ON THE COVER Our Very Special Wedding Guests
Lisa and Sean’s wonderful surprise made their wedding a truly remarkable fairytale
All we’d needed to do was to stop worrying and think about other things
Ilost count of how many pregnancy test kits I threw in the bin during the year that Sean and I failed to conceive. Every month brought fresh heartache and I was beginning to wonder if we’d ever become the parents we so longed to be.
It was time for us to start investigating the cause of our infertility – but instead we decided to stop trying and focus on getting married.
We’d put too much pressure on ourselves already and it was all too sad. We needed to focus on something happy for a while, so we figured we’d get married then try again later.
We booked a venue for December 21, 2013, because Christmas is my favourite time of year – I love the twinkling lights, the fact it’s cold outside but so warm inside, the sparkling decorations and the magic in the air. Also, if we married at Christmas our venue would already be decorated so we’d save a fortune!
Instead of staring at “not pregnant” test sticks, I browsed wedding websites and magazines. It was so lovely to think about dresses and table presents, invites and honeymoon destinations, instead of wondering why we were struggling to conceive.
The big day was booked and paid for when, a week later, I realised I was pregnant! We were so happy. However, I work in a maternity theatre as an Operating Department Practitioner, which means I assist the surgeons and anaesthetists. I have seen all the worst things happen and I worked myself up thinking something awful was going to happen to our longed-for baby.
At our first midwife appointment, the midwife calculated I was five weeks gone – which meant I’d been pregnant when we gave up trying. Sean and I could not believe it – all we’d needed to do all along was stop worrying and think about something else.
There are quite a few twins in our family already so I was only half-surprised when our 12-week scan revealed I was carrying twins. We were thrilled to think we’d soon be doubling the size of our family.
The twins were due on July 23, so we decided to proceed with the wedding. A little early, on June 18, Connor and Callum made their dramatic entrance into the world. Callum’s heart rate dropped so I had to go into theatre where they used forceps to get the babies out.
Connor was 5lb ½oz and Callum was 4lb 15oz. It was my own colleagues who delivered the babies so I knew I was in good hands, although I found myself going into work mode, seeing as I was effectively at work! As I was taken to theatre I was busy reassuring Sean we’d be fine and explaining the procedure to him. I’d seen birthing partners faint as the colour drains from their face and I didn’t want that happening to Sean.
The babies were such little warriors and soon they were ready to come home. They kept us busy until, six months later, it was time to say “I do”…
At our festive wedding, I
wore a white dress with a sweetheart neckline, a sparkling tiara and a beautifully soft, fluffy bolero. We named the tables after Santa’s reindeer and went for a deep purple colour scheme, with baubles and ivy all over the reception.
Sean and I had our photo taken on the stairs, where the venue had wrapped a wreath up the banister, with sparkly red and golden bows. Christmas really does all the decorating for you!
I loved Christmas, babies, and weddings and now I was enjoying all three in one go. The boys were our guests of honour and made the day all the more special. They wore little matching suits and were good as gold. Sean and I delayed our meal as it was feeding time, but we let our hungry guests carry on without us. It was an opportunity to reflect on the day and spend much-loved time with the boys before they went to bed and we danced the night away.
We organised a Christmas photoshoot for the boys for their first Christmas, just to initiate them into my love of all things festive. Now aged four, they are growing up fast. They started school this September and they love Christmas as much as I do. In fact, this year they started talking about the festivities even before I did. For us, it’ll always be an extra-special time of year.