The Tiger and the Crab

Any Other Wedding is Cancerian. She has a tough outer shell (She Is Woman, Hear Her Roar!) characterised by a soft, vulnerable centre. She is intuitive and imaginative, shrewd and cautious, emotional and loving. She is also changeable and moody, overemotional and touchy, and clingy and unable to let go (er...alright. Get your point. Moving on).


Any Other Wedding was born in the Year Of The Tiger. She is unpredictable, lucky, lively and engaging. She is always willing to engage in battle and is incorrigibly competitive. She cannot pass up a challenge, especially when honour is at stake, or she is protecting those they love (Aisling’s cow-print spatula, Anna’s Kenwood Titanium Pro and Clare’s iron are at the ready. TAKE US ON.)

Today, readers...Any Other Wedding woke up, ate a pain au chocolat in bed and treated herself to a pedicure. She ate lunch with a friend, wandered round an art gallery and the shops, and picked herself up a slinky little number that cost too much but gave her a knockout body. She’s off for cocktails with her friends later.

Yes, that’s right. Any Other Wedding celebrates her first birthday today! We are proud. One whole year ago, Clare started this blog with no idea where it was going to go. And two partners in crime, an incredible community and a lot of stories, sharing and learning later...here we are. It’s a great place to be.

Happy birthday! Have a drink on us. Hers is a raspberry mojito....

That was supposed to be the end of the post. A short, snappy, Happy Birthday to us. But we couldn't leave it there, could we? We were chatting, and plotting (we do a lot of that), and decided that it was only right to bake our blog a birthday cake. Now, Clare and I have a secret weapon. One third of our team is a baking machine, nay a baking powerhouse. And we sat back, relaxed, and waited. On Thursday night we received a photograph. Of the most incredible birthday cake you have ever seen in your life.

We didn't feel inadequate. At all. Aisling made peach frosting. Yes, you heard me right.

I almost can't show you my Cake of Woe. But I'm going to. There were grand plans. Which started well - with brownie.

And they turned out moist and yummy.

But we can't stop there. Never quit while you're ahead.

And then out came the big guns - the DIY. Featuring scissors, string and mini pegs.


And then came the part where I cut out letters...



And then oh my god I am a freaking DIY goddess....LOOK WHAT I PLAN TO STICK IN THE BROWNIE. Like a monolith. Towering above the brownies. I even have plans to set the sticks on fire.


And then....assembly begins. And to cut a long, really, really painful story short where I got so flustered and frustrated because the brownies kept toppling over and at one point I got brownie down my bra, the whole thing collapsed.



Any Other Wedding, I formally apologise that my face is smeared with brownie and there are crumbs in my hair and I look like the Wild Woman of Borneo. I am a terrifying sight. I swear, the brownies taste incredible. I'll do better next year.

Happy birthday, sport.