Thursday, May 13, 2010

My Wedding

I am really very very happy to be married to my husband. My parents flew over from England for what was to be an intimate affair with less than 30 guests. We wanted our wedding to be special but did not want it to turn into a huge production so we decided to get married in a house my parents were to rent on the beach with only family and a few close friends. Villa Loyd
The house was amazing and we got married right on the beach. There were some stressful things about organizing the wedding. Actually the fact that it was so small meant that most of the leg work was down to us, but in the end everything worked out perfectly.
My parents arrived on the Sunday before and we collected them from Cancun airport. My parents had met my husband before and already were very taken with him. The weather was unseasonably warm for April which was nice in a way - but a little difficult for my parents who prefer a good hike through the rain in the lake district in England than a day lounging on a tropical beach, dipping in and out of the water!!!! That said, my mother was very brave in the water and was looking very comfortable swimming in the Ocean at the feet of the house by the end of her stay. Next trip snorkeling, and perhaps the trip after scuba?
I'd ordered two sundresses from England back when I lived in New York, one in blue and the other in white. I remember thinking 'I can't wear the white one, it looks like a wedding dress'. I put the dress into a drawer and thought little more about it. As it turned out it worked perfectly for a beach wedding in Mexico, even the embroidery looked a little Mexican in style. Then last October, when I returned to England for a few weeks I bought a veil and a little gold hair grip:
My aunt Jude in England could not make it to the wedding but sent me a little box containing an old gold watch which belonged to my grandmother. I'd not seen the watch in years and holding it in my hand brought images of my grandmother flooding back. We were very close and It meant a lot to have her special watch on my arm on the day of my wedding. I know she would have loved to have been there, and in a way I think she was:
"SOMETHING OLD - my grandmother's watch, SOMETHING NEW - my veil, SOMETHING BORROWED - Allie lent me some diamond earrings, which I think had belonged to her grandmother, SOMETHING BLUE - a blue bead in my locket".
My husband wore a traditional guayabera shirt with a pink rose in its pocket:
A good friend here on the Island, Josie had asked if she could buy my bouquet as a wedding gift. I chose light pink roses and dark pink daisies. It worked perfectly with my dress.
Allie was my bridesmaid and thankfully stayed in Playa Del Carmen for the whole next week, which gave me some time to catch up with her properly and get to know her lovely son Griffin:
A friend Tanya is a wedding photographer and kindly took pictures of us as a wedding gift. She turned up an hour before the wedding and took pictures of us in the house and on the beach:



I walked onto the beach with my dad who handed me over gladly to my husband. I think my dad has been waiting to give me away for a very long time and he was very happy, especially since the bright sun gave him an excuse to wear a hat for the occasion (my dad likes to wear hats!).
My new nephews, Alex and Jesus gave readings from the Gospel of St John:
My yoga teacher, spiritual guide and friend Selene conducted part of the service with a beautiful meditation on love. This was a very special part of the wedding for me as I meditate in a group with Selene twice a week and these meditations and my yoga have been an integral part of my really finding myself since I came to Cozumel.
We were married a little after 6, by Fr. John Skivington, a priest from England who'd married my parents years ago, and we think christened me (but no one can really remember this). He gave us the cross in his hands as a gift (it will have pride of place on our terrace when the house is built!).

It was wonderful for me that my special friends Cat, Hans and Allie were able to make it to the wedding from Germany and the States as well as Sophia from Playa Del Carmen and Josie from the Island.

Another good friend on the Island, Monica gave us our cake as her wedding present. My mam had ordered beach wedding figures in outfits which matched mine and hubby's:
We were given lots of generous gifts from friends in the US, England and here on the Island. We're enjoying some beautiful cotton bedding, new glasses and plates and are looking forward to sleeping on a new mattress that we have ordered with all of the $$ gifts. Most of the money we received will go towards building our new home. Thank you all so much for your generosity - it was lovely to know that friends and family were thinking of us even though they could not make it to the wedding. I also wanted to say that it was very difficult limiting the number of people we invited. There were many people who we would have loved to have had there but the numbers would have gotten out of hand and our little intimate gathering would have turned into a crazy party. I hope no one is offended by their lack of invite, there were many of you who we would have loved to share our day with. That said, I found it difficult to speak to all of the people who did make it to the wedding and I have no idea how brides manage to pass the time with all of their guests when they invite 100's of people!
It was especially nice to have my parents and brother there for the whole week of our wedding as we were really able to spend time with them - I think it also allowed them to get a real sense of our feelings for each other which hopefully made them feel a little happier about the fact that their daughter was to marry a Mexican and settle on a continent some 8 hour flying distance from home.
How does it feel to be married - well pretty much the same as it felt just living together. I feel very loved and secure. He is one of the most honest and kind people I have ever met, he's my best friend and he brings out the best aspects of me. Our marriage brought about a subtle change, in that our bond feels a little tighter. Its nice to make vows to each other in front of family and friends. It also feels nice to wear his ring on my finger and see him wearing mine.