Sunday, January 19, 2014

28 Years

It's all about nostalgia today.

Iven and I did manage to make it to out 28th wedding anniversary. So to celebrate I did this. Just to see if it still fit.


 And it did.

Trying it on brought back a whole lot of memories. The proposal - there wasn't really one. It was just a weird incident a short while after we'd been going out when someone asked when were going to get married and me, totally embarrassed by the question because it HAD only been a couple of months, answered 'who'd said anything about marriage?' which really upset Iven because he'd been thinking about it already, being that he was 32 and feeling a little left on the shelf or maybe he was totally smitten with this woman who wasn't scared to put her arm up a cow's backside as long as the cow was well restrained.

I remembered all the hours of ironing I had to do to pay off the dress. Back then I was just finishing uni and my income came from ironing at $5 an hour. At $250 the dress was 50 hours worth of ironing and that didn't include the alteration.

I remembered just how hot it was the day we got married. How it had rained for a lot of the morning. How we were trying to come up with contingency plans for our afternoon out door reception. But how the sun came out just in time to turn the day into a sauna. How the sweat ran down my legs during the ceremony. But how it really didn't bother me.


My four sisters were my bridesmaids along with Iven's niece. Somehow I'd forgotten to let them know that Iven had a slightly unusual middle name - Newbury. When Iven Newbury Donaldson was asked to take me as his wife the whole female side of the bridal party started to giggle.


This next photo is a particular favourite. It's just so 80s. The big hair thanks to bad perms. The mullets - 'business at the front, party at the back' hair. The bouquets that the florist got totally wrong but we'd used anyway because what would we do with our hands if there wasn't a bouquet to hold. The necklaces that had been made by a family friend out of bread and glue that were just what I wanted.


And then there was the cake. It was beautiful. Made by the pastry chef brother of my brother in law.
It was put on a table that wasn't quite level and the cake tiers were really only balancing on the little champagne flutes.

I didn't actually see when they all came tumbling down but I knew something had happened when I found myself cutting a two-tiered cake.


Then there were all the other memories that there are no photographs of. My Dad's wet eyes as he walked me down the aisle. My little baby niece, Nicole, in her baby capsule. My sister having to reverse the top of her outfit because it had been too long since she'd fed her baby. The smell of sardines on the breath of our old neighbour when she kissed me - certainly one way not to get forgotten. Picking embedded rice out of my skin later on when I finally could take the dress off because that stuff had gotten everywhere.

Before the day I'd been worried that I'd find it all a huge ordeal. I hated being centre of attention and it's hard not to be when you're the bride but it ended up being such a wonderful day that I really enjoyed. And it wasn't a big fancy event. A lot of what was needed was done by family and friends. But that's what made it even more special. 

And if I had to do it all again, I'd probably do it the same way. But with a dress that was a little less taffeta and a lot less big sleeves and frills.  

22 comments:

  1. Congratulations. 28 years is definitely something to celebrate!

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  2. Wow, you are drowning in that dress - though you were kinda drowning in it 28yrs ago and I guess that was the fashion back then. Love that the stuff that does / can go wrong are often the nicest memories.

    Happy anniversary! xxx

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  3. OH - Happy Anniversary #28!!!
    You look amazing now and 28 years ago!!
    I love all of your memories of the day and the pictures you shared!!!
    That cake on the champagne flutes is amazing - even if part of it somehow toppled!

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  4. Oh my. Happy anniversary! That dress! That hair! That cake! (I see it was the middle tier that was sacrificed, and someone wisely swapped out the little champagne flutes for sturdier pillars.)

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  5. We are at 15 years and every year Dawn still puts of her dress for a party...

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  6. Love it Char, what a special day. We had our reception at the Golf Links- had a limo to take us to the hotel and no drinks. Our driver offered to stop at the Shell servo to "pick something up" :)

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  7. Love it Char, what a special day. We had our reception at the Golf Links- had a limo to take us to the hotel and no drinks. Our driver offered to stop at the Shell servo to "pick something up" :)

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  8. Oh, I love all these memories! Congratulations!

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  9. Happy Anniversary! Thanks for sharing all your wonderful memories.

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  10. Happy Anniversary! Our 25th anniversary is in March and my photos are very 80s as well.

    Thanks for sharing your memories and may you continue to make happy memories together for many more years to come!

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  11. p.s. It's amazing that you can still fit in your dress! I'm positive that I can't fit into mine!

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  12. Congratulations! Too funny about the cake. These days you'd be the one making it! I am trying to think what I'll do when I retire but it won't be ironing! I don't see what is funny about Iven's middle name.

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  13. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary and thank you for taking us on your memory lane.

    You might not like the dress now but back then it was perfect for your wedding, everything matched.

    Here's to many happy years for the both of you.

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  14. Happy Anniversary! I think you look beautiful, in an 80's Princess Diana fairytale sort of way. I remember thinking the fashions of the 80's were so 'normal' we'd never be laughing at them. Ha!

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  15. What drew up to those big sleeves anyhow? My, how things change but it is a beautiful dress. I just had to pop over and say THANK YOU so much on your comment about stress. I feel like I just received the best virtual hug ever!

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  16. Happy Anniversary, lovely memories xx

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  17. Super sweet post! Happy Anniversary :)

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  18. congratulations! I loved the photos...such amazing memories! also loved the hair...I'm an 80s girl too so remember the permed hair with mall bangs very well! so funny...hope I can also fit into my wedding dress 28 years later!!

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  19. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary! Beautiful pictures of you!

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  20. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary! Beautiful pictures of you!

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  21. Congratulations! Happy Anniversary! Very beautiful - you, the memories, and your love!

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  22. Oh look at you! I love this post, love your wedding memories. And after all these years, still in love. You are an inspiration!

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