five years.

Five years ago today, John and I said our vows in front of our family and friends, and began our married life together. I thought that it would be fun to recall some of the slightly more unusual moments in the day, as this might make for a more interesting read than some sentimental words.

+ I got ready for our wedding in the flat that John and I were to live in for the first two and a half years of marriage. There was a little pathway that you had to walk down to get to the cars, and I remember noticing that on the morning of our wedding, the path was covered in slugs and snails from all of the rain we had been having. I asked my Mum if she would be able to move the snails before I walked to the wedding car, so that I wouldn't end up with any unwelcome critters on my dress. Of all the things I thought I would need my Mum's help with in life, I never would have thought of moving slugs on my wedding day. Thank you, Mum, you are truly wonderful.

+ We arrived at the Church ten minutes early, and so our driver drove around the block a couple of times to kill time. I remember thinking it was a shame he was going to waste unnecessary fuel, and did it really matter that I was early?

+ As I was standing in the entrance to the Church, one of my bridesmaids spotted that I had a green stain on the hem of my dress from some moss. Never mind the slugs, my poor dress didn't stand a chance of staying clean! And I had only been wearing it for an hour at this point. Thankfully, that same brilliant bridesmaid had a fabric stain remover in her hand bag (as you do...I never would have thought of this...) and it removed that green stain like it was its J.O.B.

+ I had to ask my Dad to carry my bouquet for me as I negotiated the stairs that led up to the main aisle in the Church. Although we had rehearsed the Bridal Procession, I had not anticipated that my feet would get caught in my dress. So, my Dad dutifully carried my bouquet in one hand, while I held my dress and linked arms with him. Again, not the glamours entrance I imagined, but I loved it anyway.

+ During our meal at the wedding reception, I remember turning to my Nanny (maternal grandmother) and asking her what the time was. It was 5pm. I turned to John and declared how incredibly tired I was, all of a sudden. He felt the same, so I asked him if we could go and have a nap. I never thought I would want a nap on my wedding day, but I did, and I didn't have one.

+ My poor sister had two drinks spilled all over her during our wedding celebrations - the first by a waitress at the restaurant where we ate on the eve of our wedding. The second, by a waiter at our wedding. What are the chances of that?

+ John and I did not have a first dance. He is much taller than I am, and the only experience we had had of dancing together prior to our wedding was at a ceilidh. It did not go well, and it certainly wasn't pretty or romantic. So I wanted to spare us the embarrassment, even though I had always secretly loved those surprise wedding dances, and John is actually a brilliant dancer. Anyhow, a few years after our wedding, it transpired that some of our closest friends had a memory of our first dance - that it had been a brilliantly choreographed affair. I loved that they created this false memory of something I had secretly wanted to do, although I would never have had the courage to actually go through with it.

Here's to celebrating the milestones in marriage, and delighting in the ordinary moments that make up much of life too.