My family and friends were mostly very gracious about not being invited to Vegas and, even though she couldn’t come, my mum wanted to buy me a dress. Standing there in the bridal boutique, wearing the most enormous skirt I’d ever seen, I remembered there was one thing about a wedding I’d never felt weird or uncomfortable about: seeing the bride in her glorious gown.

Arranging the wedding party for a week after our Vegas vows, I knew exactly what theme I wanted. We sent out a hundred texts (no embossed postal invitations for us), with the date and time – and a request.

“The theme is brides and Elvis,” I wrote, “so you all have to come as one or the other. THIS IS NOT A JOKE! I want brides outshining me in every direction.”

The overwhelming reaction was bewilderment. I had to confirm I really meant it again and again. Some of my already-married pals complained that they didn’t fit into their dress anymore. Many others reminded me that it went against the number one rule of weddings of not wearing white or competing with the bride. The weirdest reaction from a select few, though, was… anger. There was a small contingent that seemed affronted by our act of subversion. We weren’t following the rules, we weren’t taking things seriously enough.

That sentiment was reinforced in Vegas, when I uploaded a 10-second reel to Instagram, showing David and I dancing happily down the aisle in our empty chapel. I joked in the caption that it had been an “absolutely terrible day so far” and thanked my new husband for “ruining my life”. The video – inexplicably – went viral, hitting 2.6 million views, with hundreds of comments from strangers asking me over and over to explain myself; demanding to know why the chapel was empty and why I would dare to make a joke on my wedding day.

“Why I asked my guests to wear wedding dresses to my big day”