When your best friend gets married.....

When your best friend gets married it's quite a strange thing. I guess being young and the first person in my peer group to 'tie the knot' I never really realised the effect it can have on the people around you.

My best friend of all time, Chloe, got married last week. I love her with all my heart and have been consistently excited for her to be married. Having very few married friends makes the prospect of having someone to speak to about marriage topics very appealing, especially when it's the person you tell everything to anyway.

I've definitely not always been the best protector of our friendship over the years, but as time goes by you realise just how valuable true friendships are.

We went through all the stages of growing up. Her parents used to let us play in the park, whereas mine wouldn't let us out of their view from the window. She had older brothers, I had younger siblings. We were adopted into each others families, she was there the time I snuck downstairs early in the morning to dye my hair red before my parents woke up. I was there when she busted the wheel on her parents car whilst on a midnight hike.  We went through all those motions together, creeping into her parents freezing caravan in their garden late at night, going to those parties, regretting those decisions.

 Finding out who we were, whilst finding out what we believed.

Quite quickly life transitioned from being teenagers into being adults. I moved to London at 18, got married at 19. I would have found that such a challenge had it been the other way round, I'm so thankful that Chloe has more grace than me.

The wedding truly was a celebration, it felt like a celebration of all that is good. The merging of these two people and two families really is something to rejoice over. It's kind of like the welding process.

'Two pieces of metal get so hot that they melt and fuse together, resulting in a very strong seam. This generates bright light and intense heat"

The wedding day felt like it was filled with that light and heat, the glory of marriage with Christ at the centre. You couldn't help but notice it felt like something more than just words being exchanged in the service- it was the forging of a strong seam. Amen to that! 

I am so excited the see this next chapter unfolding, to see how our friendship evolves, to find out what adventure awaits us. In all our daydreaming about who we would marry when we grew up, I don't think we could have even understood the provision that was ahead of us. It has been a pleasure to see my best friend grow and blossom in the care of her now husband, to witness that gentleness of spirit and joy that radiates from her.  I know Joseph is a man of integrity, someone who will fight for her and encourage her gifts. 

I know it's not up to me, but for what it's worth, I would have chosen him for her too.

I am so thankful for all the above things and so excited for this next step, in life, in marriage, in friendship.

(We will just have to make sure we still make time to build dens together and do ridiculous things)

How did you feel when your bezzie got married?

I am lucky enough to have another friend, Jen , who is going on a massive adventure to Brazil next year. She is going to be working with women involved in sex trafficking, to help fund her trip she has made the absolute sweetest line of cards which are for sale on her etsy page. I think this or this are my favvvv. Have a look!