Waking up thinking, woah, it’s actually my wedding day
My maid of honour Ally coming into my room shouting happy wedding day
Being joined downstairs by all my bridesmaids and the buzz of excitement while we all started getting our hair and makeup done
Trying to force myself to eat something on the morning of my wedding, but nerves took over so I just picked at bits
My mum arriving to get ready with us and shouting ‘It’s finally here!!’
Leaving the B&B we stayed in the night before, and the owner coming downstairs with a box of penis chocolates saying “urm, you forgot these”
Driving into our wedding venue and seeing a sign saying “Chris & Lisa” and it suddenly feeling very real
Walking into the venue and seeing my photographer who said “brilliant pyjamas mate”
Seeing my venue decorated and thinking “woah, this is for my wedding”
Seeing my wedding cake and all my flowers for the first time and thinking how fantastic they looked, and it feeling like all my Pinterest dreams were coming to life
My daughter and nieces arriving to get ready with us, and seeing how excited they were
Giving my bridesmaids, flower girls and my mum the cards I wrote for them
My bridesmaid Beth reading her card, and after previously declaring nothing could make her cry, telling me the card broke her
My photographer suggesting that I open the card Chris wrote for me before my makeup is finished, in case I cried
Reading the card Chris wrote, and crying
My niece Charlotte putting on her flower girl dress and saying “when I’m older I’m going to give this to my little girl”
The flower girls having their hair done, and Ivy spending the whole time pulling a face of disgust
Having to pretend to have my photo taken so that my bridesmaid Amy could actually take a photo of my niece Orlaith without being noticed
My flower girls running around and playing together while we got ready
My niece Jessica who wasn’t very well, telling me “She had to pretend to not be poorly, because she had to be a flower girl”
My photographer coming up to me and saying “I don’t know what this means, but Phil is here” and being relieved that my brother had made it
Seeing Chris and his groomsmen arriving and feeling so proud to see Reuben looking so grown up in his suit
Starting to see our guests arrive and my nerves starting
After being told that my sister-in-law Becky was too ill to make it earlier in the morning, hearing that she was on her way to the ceremony and bursting into tears
My maids of honour Ally and Constance helping me to get into my dress
Having all four bridesmaids help with the many buttons and layers of the dress
Doing a first reveal with my parents and seeing their faces
Ivy seeing me in my dress and shouting “OH MUMMY PRETTY DRESS”
Getting ready to walk down the aisle and downing a glass of prosecco and my dad laughing
Hearing Edith Whiskers, Can’t Help Falling in Love play and thinking woah this is it as I was about to walk down the aisle
Hearing Ivy shout ‘Daddy!’ as she walked down the aisle and everyone awwing
Chris’s grandad being the first person I saw as I entered the room, and him giving me a thumbs up and a smile
The look on Chris’s face as he turned around to see me walking down the aisle
Thinking I whispered “don’t cry” to Chris but hearing people laugh when I realised I wasn’t whispering
The readings from my mum and our friend Jamie
Being so incredibly proud of Reuben for giving us the rings in the ceremony
Signing the register and hearing Barry Louis Polisar, All I Want Is You playing while we signed the register and remembering one of our first dates when we heard this played in our favourite pub
High-fiving Chris after it was declared we were husband and wife
Fist bumping Reuben as we walked back up the aisle
Hiding from everyone while they left the ceremony barn, and just being like “AHH!” at each other
After worrying I hadn’t bought enough confetti, realising I absolutely did buy enough confetti, maybe even too much confetti
Ivy shouting “AGAIN” after everyone had thrown confetti and picking bits up off the floor to throw
Saying hello to all our friends and family and just being so happy to see them
Hugging absolutely everyone
Absolutely everything about how happy my godmother was
Our photographer Hannah putting a stuffed hedgehog on her head to get a photo of Ivy
My brother hugging me and telling me he loved me, which then made me cry
Ivy sitting on the back of my dress and insisting I pulled her along
Watching all my nieces and nephews playing together, and seeing my adopted uncles son joining in
Hiding upstairs in the bar with Chris while everyone sat down for the wedding breakfast and just being like “OMG WE GOT MARRIED” at each other
Everything about the speeches and feeling overwhelmed by the nice things our friends and family had to say during them
Reuben deciding he wanted to say a few words at the end of the speeches, expecting him to say something special, only to tell us who the president of Sengal was
Going around the tables between each course to say hello to our guests
Seeing my godparents taking selfies with everyone on their table
Taking the term ‘fight to get through this gap’ from our photographer very literally and me and Chris pissing ourselves laughing
Laughing our heads off with our second photographer Rhys, because we were amazed at how long he could make himself
Our evening guests arriving and seeing everyone excited to be there
Attempting to get into a vintage ice cream van in a giant wedding dress
Just absolutely everything about the ice cream van
Not really knowing how to cut a cake and wishing we practised this bit
Doing our first dance and thinking gosh this was a long song choice
Being amazed that my friends’ partner recognised that our first dance was from the Juno soundtrack
My friend Mikey sliding across the dance floor and seeing them living their best life
My niece Rosie dancing with my friend Mikey, and my cousin Penny
Dancing with my adopted uncle, like I did when I was 13
My friend Sam requesting The Cupid Shuffle for a second time because she missed it
Surprising my parents and seeing them dancing to the song that played at their wedding
Taking lots of photos for my friend Nik with my nephew William
My mum being absolutely hammered
Photobombing my friends in the photo booth
Doing shots with my boss
Requesting jager bombs whenever anyone offered me a drink
Watching my friends Sam and David, who also got married at Dodmoor dancing together
Throwing pick and mix at my friend Nik when he fell asleep in the corner
Hearing my friend’s partner go up to another guest and say “Hello again Dave, we met at the urinal” and absolutely losing it
Standing under an umbrella in the rain with Chris and our two photographers as they said goodbye and thanks for all the laughs
Dancing with my friends Sam and Tasha with my niece Charlotte, and just watching Charlotte have fun
Being the last one on the dance floor with my niece Charlotte
Standing there at the end of the night when everyone had gone home, turning to Chris and saying “Well that was mad, wasn’t it?”
Chris unable to undo the buttons on my dress and thinking I was going to have to wear it forever, before eventually freeing me so we could collapse and sleep for a week
Photography by our incredible photographer – Hannah Hall Photography
