! I did think I might end up alone but the idea phased me less as I grew older - and it helped spending a week with a friend of my grandparents who lives in Vienna and never married because men of her generation expected women to be housewives and she never was up for that! So true that it's better to be alone than with the wrong person.

    We are planning our wedding now....it's not at all fun like I expected. Maybe because I'm a little older now and have worked so hard for the money I make that to throw so much away for one day seems to pointless...can't count the number of people I have heard of that have gone into debt for their weddings. It's such an "industry" now. We are keeping it small with about 70 guests in a historic home here in central a Melbourne which apparently has some of the best catering in Melbourne. We are doing a Thursday evening so this made it a LOT cheaper and it's been great so far as most suppliers are free - I've only had about 8 months to plan which is indeed not much time these days with some suppliers getting booked out a year or more in advance! I tried on so may dresses but fell in love with one that cost $6k....I couldn't bring myself to pay that much. Lo and behold, went to a bridal shop in the far south eastern suburbs of a Melbourne, quite an industrial area. I almost didn't want to enter the shop because it looked so dodgy! Found a dress there I loved for $495!! I'm thrilled...can now justify a nice pair of silver sparkly designer shoes that I shall definitely re-wear! But I'm learning your lesson about ensuring they are not too high! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a huge industry and the average spend is the amount of a deposit to a home! I think it's ludicrous to go into debt. It makes me cringe when people go nuts with invitations BC no one remembers the paper color or envelope unless it's garish so to spend twenty bucks seems a waste BC I have never kept any invitation no matter how nice! I did get lucky that I managed but the dress was bought the week before otherwise it would have had to be sometim my closet. I wish you a great day but more importantly a great life with your partner!

      Delete
    2. Ps we met through friends but we had bad first impressions of each other. He thought I was a sassy talking bitch and I thought he was a miserable git. We were both right!!! ;p

      Delete
    3. LOL, I love your first impressions of each other!!! Oh how wonderful to have met through friends. I had to take the harder route hahaha!

      Great point on invitations, I am thinking of that currently. Luckily I have a wholesale printing contact - planning to keep them very simple...though hopefully still stylish. I did have an acquaintance take the home made route recently with her engagement party invites....unfortunately I can't get the image of the 1990s Microsoft clipart pic of two chess pieces hugging out of my mind!!! đŸ˜³

      Delete
  27. Beautiful pictures and so happy for you and your hubby! I just have one question: if I understood you correctly, you said you invited your close friends but not their spouses/partners to your wedding . . . uhm, how do you face them (the spouses/partners) afterwards? I mean, of course they'll say they understand and send all their good wishes and all that, but . . . ! Emily :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes people have taken offence or raised eyebrows but truthfully it was easy BC we tell them our parents weren't there!!! So don't see why they should take umbrage. Also planning one month before I didn't have time for rsvp- we rang people and asked are you free then come. Also we didn't have a wedding list. We were too old and weren't having a standard affair plus we had plates and spoons. I didn't ask anything but their presence. Plus I don't regret one thing BC my guests had fun and they told me they enjoyed not worrying that their partner was bored or feeling left out!

      Delete
    2. I think I understand now and I think you did the absolute right thing. Cheers! Emily :-)

      Delete
    3. P.S. The picture with your husband holding your hand is beautiful and BTW, you have lovely hands. Best Wishes, Emily :-)

      Delete
  28. Very interesting post and love the pics. I've never been married but love attending big weddings and always arrange ahead of time with the bride or MOB about where I'll be sitting and with whom...which we then refer to as the 'fun table'.
    Naomi, I've never heard of anyone inviting guests to a wedding and excluding their spouses...I'll bet that did cause a few dustups.
    If I ever get married, I'll try to encourage the lucky girl to do something quiet such as down at City Hall and then throw a big party.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pictures and venue make it seem like a normal wedding but it was very much an elopement with 16 witnessed. Also getting hitched when older does influence weddings. If I was in my 20's I would have done the whole 9 yards and there would have been drama..,

      Delete
    2. GSL I am sure there is not a girl in the world who would be lucky enough to marry you

      Delete
  29. How lovely to share your wedding Naomi! I love "our way" of doing things - no fuss but certainly a beautiful, elegant and carefully considered day. My daughter is getting married in November. She has organised everything herself and always runs stuff by me. So proud of her! You looked beautiful in that simple, gorgeous dress! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That time this was the right way to do it - if I got married now things would be different again. I am sure your daughter's day will be a day to remember! Cant wait to see the pics xx

      Delete
  30. Happy anniversary! Your wedding looks dreamy. My husband and I eloped I can't tell you the strange looks I got wanting a dress in a few days. The comments weren't nearly as rude as the ones I got shopping for my own ring. Our decision to elope was mutual so there was no ring in box. I decided it would be fastest for me to choose all of the rings since we had a total 14 days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks you! Yes eloping does elicit reactions doesn't it? I chose my own ring as well though but he did help me choose! 14 days is half the time I had!

      Delete
  31. Happy anniversary Naomi! Your dress, shoes, and flowers are perfectly chic - just gorgeous. I loved hearing about sentiment behind your choices, and that you took control of your own special day - bravo! One of these days, I should tell you about my wedding day, which was far less organized than yours. I think you are the only other bride I know that thought about her flowers as a last minute detail - I literally ran down the street from where my ceremony was taking place, with fifteen minutes to space, and grabbed whatever was in sight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks CD! I would love to hear about your day as well! You have definitely trumped me on the flowers though hehe

      Delete
    2. Ugh, that would be SPARE not SPACE!! Anyway, you got the point and I'm not sure if I should win any kind of prize for my disorganized attempts at getting married - it worked out just fine in the end though! Thanks again for sharing the gorgeousness of your special day.

      Delete
  32. happy anniversary and what a beautiful outfit xxx

    ReplyDelete
  33. So there you are the prettiest bride ever, with the most perfect wedding ever, and scores of chagrined would-be suitors everywhere…

    Happy, Happy Anniversary, and Many, Many More!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You must not drink and comment dear GF :) But thanks for your wishes

      Delete
  34. Naomi, don't now how I missed this post! Absolutely elegant and lovely was your wedding! I think it was so smart of you to have it small and chic. The hotel and view look amazing. I also had a smallish affair and I have never regretted it. I liked being able to have guests choose their lunch and also have time to enjoy everyone. We had just a best man and a maid of honor. It was at a French restaurant by a creek- wedding was outdoors. We just celebrated 19 years. Congrats to you Naomi!! I'd love to see more photos !! xo Kim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your wedding sounds lovely - I am glad I had some outdoors too - it was a "breath of fresh air" and it was nice to change settings so the mood wasn't stagnant. wishing you many more years of happy memories together xx

      Delete

Thank you for dropping by!