Queen for a day!

What does the mother of the Groom want from his wedding day.

She used to be the woman in his life and now like her husband handed over his daughter to another man, it's her turn to hand over her son to another woman.

She hopes that that other woman will look after him and that he will look after her. 

There is an old saying that goes.....

A son is your son 'till he takes him a wife,

but your daughter is your daughter for the rest of your life.

My son has always refuted the truth of this and is determined to prove it untrue.

We shall see!

He is getting a good woman for a wife...and she a good man...but then I am biased.

So what do I want on his wedding day?

I want him to be proud to say...

that's my mum! 

even tho' I know he will only have eyes for her.

I bought my outfit a year ago as I hate to be hassled at the last minute by shop assistants and time.

But like another mother of the groom reported.....I tried it all on...and changed my mind.

Why...

well it was just too ordinary.....and potentially too hot for the summer wedding I was hoping for.

And

I wanted a bit of drama!

How many chances in life are there for this,

very few.

And so I bought another outfit and accessories......in midnight blue....

only

to change my mind again.

I tried on Greek Goddess in my favourite turquoise covered in beads, which was divine, but a bit too OTT....

and finally fell in love with a similar style magenta silk maxi dress.....

more Celtic Princess!

and I love it.

By the time I had been through the pampering of hair an make up...I hardly recognised my self.

Believe me I will never look this good again!!!

So here goes with the photos....

The fascinator was gorgeous. The hairdresser told me that she had fixed my hair so that it wouldn't look flattened on one side when I took the fascinator off.

Who said anything about taking it off!!

Full length view.

Looking at these photos I began to wonder....how much have we changed since our own wedding.

Now....

...then!

Wowee! 43 years ago.

What a simple wedding it was. My mum made my dress...bridesmaid's mums made theirs. No evening do's in those days, we got into our going away outfits and off we went.

But honestly it was just as good.

My new mother in law had chosen the identical outfit to my going away outfit..in a different colour. She was mortified as I hadn't let on. Of all the outfits she could have chosen...I didn't mind at all, great minds think alike.

The photographers were brilliant, a husband and wife team both with cameras taking different shots.

She was so funny, instead of the usual 'say cheese', out popped a puppet to make us laugh. She had a tickling stick.....if  all else failed...seen on this photo. Grandbaby was NOT amused....he wasn't amused by much that day! Refused to lay a finger on the ring pillow....poor little mite.

Where we were 2 now we are 7.

The Wedding Breakfast was superb....the tables were all composers...labelled by her mum. We sat at Puccini.

It all looked so pretty. I must be the only person who also photographed the food!

The speeches were the funniest I had ever heard. Tears of laughter rolled down my face. Hearing your son described to perfection by his best man is a once in a lifetime occurrence.

Then we danced until midnight.

Enjoyed every minute.

Gave away 17 lucky horseshoes before I chickened out. The teal and the pink were the favourites, and they wore them on their handbags.

It was worth every double stitch of all the stuff that I (and you) tatted.

It's often said that a wife completes a man.....but in this case he really did need her to complete his collection!

Spot the latest one!

Married! One happy day.

As if the cake with the teal trimmings wasn't beautiful enough, the little people on the top had me enchanted.

Specially commissioned from photos of the bridal couple and their choice of clothes...they are too cute for words.

When they were taken off the cake and I could really see the details, I couldn't stop photographing them.

The detail on the dress is amazing, including beads...but the groom knocks me out...even to the specs that he normally wears with the white sides.

See what you think when you get to see the real couple......yes, yes I know that's what you came here for!!!!

Here he is the man of the moment!

Here she comes.....

A really lovely ceremony and it was all over.....

....and out to greet the guests.

                     Compare this shot of the back of the dress with that of the cake people.

Oh! how good he looks in that hat!

He finally took off his hat!

 Now I know you are all going to say.....what did I look like!!!

that will have to wait until tomorrow, or i will never get this blog post posted.

Pre wedding preparations!

After you have asked her to marry you and thought of a date.....the next biggie is WHERE to celebrate it.

My son always wanted to be married on a beach.....but the rules for a civil ceremony in Britain are quite strict....there has to be four solid walls!

Does anybody know why???

So they chose Sandhole Oak Barn in the beautiful Cheshire countryside, very near to where I spent my teenage years. A short while ago Battatter sent me a tatted Cheshire cat not knowing that I actually am a Cheshire lass (as well as by birth a Yorkshire lass).

This cat had a big influence on what I would wear for the wedding!

and my big smile !

Nice to get a tatting bit in!

I presume that Sandhole was once a working farm that has been turned into a wedding venue...great idea.

We...who needed to be pampered poshed up...arrived at the venue at 10am. The wedding wasn't until 2pm.

The brides father occupied his time by photographing the animals that were dotted around.

At this point it was almost raining! 

 The little pair of nesting ducks didn't seem to mind....they were already married!

The wedding venue had been created on the edge of the lake in the form of a large custom built oak barn.

Behind the doors you can see is the spot for the ceremony with the lake behind them....remember this for later!

Further along is the area for the wedding breakfast with sets of doors opening on to the deck, on the edge of the lake. Can you imagine how pretty this would have looked with blue sky and sunshine?

This is the courtyard at the entrance to the barn...all very prettily landscaped.

The original buildings have been converted into guest accommodation.

The wedding suite was stunning with it's own kitchen, living room and garden....what a pity that there is always another wedding the next day..so you can't stay longer.

Time to take a peak in side.

The area for the ceremony with it's grand piano was soon laid out. Doesn't it look pretty with the teal ribbons on the chairs.

As soon as the ceremony is over, the chairs will be whisked into the reception area and in the evening this are will be opened up to become the dance floor.

In the reception area...even the baby's high chairs are decorated.

In the reception area, the Wedding Bears were already waiting.......

........surrounded by matching swarovski crystals......

but

there was another couple waiting as well....

standing on that beautifully coordinating wedding cake were.......

We were all ready

more tomorrow!

Post wedding blues! and a new book.

Oh dear....it's all over....all that anticipation.....

it was WONDERFUL!

You were all there with me....in thought.

Will tell you more in the coming days.

Had a great holiday too...will tell you more.

Came home with a rotten throat infection, typical when you let your guard down after an event...and forget to take you preventative meds with you! Who thinks of getting a cold in August!

But

Postie brought something wonderful today...

Martha Ess's new book.

It's an animal tatters treasure trove.

There is one design in there that immediately took my fancy....but you will have to wait and see!

I haven't tatted for nearly two weeks....last tatted on the ferry going over....finishing horseshoes!

Wedding Stuff. Part11.Do you take...

Lily and Cristo....do you take this bear.......

.....I do. ....

I now pronounce you bear and wife

Tadgh moves quietly in to turn back the Brides veil....

At last we see her in all her beauty....unveiled!

You may kiss the bride!

Tadgh moves in with the confetti....he is the wedding co-ordinator!

I seem to recognize this confetti from the stag night .....mmmm! so who was it who got GB blotto????

......let the party begin!

OUT TAKE
I just have to show you this out take of what goes on behind the scenes!

 

Poor Cristo he just didn't have it in him after all he has been through.

MARRIED AT LAST!

Wedding Stuff. Part.10 The Stag Party!

I will draw a veil over the goings on at the stag party....

sufficient to say that when Lily Bear came down for her breakfast...

she found Cristo Bear ( for that is his name) flat out on the kitchen floor...

absolutely blotto!

Oh bear! was she mad....he is going to need those lucky shamrocks!!

Come on Lily cut him some slack! It's only one night!

(In case you are wondering why she is still wearing her wedding dress coming down to breakfast!!

She says that she is NEVER going to take it off!)

The two of us and the two of them!

This is a card I made for hubby for our 43rd wedding anniversary in June.

I thought this image was beautiful.

So here we are..the two of us trudging strolling along, on our way to our son's wedding.

I hope that they will be as happy as we have been.

Hubby thought this was even cuter that I realised because the two hedgehogs look like two Tenrecs. 

He has a pair of Tenrecs...you will have to google Tenrec if you are interested...long story.

Enough to say that they are not related to hedgehogs but to elephants and hyraxes!

And a card for them.

Wedding Stuff. Part 9. All finished!

All finished ready to pack in tissue in separate packages for the bride to open.

I just had to lay everything out.

Gosh I am staggered!

Tatting Rocks!