Getting married was never on my bucket list. Not really. Yet just over 6 months ago I found myself doing the whole shebang. White dress and everything. Marriage was something I liked the idea of but I never really knew I wanted to get married till I met Bear. Having a pinterest board is one thing, declaring you’re Ride or Die in front of your nearest and dearest is a whole different ball game. And it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. In fact, it’s one I make every day when I wake up to my wonderful weirdo. The wedding was amazing, but the marriage, well, the marriage is the best part.
After flying out to Italy to photograph my Dad’s wedding (6 months to the date of when me and Bear tied the knot) it felt like a good a time as any to revisit our wedding. Which yeah guys, it means a bunch of photo spam. And me crying before the end of this post. Not. Even. Sorry.
I’ve worked in events for near enough my entire adult life. I genuinely thought planning a wedding would be a cake walk. With my little black book everything was going to be plain sailing. LOLZ. Who am I kidding? It was a nightmare. But only some of the time. I was working with a very small budget and went with a village hall which actually came with a lot of restrictions and caused the bulk of my problems. We spent the night before my wedding decorating the room, and the night OF my wedding taking it back down again. While I adored our venue, how central it was and the fact the ceremony and reception were in the same building, this was maybe not the best decision I made. Logistically. Emotionally. Though definitely financially. Great choice if you’re watching the pennies. Luckily I surrounded myself with a bunch of bad ass talented babes who kept my head and heart in check when both felt like they were going to explode and called in every favour imaginable to make the whole thing come together. From killer art direction (thanks Ayden) to invitation design (thanks Karen) I was in super safe hands. Which helped. Along with letting go of a weird pinterest daydream that in truth was neither Bear or I’s style. Cats however. Cats were definitely in.
We got married on Friday the 13th. 6 years to the day we met. November isn’t exactly high season for weddings so we had to be a little creative with our photography. When we saw Tub of Jelly’s website we knew. Her tone, her disney gifs and of course, her film like style was it for it. We worked with her to make sure we made the most of natural light which meant the bulk of our photographs were done before the ceremony. Which was actually kind of perfect. Our house had been abuzz with make-up artists, hairdressers, bridesmaids, groomsmen and A LOT of prosecco. It was nice to step away for a moment and just be together. The rest of our day was going to be among friends, but this was for us.
I never thought I would have a traditional wedding, yet there was elements that were important for me to keep. The white dress was an accident (an entirely beautiful accident after a beautiful peach and gold one got vetoed by the bridal party) but I knew I wanted my Dad to walk me down the aisle. We ended up a colour scheme (yeah I didn’t see that one coming) of pink, red and gold and a loose theme of cats, confetti and glitter (a stark contract to Bear and I’s daily monochrome) but honestly it was perfect. We got to infuse everything we loved in to one big day. It was like sneaking little pop-culture Easter eggs in to our day for us to enjoy. Walking down the aisle to Steven Universe – Be Whoever You Are, Adventure Time Bride and Grooms and using Sailor Moon as a reference point for my hair/headpiece. It’s some of these small details that I love. Ada reading Margaret Atwood – Variations on the Word Love, Johnny playing Magnetic Fields after the ceremony, Paul’s ring not fitting,Nick & Sean djing. Sheri’s speech. My Dad’s speech. The crying. So much crying. Mostly by me.
What do I remember the most though? Walking down the aisle and seeing my husbands face. Looking out at our ceremony and feeling so incredibly loved. I felt so blessed to have so many beautiful people sharing our day with us. To have that many people you love all together in one room, wishing you the best felt incredible. Coming out in a crowd of confetti before getting ready to party with warm beer and popcorn. I remember my Dad’s speech. Sean’s speech. Sheri’s speech. PAUL’S speech (a grooms welcome like no other.) Our awkward first dance. My dance with my Dad. Dancing with my girls to 00’s emo and r&b. Having the time of my life.
Our wedding day wasn’t perfect. The welcome drinks were warm, the weather was dreich and we got locked out of our flat but it was right for us. We spent the day with those we love the most as we celebrated the odd little family we’ve built for ourselves. Every day I’m glad to have this spectacularly funny, talented, smart and goofy man in my life. He makes me brave and excited for the future. And truly? I couldn’t love him more.
Photography and Video: Tub of Jelly
Headdress: Rene Walrus
Wedding Dress: Rowan Joy
Flowers: Floral Menagerie
Table Cloths and Paper Lanterns: Ginger and Lime
Shoes: Topshop
Hair: BLOW
Nails: Swoon
Make-up: Molly Sheridan
Bridesmaid dresses: Tara Starlet
Leather jacket: Dirty Disco Vintage
Bridesmaids champagne bags: Luna on the Moon
Grooms outfit: Slaters
Food: Three Sisters Bake
Jake and Lady Ranicorn: Tatty Bon
Entertainment: Bygone Photo Booth and Monster Hospital
Want to see more? Buy Issue 7 of Rock n Roll Bride
Quirky Glasgow Wedding Film | Claire & Paul | Partick Burgh Hall from Tub of Jelly on Vimeo.