Our Greatest Adventure Yet: We Got Married!
After 17 years and many adventures together, we decided it was time…
A Day to Remember
Like the previous one, this blog post will be a bit different from our usual travel content, and will give you a little behind-the-scenes look into our personal lives. Adventure Wheels began as somewhat of a diary for us to look back on in years to come… and we’re certain that we’ll want to remember every single detail from this exciting, life-changing time.
While we didn’t travel thousands of miles or climb any mountains, we have embarked on an adventure of sorts. Perhaps the greatest adventure of all, in fact. Spoiler alert: We got married!
(Feel free to skip this one if you’re not a fan of gooey stuff. Including you, Stephen! I can hear the faux retching already)
A lot of you may be thinking “What? Aren’t Karla and Stephen already married?”. And you’d be forgiven for doing so. Even members of our own family were convinced that we’d eloped somewhere and just not told anyone (yes, Laurence and Laura, I’m talking about you!). We have been together for 17 years now, and engaged for 14 of those, so we can understand why people might assume so.
But no… As unromantic as it sounds, our time, mental energy and finances have always been tied up elsewhere… until now.
The Adventure Begins
Before we get into the magic of our wedding day, I wanted to take you on a journey through our history together.
Our love story began many moons ago, when two awkward 13 year olds met at school and became good friends. It wasn’t long before we grew inseparable, spending every possible moment together - both in and out of class - and our friendship grew into something more. By the age of 14 we had made it official, when Stephen asked me to be his girlfriend via text message (how romantic!).
By 17 we knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, so when he got down on one knee during an (actually romantic) evening stroll along Bournemouth Pier, my answer was a resounding “YES!”.
After moving in together at 18, we discovered that we both have a passion for travelling. And in the years since, we’ve road-tripped far and wide – From the remote Scottish islands, to the southern French Pyrenees, and everywhere in between.
Fast forward to December 31st 2023, now the ripe old age of 30 (where did the time go?!), when Stephen decided that enough was enough and surprised me with the gift of a wedding ring, which would nestle in alongside the engagement ring I’d been wearing for the past 13 years. We decided there and then that 2024 was going to be our year – We were finally ready to tie the knot!
The Wedding Planning
The Venue
The very next day, I began searching for venues. We’d waited long enough, there was no point in delaying now!
Although there were a few that made our shortlist, we’d had one particular venue in mind since we first got engaged as teenagers – The Orangery Suite, here in Dorset. It’s a beautiful, 18th-century walled garden, with a marquee and orangery room, garden games and lots of little nooks and crannies to get lost in. Exactly what we wanted for our special day, AND they still had a couple of summer dates available!
It wasn’t all smooth sailing though. We were disappointed to discover that their “accessible” toilet wouldn’t even fit my wheelchair in it. Not ideal, when you’re an anxious bride who will undoubtedly need to do roughly one million nervous-wees throughout the day! Thankfully, they were very accommodating and allowed us to hire a fab AccessoLoo at no extra charge, which meant we could go ahead and book.
The date was officially set.
The Dress
When it comes to buying clothing as a wheelchair user, it can be difficult to find things that fit right, so I knew I was in for a task when it came to finding a wedding dress. I didn’t fancy attempting to try on dresses in an undoubtedly-inaccessible bridal shop (or their prices, for that matter!), so I began trawling the internet. And after months of searching, I finally found the one.
It arrived quickly, and during my first try-on, other than being engulfed in a sea of ivory tulle (no exaggeration - I could hardly see over the floof), it was perfect. I had a trick up my sleeve though. I was marrying the son of an ex seamstress! Over a number of fittings, Stephen’s miracle-working Mum was able to turn me from a marshmallow into something that resembled a bride. It’s the strangest feeling, seeing yourself in a wedding dress for the first time. It was all starting to feel real!
The Theme
Although we didn’t have a particular colour theme in mind, we knew that we wanted to honour our love of travel and nature throughout our wedding. From our invitations to our cake, we gave little nods to this second love of ours at every opportunity. Our wonderful venue stylist, Naomi, from The Wedding Library, helped us with this, with a table plan resembling the countries we’ve visited together, and a “Bucket List” – An alternative to a traditional Guest Book, where our loved ones could make suggestions for future adventures for us to embark on as husband and wife (eeeek!)
I must admit that, despite all the late nights, administration, meetings, graphic design and decision-making that was involved — all while buying our first home and moving in, I hasten to add — I absolutely loved planning the wedding. Now all that was left to do, was see it all coming together.
The Big Day
Before we knew it, the wedding was here. IT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING!
We both arrived at the venue together in our beloved VW Transporter, which we’d dressed up in white ribbons for the occasion. Nervous doesn’t even come close to describing how we felt, but we were excited in equal measure. We may have been together for 17 years, but the magnitude of the day certainly wasn’t lost on us.
Thankfully, the nerves quickly dissipated as we both busied ourselves. Stephen greeted guests, while I hid away in the Bridal Room to get ready with my best friend and former-PA, Stef. A quick touch-up from the wonderful dress-guru, AKA my soon-to-be Mother in Law, and I was ready to say ‘I do’.
The Ceremony
Traditionally, the bride is “given away” to her groom, but having already been together for 17 years, that just didn’t feel right for us. Besides, we are anything but a traditional couple. Instead, Stephen and I entered the ceremony together, representing our unity and mutual coming-together in marriage, strolling down the aisle to the gentle tones of our talented acoustic guitarist.
Emotions were high, but we both managed to hold back tears (Stephen more easily than myself!) as we vowed to continue loving each other forevermore. As soppy as it sounds, it’s true what they say — that in that moment it feels like you’re the only two people on Earth. 17 years of memories came flooding by, as we made way for a lifetime more.
It’s impossible to describe exactly how I felt in that moment, but, looking around the room, it was clear that I wasn’t the only one feeling it. It was somehow beautifully raw and real, yet also like I was watching the happy ending of a romantic movie. Only, this time, we were the main characters.
The Garden Party
To an almighty applause from our guests, we were announced as husband and wife (eeeeek!) and spilled out into the garden, which was now basking in glorious sunshine after a turbulent few days and a worrying forecast. The sun was shining and there was a light, warm summer breeze. It couldn’t have been more perfect!
Pimm’s and canapés were enjoyed on the lawn, as we mingled to the ambient background music from our guitarist. Having been hiding away when everyone arrived, it was finally my time to greet our guests. There’s something so surreal about seeing all of your favourite people in one place. Our families, friends, colleagues and clients — all chatting and playing games as if this wasn’t the first time a lot of them had met. People from all areas of our life had come together, and it was an absolute joy to witness.
The Breakfast
After an afternoon in the sunshine, the day already flying by, we made our way into the marquee, which was beautifully decorated in green and white florals. We thought about putting Coco Pops on the menu (it is a ‘breakfast’, after all!), but decided to go with something a bit more summery and has a bit more sustenance — Greek-inspired chicken skewers, rice, feta salad, flatbread and tzatziki! For dessert, it was Portokalopita (a seriously-yummy Greek orange syrup cake) and ice cream, which, we think, made up for making everyone cry during our speech.
The Evening
As the sun sunk low in the sky, we welcomed more guests, or “the riff-raff”, as we like to call them, for an evening of celebration. The party was far from over!
Not wanting a formal dance or traditional wedding DJ — as Stephen says, “One of us can’t dance… the other is in a wheelchair”— we opted for something a little different… A local Celtic rock band by the name of Black Sheep. They set up in the entrance of the Orangery Room and played their lively music out into the garden, creating a buzzing atmosphere across the grounds. Some guests milled about, conversing over a drink, some enjoyed the crazy golf and croquet, some explored the garden, while others turned the terrace into a makeshift dance floor. It was exactly as we’d envisioned!
A great piece of advice that was given to us before the big day, was to find some time to sit back and watch proceedings from a distance, just the two of us. It was during the evening that Stephen and I snuck off for a few moments to ourselves, taking a deep breath, soaking in everything that had happened on this momentous day and basking in our shared happiness. Although only brief, sitting back and being witness to everything going on around us, will remain one of many favourite memories from our wedding day.
Later in the evening, the band took a break while we all headed back into the marquee. Next on the itinerary was a cheese board buffet and a game of BINGO! The weather had been kind to us all day, so we didn’t mind a bit when a perfectly-timed shower passed over us. In fact, the gentle pitter-patter on the canvas roof reminded us of camping, and paired with the flickering candles and twinkling fairy lights, it created a cosy atmosphere.
With plates full and pens in hands, it was time for “eyes down”. But you can’t play Bingo without prizes! Inspired by our travels, the lucky winner for completing one line received a bar of natural soap that we picked up in Cornwall last year, and the winner of a “full house” received a jigsaw puzzle of one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever visited — West Beach in the Outer Hebrides. As you can see, Pete was thrilled to have won!
As if by magic, the rain cleared just in time for the band to continue their set. The “dance floor” opened back up under a starlit sky, and the rest of the night was spent relaxing with our loved ones and watching people’s impressive moves from the sidelines. Content doesn’t even come close to describing how we felt.
The One
All too quickly, our wedding day drew to an end. It had been 17 years in the making, but boy was it worth the wait! As cheesy as it sounds, it is true what they say, our wedding day was truly the best day of our lives and we wish we could do it all over again!
As we embark on this new, exciting adventure together, we’d like to round up this blog post in the same way we did our speech — by raising a toast… To the beauty of love, the magic of forever, and, most importantly, to happily ever afters.
Massive thank you to our brilliant photographer, Alex, who captured our day so beautifully.
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