… and a Little Bit of Colin

When my daughter got married, I knew I wanted to contribute something handmade. There’s something deeply special about creating with your hands for one of the biggest days of their life — a quiet way of stitching a little piece of yourself into the celebration.

So I made sugar flowers and she decorated the cake.

And then came the twist.

Instead of the traditional bride and groom figurines standing politely on top of the cake, my daughter chose something that made everyone smile: Colin the Caterpillar and Connie the Caterpillar from Marks & Spencer.

Yes — Colin and Connie!

It was so them. Playful, light-hearted. Seeing him and Connie perched proudly among handcrafted sugar flowers at a wedding felt both hilarious and oddly perfect.

Of course, there’s a reason people say there’s no rest for the mother of the bride! The morning of the wedding itself was anything but restful. While everyone else was getting hair and make-up done, I was at the table in the hotel room with floral tape and wires, finishing the bouquet and making the lapel flower for her dad — who had the honour of walking her down the aisle. Creating them just hours before the ceremony added a certain intensity (and perhaps a touch of madness), but also something incredibly meaningful. The bouquet she carried and the buttonhole he wore were made that very morning, with not so steady hands and a very full heart — two small pieces playing their part in one of the most important walks of their lives.