First off, if you are wondering, I went with the wig for the wedding. I really did struggle to make the decision. In the end I didn't choose to go with the wig because I don't like my short hair or because I think the wig looks better than my natural hair at the moment. Two days before the wedding I but on my dress and was determined to make up my mind. Surprisingly, the answer came to me within seconds. I put on my wig and as soon as I did I noticed it covered my portacath and the scar from where it was put in. Neither are overly obvious but they are visible and somewhat odd looking. So if I could cover them up I was going to take advantage of that. Decision made!
Wedding Day!!! (as maid of honour, not bride... don't get ahead of yourself)
My day started with getting up 2 hours earlier then I normally would. And I was out the door at least 3 hours before I'd typically be ready (or willing) to go anywhere. Off to the hair salon for hair and makeup. I obviously didn't need to get my hair done, I did that on Thursday, but it was nice to see the other girls get theirs done. A part of me was sad not to be getting mine done as well, I miss my long hair, but it did save me money. Just before leaving I thought to ask the girl who did our makeup if she had anything that would cover up the scar from my port. I'm so happy I did. With the application of a couple quick products my scar had all but disappeared, she was able to make it practically invisible.
Time to get dressed. Unfortunately I wasn't much help in this area. Usually the maid of honour is there to assist the bride with her dress, getting it on, tying up the back, etc. Balancing my weight on only one leg and having to use crutches made it too difficult to accomplish any of this, thankfully there were two other bridesmaids to help out. They also had to step in for me when it came to holding the bride's bouquet during the ceremony or straightening out her train.
Pictures. For all "staged" pictures, both before and after the ceremony, I did not have my crutches in them. With a little bit of work we were always able to get me into position and then pass my crutches off to someone else who was watching. Balancing on my left leg proved to be more difficult than usual though because I was wearing heels, at least they weren't too high and were wedges. As long as I had someone to put my arm around, something to hold on to or lean against, I was able to balance.
The ceremony and reception were pretty standard for me other than one terrifying aspect. I really do mean terrifying, to the point were I had trouble falling asleep the night before. You may be thinking, oh your maid of honour speech. While that made me nervous through dinner, waiting for the moment I had to get up, it wasn't terrifying. The wedding took place in a park and so the isle we were walking down was grass. Add to this, it was down a fairly steep hill. Now add to this, it poured rain all night the evening before the wedding. The forecast kept changing and we'd all been hoping the rain would stop for the wedding day. It was the night before the wedding, all of a sudden I realised that even if the rain stopped the grass may very well still be wet and therefore slippery. All night I kept picturing myself slipping on the grass and sliding down the hill on my butt. Even if the grass was dry, there was still a 50/50 chance I was going to fall getting down that hill. I even told the photographer ahead of time that I may look terrified the entire time I was walking down the hill but I'd smile once I reached the bottom. Thankfully I did not fall!
Overall it was a very successful day and I'd do it again if I was asked. But I am happy to check such a long day off my list of things to do. After 13 hours of being out and about, around 10pm, I HAD to go home. I'd have liked to stay until the end of the night but I was exhausted and starting to feel unwell. Turns out it was good that I left when I did. No more than half an hour after being home I actually threw up. I'm pretty sure it was just from sheer exhaustion.
So even though it's good for me to get out and about and build up my strength and endurance, that may have been a bit of an overkill. I think I'll go back to taking it one step at a time with smaller outings and tests of endurance.
No comments:
Post a Comment