Ian asked me to marry him in October 2018, two years and one day after we met. We knew it’d be quite a long engagement, not least because I wanted to wait until my youngest was about to start university. So we set a date in the summer of 2021.
It’s the second time for both of us, but we don’t want a small, quiet affair. Rather, we want to celebrate with our closest family and friends. We feel incredibly fortunate to have met and we want to share that joy. Because it’s a second marriage though, we have a lot more potential guests than we had twenty-odd years ago. Friendship circles have widened, families have grown and new generations have been born. Because of that, we have to be slightly selective with our guest list.
Choosing the wedding venue was the first thing we did after we’d set a date. Initially, we didn’t know if we wanted the marriage ceremony and wedding reception to be at the same place or whether we’d have them at separate venues. What we do know was that we wanted something meaningful, somewhere beautiful and something a little bit different.
After a lot of thought we came up with two suggestions, one for the marriage ceremony and one for the reception. Once we had these suggestions, we knew that nowhere else would be the same. We are having our reception at somewhere we have stayed at before, a charming, unique, family-run boutique hotel with an excellent reputation for food. Because it isn’t a corporate venue, we’ve been able to chat at length with the owners to make it truly special. They are creating a bespoke menu and we will have the hotel to ourselves for the whole weekend. Because we have stayed and dined there before, we know first-hand that it will be perfect. And I think that’s very important when planning a wedding reception. It is without doubt THE perfect wedding venue. We cannot wait.
Notes
My bespoke heart sunglasses are a gift from my friends at Feb31st. They can be made in numerous different colour combinations. They’re perfect for wedding and honeymoon and the sides can even be engraved with a memorable date. See “Bespoke Heart Sunglasses and Eyewear by Feb 31st.”
8 comments
I was wondering if you had set the date already,I m happy to know it is done and that now maybe you ll be sharing a little of the preparation with us .You ll be a lovely bride for sure and a beautiful couple .wishing you the best ,I am looking forward to the event .
Hi Catherine, we’re so excited to have set the date and to have the venues booked and confirmed. I can’t wait to share more details as we go along. It’ such an exciting time for both of us xxx
Hi lizzy I’ve commented to you before on your posts and my son is a similar age to poppy and just finishing university. I’m going through a traumatic marital breakdown at present- I never thought it would happen to me! But it gives me great hope to see you and Ian looking so happy and gives me hope for my future too. I wish you all the happiness and joy you deserve after what you went through in your previous marriage. I’m walking that dark path at the moment.
Xxxx
Hi Louise, first of all thank you so much for taking the time to comment when your mind must feel like it’s all over the place. Second, I’m so terribly sorry to hear that you’re going through a traumatic break-up. The best advice I can give you is to allow yourself to go through the whole spectrum of emotions that will hit you. Disbelief, shock, anger, hurt, upset. They are all normal and there is no rulebook about a timescale. Take as long as you need. It will be a roller coaster for some considerable time and it’s better to ride it knowing that eventually, it will stop and you’ll feel grounded again. Be strong, (they have a habit of trying to weedle their way back in). It can be tempting to let them, especially when you feel at your lowest and when you have children. Take one day at a time. Have faith and believe that you WILL get through it. Because you will. And you will ultimately feel stronger and better than ever before. Spend time with your girlfriends and your family and talk and cry as much as you need to. I promise that you will have a happy ever after. As horrific as my own break-up and ensuing divorce was, deep down, I had the most enormous sense of relief to be able to leave an emotionally abusive marriage, knowing that my suspicions about his infidelity, (with my “friend” among others), were confirmed. That kept me going- I knew my instincts were right. Whatever your own circumstances, trust your gut instinct. You will get stronger every single day. I know how broken and adrift you feel but even writing the comment here is a step forward. I wish you all the very best. Please feel free to email me any time. We are strong mothers and we will always survive what life throws at us. Thank you again for taking the time to read my blog and to comment- it means a lot xxxx
Liz this is so exciting… how the date will creep up on you! I can only imagine how wonderful it will be be and I cannot WAIT to see you in your dress/outfit/whatever you choose to wear. As I’ve done both the big wedding and the small wedding all I can say is enjoy the process (and don’t tell suppliers it’s for a wedding if at all possible or they charge you more)!! 😉 (my best tip, lol)
C xx
It will be here before we know it. It’s so good to have something as fabulous as this to look forward to- everything seems crazy right now with Coronavirus. And yes, you’re right- everything wedding related has a very inflated price! xxx
Congrats on your upcoming wedding and all the best.
Thank you very much! xxx