Talk about embarrassing!

So I'm not sure if mentioned at all before but in my free time I also officiate at civil marriage ceremonies and today I had a bit of an embarrassing moment that I suspect only other parents could empathise with.

There's a lovely couple who have come from England to be married in Sydney and the ceremony is taking place in the Rose Garden, in the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens. The couple are planning a very small wedding, just the 2 of them and 2 close friends who will be their witnesses - when I took the booking it was just a week before Master 2 was born so they knew I had young family.

I met them for the first time on Wednesday when I showed up at what I thought was their hotel to meet them. Turns out that I'd turned up at the *other* Marriott Hotel in Sydney (OK, so 2 embarrassing moments now!). Anyway I showed up to meet them and talk through the ceremony and did this while breastfeeding Master 2. They were very open minded about the whole thing that was great.

I'd booked my 16 year old cousin in to come with me to the wedding today, so she could take Master 2 for a walk in his stroller for the 15 mins that the ceremony was going to take. She had a sudden fit of "what do you mean, you're not paying me to babysit" bronchitis (though she was well enough to go to her boyfriend's house for dinner!), so I had a change of plan. Instead of leaving Master 1 at my parents place with Grandad babysitting, I brought both the boys along with Grandad. Surely this would be fine.

Humph.

Well I suppose it could be worse. After the groom and his friend arrived I introduced all and my Dad took the stroller and Master 1 away for a walk using a lollipop as a bribe (I know, bad mother!). Just as the bride begins to make her way towards us Master 1 comes bolting towards me, lollipop in mouth. My Dad is coming (not very quickly I should say) with the stroller but looks unconcerned. He arrives and takes Master 1 and we're all set to begin the ceremony - the camera is rolling when again Master 1 comes bolting into picture. I'm so embarrassed by this point - the friend of the bride who has set up the camera says "We're ready, it's just this little boy...." at which point I own up:

"I'm sorry, he's my son - Dad, can you just park Master 2 (asleep at this point in the stroller) over there and take him away"....

Such a lovely natured couple - they were (at least outwardly) very understanding. But I can imagine how different the scene might have been with a "bridezilla"!

The end of the story is not at all embarrassing, a lovely ceremony, a happy couple, and boys now both fast asleep in bed.

Bring on a glass of red!