Wedding Belle

It seems life is full of milestones for Elin at the moment! 10th birthday, 3 years hospital-free (more on that in another blog!) and the final year of primary school to name but a few. Last weekend, she hit another one. First time being a bridesmaid!! This was a big one for me. It's just another right of passage that- all those years ago staring at a tiny baby on a ventilator in SCBU- I never even considered Elin would be lucky enough to make. I never realised how much I long for Elin to have ordinary little-girl experiences until they come along and then I can't believe our luck. It's an extremely fortunate position to be in.
It goes without saying how beautiful she looked and how proud we were to see her at my twin sister's wedding. She had a cold, had been up most of the night before and still managed a twelve-hour day in a completely unfamiliar environment with lots of voices and people she didn't know. What a trouper. She did minimal good sitting, but this was fine- I hadn't really expected her to sit well all day, it's sod's law after all (she had mostly done great sitting all week!!). I didn't worry about it. A few years ago we couldn't have even been sure she would make the day, certainly not last the whole day so we will, as usual, take small blessings as they come!!

Elin did manage to sit beautifully as she went down the aisle, pushed by my lovely Mum. I was so glad Mum had such an integral role in the service, that is, delivering the most important guest down the aisle!! Elin was followed by Caitlin and then me (I feel like I'm maybe a bit old to be a bridesmaid but I enjoyed every second and was grateful nobody tried to saddle me with the god-awful 'Matron of Honour' title!!) My photo's, by the way, are not great- surely the sign of a good day- far too busy having fun to get great pics!! That's what the photographer is for and we are looking forward to seeing the 'official' pics very soon! (I'm looking down in this shot presumably because I can't believe I have to stand next to a gorgeous 20-year old all day!!)

Caitlin and I had a ball being bridesmaids (a bit too much fun - I was still recovering on Monday and rumour has it Rosset Hall ran out of red wine that night!!). We shared a room in the hotel, as Super- Dad Paul brought Elin home in the evening once she had seen the night guests- we knew it would all be getting a bit much for her by then and Paul knew he would be dying for a cup of tea and a ginger biscuit! One of my favourite parts of the wedding was getting to spend some quality time with Caitlin even if she did lead me astray and make me do shots like a student!! It's completely her fault that I drank so much, honest!! Although if you can't drink a bit too much at your only sisters wedding then I don't know when you can :-) Caitlin sang at the ceremony and was, of course, brilliant. Regrettably we didn't get a video of her renditions of 'Fools Rush In" by Elvis, "At Last" by Etta James, or Elton John's "Your Song"-but suffice to say the registrar couldn't complete her tasks because she was so busy crying!! We were once again extremely proud. Elin was of course delighted to spend the day with her favourite person.

   My sister and her wife Katy looked absolutely stunning.  It was so amazing to see them both so happy and to share their perfect day. It was a joyous day, too, after some difficult times for the family this past year. I can't tell you how good it feels to know that your sister has found a life partner who is so awesome as Katy and who deserves her so thoroughly. Weddings are just such gorgeous, life-affirming occasions aren't they? Seeing all your nearest and dearest under one roof is truly good for the soul. The way everyone comes together to celebrate (in this case from as far away as Australia!!) and just pulls together to create a magical day for the special couple can't help but leave you with the warmest and fuzziest of feelings!! It makes you feel like everything will be ok. Love triumphs. Always.

Thanks to everyone who came and made a real effort to ensure the day was special, it really meant a lot. What I loved was seeing two families join together and just enjoy the amazing atmosphere that comes about when two people promise to spend the rest of their lives together. What could be better? On an even more personal level I think what Paul and I will cherish from the day aside from this is the image of Elin surrounded once again by such immense happiness and love. Tomorrow is twelve months since we lost Elin's little friend and cosmic twin, Ellie. We know how lucky we are. We take nothing for granted.

Have a great weekend, folks. May you always be as loved as a newlywed and as happy as an ageing,  drunken bridesmaid :-)

Ruth x