Love, Always.

There are few occasions in life for which a special kind of excitement is reserved; the nervous energy that builds gradually and comes like a crescendo leaving you in that delicious bubble of contented isolation from reality. 

These occasions are usually reserved for life's big fanfare moments like engagements, weddings, and - I should imagine - the birth of a child. And, sometimes, if you are lucky, someone invites you to join them in their crescendo. 

Mr M and I were recently invited to just such an occasion.Mr M's cousin, previously Miss M, invited us to her wedding that took place last weekend. Mr M was lucky enough to be asked to be a part of her wedding and be an Usher. 

The wedding was, naturally, a beautiful day and was made even more special by the fact that Miss M is a vicar and was getting married in her own church. 

Photo Credit to James Peacock Photography

It was a brilliant day filled with laughter, cake, congratulations, and beautifully dressed people. The bride was gorgeous, the weather was sublime, the food was great, and most importantly the ceremony was perfect. It was, without fail, the perfect wedding day.

However, sometimes I think that people forget what a wedding is all about. I had a brief chat with a fellow guest who was saying that, for the first time, they had realised that they quite like a good wedding. They told me that they had gotten into the habit of dreading weddings, and to be honest, I have spoken to quite a few people before now who have attended too many weddings and feel the same. Isn't that such a shame?

I am very lucky to be able to say that I have only ever been to a handful of weddings, including my own, and the weddings I have been to have, in the majority, been weddings of people that I am close to so I have always looked forward to them, including this one! 

I have a habit, possibly a bad one, of taking time to bow out of the excitement and to watch at occasions like these. I like to see other people's smiles, hear the encouraging words of wisdom, and watch people come to life on the dance floor. It is an opportunity to really see.

A wedding is a beautiful thing, but a strong and happy marriage holds more beauty than a thousand weddings strung together with bunting. 

With this in mind, I write now to you; 

The new Mr and Mrs W,

Your wedding day was perfection and there was true content in your happiness. The ceremony was perfect, the sermon was poignant and heartfelt, the way the congregation sang the hymns sent shivers down my spine and goosebumps over my arms (thank you for choosing my favourite hymn, by the way, I didn't even know I had one until I was singing it probably a bit too loudly!) .  

But once the wedding was over, the hymns had been sung, the vows had been made, and the band had gone home, that is when the beauty really began. In both of you as individuals I see true strength, a strength that will now start to grow together. A strength that will see you through. 

In life they say the best things are free; things like birdsong, laughter.....blackberries! Sometimes I think the best things in life are unseen. What you two have together only you two will know. There is no one else in the world that can know your marriage and relationship like you. You have in each other a sanctuary that can only become safer. When you bicker, when you fight, when you have frustrations with each other you do it together. Build on that. Build the strength and take solace in it when you need to. 

Never feel as though you have nothing left to learn about each other, never forget what brought you together, think always of those moments that make you smile without realising it. Think always of each other and never feel dread in the mundane every day, that is what makes you. 

Marriage means different things to different people and I can only tell you what it means to me. It means faith, it means truth, it means patience, and it means growth. You will find your own paths to follow together, just take the time to listen to the birdsong, laugh and eat the blackberries. Be content in yourselves. Be happy. Love always. 

You both deserve every moment of happiness that can be brought to you. I wish you every bit of good luck for your future, not that you'll need it. 

Thank you for letting us share your day, and thank you for letting us share your bubble. 

Big love to you; Mr and Mrs W, 

from Mr and Mrs M. x