Wedding in the UK

On July 23rd, we attended a family friend's wedding in the UK in Manchester. My parents and honorary aunt and uncle were there, too, which was great! The journey itself was quite an adventure because Matt was at a training in Stockholm and couldn't travel over with me and Leila. So Leila and I flew from Helsinki on our own, and Matt met us there.

Although we had already taken a longer flight from the US, I was more hesitant about this one because I wouldn't have another pair of hands to help out. Plus, this time, Leila was a "lap child" and didn't have her own seat. I was not sure how comfortable I would be when I couldn't put her down for the duration of the flight.

That said, all went well once we got checked in. Check in was a bit challenging because of all the gear I had to juggle- suitcase, car seat, stroller, carryons, tickets, passports, etc. However, once I got rid of everything but the diaper bag and my purse (and Leila), it was manageable. I used the baby carrier (Baby Bjorn-type thing) so I'd have free hands, and it went well- AS LONG AS I WAS MOVING. The minute I stopped walking, bouncing or swaying, Leila would cry. So I just had to bounce my way through the airport and the line to board, etc. I looked a bit silly, but it worked!

On the bus to the plane, Leila actually fell asleep in the carrier, which was great. Then a really nice, older Scottish man carried the diaper bag and put it into the overhead compartment for me. He even came back to help me get off the plane in Manchester. That was a real help!

Leila slept in my lap for two-thirds of the flight, then nursed and was content and alert for the remainder of the time. She only had a meltdown once we got to baggage claim. However, as soon as I was able to get the stroller and start pushing her around, she went to sleep!

My parents picked us up at the airport, and we went along the curvy, English country roads to the hotel. After checking into the hotel, we went to meet the families of the bride and groom at the local pub. Luckily, Leila slept through all of this, including the rowdiness at the pub!

The wedding was in a quaint, little country church, and the reception was in our hotel. There was nothing out of the ordinary in terms of the celebrations, except that we had to keep popping out to tend to Leila. However, it was just nice to see our friends.

We spent Sunday hanging out with my parents and aunt and uncle before heading back to the airport. Luckily, for the flight home, Matt was with us so it was a little more relaxing for me knowing that I had backup when needed...

Attached are some photos of Leila in her wedding finery!