(No audio today, sorry, too much else going on)
Hi folks, welcome to a surprise Saturday Sundries! I'm getting married tomorrow, so you're getting this a day early and, shockingly, on my mind this week isā¦getting married!
So this is a small event. We had a proper wedding ceremony on Sept 11th 2021. It was everything we wanted, and amazing, and wonderful, but I hadn't quite managed to finish jumping through the hoops to get my Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), to change my birth certificate.
So some of the wording was changed, to indicate our intent to marry a bit later on, and we did everything else.
It was wonderful.
We used the chapel at Keele University, which is the place where we met. And we know the chaplains so that was awesome.
We showed up with some friends to decorate with pretty things.
The main ceremony was conducted by James, what they call the āfree churchā chaplain (basically, any christian denomination not CofE or CatholicāJames is URC). We had two friends, a married couple, Ali & Steve, who are CofE vicars at their church in North London do the sermon (Steve) and the prayers (Ali). And we had spiritual but not biblical thingsāsome poetry, that sort of thingārather than any hymns, as well as the readings.
We walked ourselves up the aisle together, to the Skyhold theme from Dragon Age: Inquisition (we bonded as friends over a love of Dragon Age & Bioware).
I'm especially proud of how we dressed because, well, look:
Cuddles looked wonderful in that burnt orange dress (that I managed to bleed on literally minutes after we got it). She's also wearing my sandals because her trainers were too hot. And that loooooooong train that she managed not to trip over at all, by some miracle!
And I got my burnt orange waistcoat, blue everything else, and an over-the-shoulder cape. Because why the fuck not? Also, not able to be seen in the photo: eyeliner and gold lipstick.
It was a wonderful service. Then we sent everyone outside, and came out to get bubbles blown all over us. Because everyone loves blowing bubbles. And the remaining unopened bottles were taken away for use with various kids, of course.
We did photos, and by the time that was all done, things had been shifted around to be socialātables put into place, with gorgeous centrepieces made by a very crafty friend, Sheila.
Both of us did a little thank you speech, then left the floor open for anyone else, and we had some wonderful people say some wonderful things.
Cuddles danced with her dad, Mark, aka CuddleDad (and by dance I mean shuffled in a circle and wound up all their feet in her train). Then we did one. Then the playlist Iād made was put on shuffle, and very tasty food arrived (paid for by another friend, Dave). The cake Cuddles had made was gorgeous, and we had some really cool 3D trees (designed by PMal!) And we spent the evening chilling out, chatting to people, etc.
The lights stayed up, the music stayed hearable but not too loud, we and some other had brought drinks, both alcoholic and not. One guest, Francis, had baked cupcakes for everyone.
It was all just amazing.
Then we went back to our hotel, and off on honeymoon the next day.
It was a perfectly Cuddleses wedding. Lovely people who we love. Lovely too nice things being said. And, of course, the two of us managing to make each other cry with our vows.
We neither want nor need to do that again. That was our wedding day, this is just us finishing it off! Itās not nothing, but itās also not that.
So we're off back to Keele, with CuddleDad and friend Matt, where the CofE Chaplain, Steph, with her husband in tow, will marry us. Then we're being taken for a fancy lunch at a tea room. Then home.
It's still gonna be a lovely day, and at the end of it we'll have those memories too, plus a new piece of paper saying we're legally married.
I love her. So much. More steadily, more constantly, more surprisingly, more completely than I thought I knew how. There's nobody else I would ever want to snark at, and be snarked back at by, for the rest of my life.
Hereās a few more pictures. I have a LOT, but these are some of my faves. Feel the queer and trans joy!
Alright, thatās all for this week! Next time Iām undoubtedly going to tell you all about the honeymoon we had, including making many kitty friends, Cuddlesā first palm tree, and more.
Til then, have a great week! And please do subscribe, and share!
Y'all ARE the cutest! This is pure JOY!!!!