We were incredibly lucky as the cherry blossom in Yoyogi park was popping on the day of the wedding, and the atmosphere was wonderful. Some of my friends are annoyed that we made it a surprise, because they missed the event, but I didn't want people to dress up - I wanted it to be easy going and it was perfect. It was spontaneous, clumsy, alive and unique. I was lucky enough to have two of my cousins there. Jason came down from Sendai for the occasion, and my cousin Suzannah happened to be in Tokyo on holiday. She really made the day special and was a complete delight to see. Not to mention she brought some delicious champagne which put me in the perfect celebratory mood.
The ceremony was hosted by Josh and Chris, with a lot of help from Ayumi, JJ and Joelle. I had written out a script for them, and it ran more-or-less smoothly. The event was filmed on Facebook live so Matt's family could see it in Brazil, with our Portuguese friend Hugo translating live. This meant I have been able to watch back over the video, and it makes me cry every time.
After the ceremony, we partied in the park, we kept drinking and had loads of fun.
It was a stressful few days leading up to the wedding. My family had decided to fly over for the occasion, well, my parents and Joe - because Chez had to work. Luckily I had finished my job a week beforehand, so there was a little less pressure for time. It was all a bit intense as my brother hadn't actually met Matt before, so was feeling skeptical of the quick decision. Needless to say, he didn't give Matt the easiest time - but in the end I think they were able to see eye to eye.
My brother ended up sticking around Japan for 3 weeks, so I think he was able to get to know Matt a little better, I am hoping he feels happier about the situation. I am really looking forward to moving back, so that my family and friends can get to know Matt, it's been a really important factor for me.
I feel really good about it though. Marrying Matt has made me feel like the part of my life where I was focused on searching for love is finally over, and now I can devote myself to other things, with the security and happiness of a stable and wonderful relationship. Spending my late-teenage years and my early twenties thinking about boys and dating, and wondering if I'll ever find the one was a fun time, but I was way too consumed with it. I'd like my life to be more than that. I think I was able to marry Matt quite fast, because after all that time focused on pursuing love, I knew exactly what I was looking for, and could recognize it on a deep level. I was lucky enough to find it.
I love Matt so much, and I love spending every day with him laughing, learning and overcoming the challenges of life. We've now been married two months, and I'm slowly getting used to having him as my husband. It's an all-round beautiful thing.
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| Karaoke after-party |
