YES, IT FINALLY HAPPENED. We finally tied the knot. Got hitched. Said I DO! I have to say, the whole build-up to the day and the day itself, felt so surreal. It had been such a long time coming and having moved the wedding last year due to COVID, we’ve waited long enough.
So as I sit here, very much back down to earth with a bump and still wearing the bridal dressing gown that I wore the morning of my wedding, I wanted to reflect. What is it like finally being a Mrs? Does it feel any different? Why did I take my partner’s last name – and all that jazz. So let’s get into it.
Wearing –V by Very Ruffle Sleeve Printed Blouse – Floral | Rings from – Beaverbrooks and Goldsmiths
Wearing –First up, being married feels no different really to how it was when we were engaged. We’re still living together in the same place we bought together when we got engaged. There have been no further additions to the home and we still have our fur baby Ronnie (who was there to share our special day – I’m itching to see the photos!) with us.
I discussed this with my HUSBAND Sam, who agreed with me that we both felt more protective over each other. Like, if someone picked a fight with Sam, I’ll start throwing hands – Jokes, but seriously – I’m not. It’s just a shift I guess that we’re finally family. We’re connected, albeit legally and not by blood (yet), but it feels more serious. I mean you can’t get much more serious beyond being married.
With that being said, let’s dive into a few Q&As that no one really asked for but it helps me get over my post-wedding blues. P.S. I’m also going to do a crap load of content going forward on the wedding and everything we did – as well as getting back into blogging here on UpYourVlog.
Did you take your husband’s surname? If so, why?
Yes, I did. I’m by no means a traditionalist. I’m very much aware that we live in a society that was built by men, for men. But I did the traditional wedding things of having my dad walk me down the aisle and give me away. I also took Sam’s surname. A lot of people asked in the build-up to the wedding if I was taking his surname which can I just say, I loved! I think it’s quick of us to assume that the woman is just going to take the man’s surname. I love that we’ve progressed as a society to ask these types of questions – it was certainly appreciated by me.
The reason why I took Sam’s surname was that I loved the way it sounded. Natalie Griffiths. It’s also cool to just be able to change your surname and live out your life with a second surname in the same lifetime, you know? That and I got bullied at school for my surname – Redman. Whilst I’ve grown to love it, there’s always that flicker of upset that comes when someone says, Natalie Redman or Miss Redman. Kids at school can be dicks.
What part of the wedding day did you enjoy the most?
Got this question a few times post-wedding day and during the wedding day actually. I cannot for the life of me, pick a particular moment. That’s always a good sign, right? There were, in fact, so many moments. Getting ready with my girls in the morning, having my dad and grandad do first reactions to my dress, bridesmaids with their reactions, walking down the aisle with my mum and dad’s wedding song playing. Seeing Sam at the top of the aisle, the photography with family and friends, speeches, and first dances. It was all just magical.
It’s true that your wedding day goes so fast that it’s over in the blink of an eye. I reminded myself at several points in the day to just soak it all up and enjoy every moment where I could.
What did your wedding guests comment on most about the wedding?
The wedding guests commented on a variety of things but a lot of the consistent comments were the fact that I had a ‘first dance’ with my granddad. It was a really special moment because just before, I danced with my dad to the Wonder of You by Elvis. It’s one that holds significant meaning to us both as my grandad who sadly passed (my Dad’s dad) was a big fan of Elvis and would often sing his songs on the karaoke, this song in particular.
We told very few people about it, my nan and grandad had no idea. So when I pulled grandad onto the floor, there was this audible, heartfelt gasp and then we danced to Can’t Help Falling In Love with You. It was a moment that I will truly treasure forever and I’m so glad we got a videographer because we’ve got it all captured on film.
The other mention was about our wedding band. The New York Brass Band played at our wedding and essentially crashed my and Sam’s first dance. It was awesome and I’ve honestly never seen the dancefloor so busy at a wedding before – like literally all night. Our wedding venue, Combermere Abbey was flawless too and everyone was obsessed with the place.
Is there anything you’d do differently if you could redo the wedding?
I’ve thought hard about this because I was told a few times that there would be a few things that would go wrong and you just have to accept them and move on. However, hand on heart, I can’t think of ANYTHING that I would change. I planned this wedding painstakingly for so long and as a result, it was planned within an inch of its life. I even had my bestie as an on-the-day wedding coordinator who works in events and therefore was a godsend to us when it came to setting up bits of the venue the night before and making sure things ran like clockwork on the day.
My bridesmaids were also fantastic when it came to getting things done for me the night before and on the day. It was all just perfect. Literal perfection.
Are you doing anything for your honeymoon?
Yes! We’re actually doing two moons, a mini-moon and a honeymoon. However, when you hear about the mini-moon, you would think it was a honeymoon. It’s my 30th birthday in November so Sam surprised me with a trip to the Maldives. It’s going to be incredible! Then the following year in April, we’re over in the US for a wedding, so we thought we’d combine the opportunity with a trip to see one of my bridesmaids/best friend from university and her partner, as well as going to the wedding and then doing Disneyworld Florida!
It’s the last couple of mega holidays before we – you know – have kids and are chained to our home for the foreseeable future.
What are your plans for the next couple of years as a married couple?
So as the above suggests, we want to try for kids next year. The plan is to start trying after April as we have three weddings in April alone. We also can’t try for a child until three months after our visit to the Maldives. That takes us to February anyway, so it’s a couple of months to wait then until we start trying. In 2024, we’ll be looking at moving and we also want to try and get our first buy-to-let property.
Some big plans are ahead of us in this next chapter, which I’m super excited about and can’t wait to get stuck into.
So yeah, that’s pretty it for now. As I said, I’ll be spamming the shit out of the wedding through my blog and social media feeds. With that said, you’ve not heard the last of the wedding. Have you got married yet? What do you think of marriage? Tell me everything in the comments below!
