This was the part of the day I was most excited about. I love open top buses, if Stuart and I go on any city breaks and there's one available I always talk him into an open top bus tour. It's the lazy side of me showing - how better to take in the view in a new city than from the top of a bus! In my defence we don't just sit there as it goes round and round, we jump off at different stops to explore on foot, but it's better than fighting though all the tourists and locals to get around on the local tube or metro. I figured my wedding day would be the only day I could reasonably get away with hiring an open top bus all to myself (and my guests of course!). And where better to have an open top bus than the sunny scenic Isle of Wight? Looking back, so much of our day was dependent on a bit of sun (or at least no rain) and the bus would have been a disaster in a downpour, but our luck was definitely in all day as we only had blue skies! So after our wedding breakfast and off the cuff speeches we rounded everyone up and loaded them onto our very own blue Isle of Wight double decker open top bus. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the outside of the bus, but here's one of me and Stuart on the bus ready to head to the beach!
That's right, with my open top bus I was going to make sure everyone got a trip to the beach! One of the things I miss most about not living on the Island is the beach so I didn't want to miss this opportunity and I wanted to make everyone come with me. I also wanted our guest who had visited from the mainland to be able to go for a paddle in the sea, but who I am kidding, this part of the day was just for me! Once everyone had taken their seats on the bus, and we had grabbed the helium balloons from Winchester House, to take on to our party venue (important tip: if you are transporting helium balloons leave them downstairs on the open top bus - don't take them upstairs!) we headed to Yaverland beach in Sandown. The lovely bus driver took us past Sandown Pier and along the sea front, where we waved like royalty to the people taking a Saturday afternoon walk along the promenade. When we reached Yaverland beach everyone jumped off the bus for a bit of messing around. I had already decided that I was going to paddle and I had guilt tripped my bridesmaids into joining me; it was part of their bridesmaid contract. Some of Stuart's family who don't live on the Island also pulled off their shoes to feel the sand between their toes and the sea lap against their feet. Stuart had told me time and time again that he wasn't going to go paddling as he didn't want to have to go to the trouble of taking his socks off! In the end peer pressure (or perhaps pier pressure) won out in the end, and after some mocking from his brothers he pulled off his shoes and socks, rolled up his trouser legs and join us in the sea. I'm so glad he did.
It was all very fun, with lots of laughter and I was very happy I had chosen a knee length dress rather than some dramatic floor length gown! Then things got serious. It was time for me to throw the bouquet. I had decided the beach was the safest place; so the soft sand would cushion any dramatic dives people may make. There wasn't a whole bunch of girls willing to try and catch it, but those that were, were deadly serious. I behaved myself and didn't throw it into the sea to see who would go swimming to retrieve it. I think the next photo sequence tells you all you need to know about what did happen.
I'm afraid George (the really one going for it in the blue and white polka dot dress) didn't get the bouquet, but Lauren my cousin did - so next time I see her I'll have to ask her what date I should put in my diary!
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| Another view of the carnage! |
With that, it was time to board the bus and head towards our party venue. We took a scenic route, going down to Shanklin seafront, through the Shanklin Old Village, down into Upper Bonchurch, through Ventnor (my home town) and finally heading back into Shanklin. The views, as always were amazing and I got to drive past so many places I used to go to as a child, including my old primary and middle schools. It wasn't until the last 15 minutes that, after sitting outside for so long, with the wind in my hair, I started to freeze my arse off, but I was determined to stay upstairs and outside, and I a proud to say I did! The bus driver was absolutely lovely, he didn't mind that we had to return to Winchester House on route so some of the kids who had gone paddling in the sea could get dry clothes, he suggested more scenic detours and was generally a really pleasant man. Perhaps I have spent too much time on London transport but it was so nice to have a bus driver who smiled at you. For now I will leave you with a few more photos, and then I will start on a new (and hopefully final) post - The PARTY!
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