Weddings – they are a bit like buses.  You don’t have any for a year and then two come along in the same week. We are now at the age that wedding invites have significantly slowed down, compared to 2009, where we were invited to 11.  Needless to say we didn’t go on holiday that year, just other people’s weddings!  So last week was a busy one for us.  I love weddings; they are pretty awesome occasions. In most cases you get to go to a party with lots of people who are either your friends or like your friends, because that is why they are friends with your friends.  Obviously there is the odd exception (or as Peter Kay likes to say – everyone has an Uncle K***head!), but usually everyone is there to have a good time and really pleased for the happy couple.  Love is in the air and you can’t help but smile.

The two weddings we went to last week lived up to expectations and were really very lovely but also very different.  Not because the couples had decided to mix things up and adopted any zany themes (they were both linked to the military, zany is not in their vocabulary), but the difference for us was that one was with and the other was without children.

At the first wedding, with children, my husband was also the Best Man, which adds an extra level of complication – wearing his blues.  This looks very smart, (and was what he was wearing when we first met) but takes about 3 days to get pressed and polished and, once they are in it, they are unable to do anything useful.  The weather was glorious but 30°C in dark blue wool is also not very conducive to any activity.  So I was a bit fearful about how I was going to keep the girls under control.  Two children under the age of 5 could easily ruin the beautiful moments of the ceremony and the speeches.  However I am relieved to say they were little angels.  I don’t put this down to my exemplary parenting, but more due to the endless snack supply, activity books and basically letting them run round and round the garden.  The only point where we had minor tears was when we were about to leave and our eldest was worried she wasn’t going to get any wedding cake – a girl after my own heart. It was great having them there, we had a great time, the girls had a lovely time and it was one of those rare opportunities to get a nice family photo!

Six days later we were on our way to the second wedding.  Footloose and fancy free.  Almost too footloose, as in my haste to escape I forgot my shoes. Fortunately without children it is really easy to pop into a Tesco Extra and buy an emergency pair.  We checked into our hotel, got ready at leisure (no blues this time) and headed over to the venue.  We met lots of old friends who we hadn’t seen for a while and there was a risk we might both get too excited!  I think we got the right balance of enjoyment and even my husband joined in the antics on the dancefloor.  However, a couple of times through the day, he did say to me how nice it would have been to have the girls there with us.  I agreed to a point, replying that maybe it would have been nice for half an hour.

You always want what you haven’t got, but the important thing is to enjoy the moment and appreciate what you have, whether the kids are there or not.

#loveweddings

#loveweddingcake

#lovetescos

#loveprosecco

#withorwithoutyou