My Maid of Honour's Wedding Diary

I'm going to be a Maid of Honour!

When Sue asked me to be Maid of Honour, I was genuinely surprised - I knew my kids would be Bridesmaid and Pageboy, but it had never entered my mind that I might be part of the wedding party.  At once I was extremely honoured.  Then for months afterwards I was really excited!  I was part of something that was going to be amazing!

Choosing THE Dress!

I absolutely loved looking at wedding dresses and have learnt that when looking at dresses, you shouldn't necessarily have in mind a particular 'type' because they look so different on the hanger to how they look on the actual Bride to be. However, once you have settled on your type, i.e. fairytale princess / column / mermaid, etc., again be careful not to say no to trying on something that doesn't look great on the peg - it's amazing how different they look in real life! The first time an assistant in a wedding boutique suggested Sue try on a particular dress, my first thought was 'how can we get out of here as soon as possible without appearing rude?' I just couldn't understand why she suggested such an un-impressive looking dress! How wrong I was and how right she was - she obviously works in the right profession because Sue looked beautiful in it. Unfortunately, the discovery that many styles and types of dresses looked good only made the search for the perfect dress harder!

On one occasion Sue tried a dress without me being there and she decided it was the one! I was so disappointed that she found it without me present. Luckily, we saw another dress afterwards that was absolutely stunning - this one most definitely was The One! Sitting having coffee afterwards was a little bit frustrating - I wanted to buy it now - I couldn't wait for it to be altered and delivered! Whenever I pass that coffee shop I get all excited remembering that day. For me, it was a major part of the wedding organisation and it felt like such a milestone when the dress had been decided.

The months leading up to the Big Day...

I visited the Venue in June and when I saw it I remarked how beautiful it would look covered in snow - the ideal fairy tale! When in reality it did snow, it was more breathtaking than I imagined on that boiling hot days six months earlier.

I believe it is custom for the Maid of Honour to arrange the Hen Night. Luckily, Sue asked her good friend to organise it rather than me as I am the person they named the proverbial 'couldn't organise a drinking session in a brewery' after.

I wanted to do more, but living so far away from Sue made it difficult, but I did manage to decorate the pinecones we'd collected in silver glitter, along with the Groom, Jamie. Also, I got to practise helping Sue on with her dress, and that was the start of the panic creeping into my psyche! I was worried about pulling the ribbons on the corset to tightly and ripping them, then once I'd overcome that fear I was worried I hadn't pulled both sides in equally so it was wonky!

One week to go...

Sue is a natural organiser, and every 'i' and 't' were dotted and crossed. This was apparent two nights before the wedding when the Bride, Groom and I got everything laid out in their front room so we could load up the cars the next morning and make our way through the snow to the venue.

It was about now that my excitement that had started months earlier now gave way to tension, anxiousness, panic and thrill! There really was no reason for me to have the first three feelings, as everything was organised and it was all checked off the list and all ready to go, but I think it was just a natural, rather pessimistic view that something might not get ticked off the checklist! It was like being a child on Christmas Eve - I couldn't sleep because I wanted the day to be here!

One day to go...

After about 3 hours sleep due to excitement and a bad cough, brought more panic - Jamie couldn't fit everything in his car and mine was packed to the rafters. Luckily Sue reorganised the car boot in her calm manner and we were all packed up and on our way, slowly, through the snow, to the venue.

Once we had unpacked car at the venue we had the rehearsal, and it made it all the more real. My heart was pounding as I walked slowly down the aisle - I've no idea why though!

Sue and I had planned to have an early night in the hotel the night before the wedding, but it didn't work out that way. Family and friends were appearing and we ended up in the bar chatting the evening away. I did remember to put my hair curlers in though!


The Big Day is finally here...

During the night, thanks to the coughing and the excitement, I think we all got about 2 hours sleep...if that. I had imagined we would be rushing around in a panic, but here we were, at 7am enjoying a leisurely breakfast with hours to go! All of a sudden, it was 10am and we hadn't even started getting ready! How had three hours gone so quickly?

Again, Sue managed to calm me down when I was panicking about the ribbons on her corset, and we both had a panic about our hair. Then, all of a sudden I happened to glance out of the window and I saw Jamie and the Pageboys getting into the car. Then it was real. At that moment, after all the preparation, all the impatient counting down of the days, all the panic and all the tension of the last few hours were gone. It was here. Then came the nerves!


Time to go...

Due to our poor time-management, we didn't really have time for nerves. After some photos it was our turn in the car to drive up to the venue. When we arrived and were waiting in our allotted orders at the entrance to the room, it was like the morning of Christmas - it was here and I was just about to find out what Santa had brought me!

After getting to the bottom of the aisle I waited with everyone else to see Sue and her dad walk down the aisle. Sue handed me her bouquet and before I knew if they were man and wife!

The Reception

The rest of the day and evening were wonderful. Everything went as planned and I didn't want the day to end.

During the course of the day and evening, a couple of people remarked that I looked as if I was the one who had just got married, due to the fact that I looked so happy. But I was just so overjoyed for Sue and Jamie, Sue in particular. They are so suited to one another - they are each other's lobsters! I'm so pleased to have been a part of their day.

Article by Jo, our Maid of Honour - December 2010


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