Pourquoi?

Why am i getting married? Good question!

Thinking about it, it's actually a really hard question to answer. There's no clear cut, straight down the middle reply....

My Mum and Dad got married when they were 18 and 19. They renewed their vows on their 20th anniversary (same day as my 18th party.....great day!!!). My Dad dying is what split them in the end. Even though life wasn't always peachy im sure they would've been together forever!

It's just something that i saw as normal. You love someone and want to spend your life with them - you marry them. I always wanted to get married, i was never girlie so wasn't really into the whole princess thing (am now, hahaha!), but just knew that one day i would get married to the person i love, and who loves me!

I suppose it could be seen as a symbol to others that you're together forever.... perhaps some people find it benefits them financially, some dont want children unless they're married (too late for me then!). This isn't the case with us. We share everything (money-wise) anyway, so marriage makes no difference to our finances. People know we're together forever because we've been together for nearly 7 years and to be honest i couldn't give a flying banana what other people think. And on the child out of wedlock malarky, let's just say i shouldn't technically be getting married in white!

To me it's just a natural progression of our relationship. We have a baby so we're together forever whether we like it or not. It was never questionned what surname she would have because we always knew we would get married at some point and all eventually have the same name!

Marriage is something we've always talked about. It's always been on the cards, it was just a matter of when we could do it how we wanted to, no debts or money worries. The house came first, then Bobi...now getting married.

We're going the whole hog, big dress, big church, snazzy cake (ouchy prices!), huuuuuuuuuuuge party! The whole shabang!! But saying that, with this credit crunch malarky...if we can't afford it - it aint going in. Im not getting into debt for a wedding!!!!!

I've been planning to brand Lee with my ownership of him for a long time! Hahaha!! He is wearing a wedding ring whether he wants to or not! He is mine! End of story....

Gateaux crisis...

Wedding cakes are sooooooooooooooooooooo expensive!!!!

Im scared by the cost of a CAKE!!! Sure, it's pretty and big and for a special occasion! But seriously it's chocolate (no fruity yuck for my wedding!!) with a bit of icing around it!!! It's gonna dazzled by flash bulbs, then cut up and dished out.... it's destiny is to be scoffed or left to go crusty on the table! It's not made of gold!!! Why are they so expensive!?!

We're not even having pretty sugar craft flowers round it....no tiny little delicate details, so the ladies who make them should be able to give their little digits a bit of break from all the usual fiddly stuff!!!!

I just feel so reluctant to hand over €800 for a cake!!!

You know im going to end up with a caterpilla birthday cake from M&S!!! Hahaha!!

Cakes and Favours...

....been looking on the internet for ideas for wedding cakes, even though i already KNOW what i want!! Hahaha!!! Been trying to broaden my mind but i just know what we're having!! Hahaha!!! Lee just doesn't have a choice! Poor Leo! Not giving it away though...sorry!

Looked at cake toppers as well....found THE MOST AMAZING ones ever!!! Might have a little try at making them myself....but im sure that's gonna end up as a disaster so i'll get my pennies ready to pay someone else to do it!! Hahaha!!! But again, im not telling what they are!

So basically writing all the above is pointless cos im not actually telling anything! Hahaha!!

Favours - Been thinking about these loads... want something cool but not too expensive. Something people can use, eat, keep so it's not a waste of money!

• Dont want the sugared almonds (even though i LOVE eating them!), been thinking something cute, funny, edible like Love Hearts, little sticks of seaside rock with our names going through them, personalised M&Ms (yes, you heard that right!! You can get them personalised!!), or little iced cookies/gingerbread biccies with our initials on them.
• Little soaps in a bag (have a friend who makes soaps) in heart and star shapes...
• Chocolate bars with personalised wedding-esque wrappers. (again, a friend of mine makes these and would probably be able to do them how i want them)

Random Thought

Kilner jars of sweets on the tables.....

What about these 3 pretty little babies!!!

Me, Olli and Lea (best buds) have been talking about colours...Was originally looking at all my bridesmaids wearing different colours but im liking this colour combination! The flower girls in the bright pink...the bridesmaids in black and me in white!! Oooooooooooo!!!

So tempted................

Boots, Boots, Boots...

Googled 'white boots', 'white wedding boots', white cowboy boots', 'white dress shoes' and found these bad boys. Definately dont want ugly girly pointy wedding shoes and think these are wicked. Victorian and feminine yet not vomit inducing!!! Hahaha!!! Can only find them in America though so would need to get them in plenty of time in case they're crap! Hahaha!! (yeah yeah yeah, i know i have over a year left but no harm in being organised!!)
The top ones are my favourite!

Found these as well but i've never been made into cowboy boots (think it's the pointy toes) but they're growing on me. Still prefer the ol' victorian style.

What about these little beauties!!? Definately considering these!!!!!! Love them!

Well, if it's good enough for Chanel then it's good enough for me! SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

The Station House Hotel

Once we got engaged we went round a few hotels to get the venue for the wedding sorted. I liked the look of Park Plaza Hotel and was set on having it there, but then we got a brochure in the post from The Station House and just thought we'd go up and have a look. As soon as we pulled into the drive i wanted my wedding there!!

It is so beautiful. Makes me think of Alice in Wonderland with iron chairs and tables and candles all over the place surrounded by trees with sneaky little swing chairs and benches hidden all around. So pretty.

It's a convert station house (d'oh) so is lovely and personal and not too big and commercial (which is exactly what i wanted). The bridal suite is a converted signal box so is like a mini little house! So cute!!!

So we got it all booked and paid for but Lee was having a few doubts about the size of the room.

Because its a converted old building it's quite small (compared to modern purpose built hotels) so Lee was a bit worried about fitting everyone in comfortably without squishing us all together.

So last night he ran to see if there were any wedding fairs coming up that we could go to and see it all laid out again and have a proper good nosey (count how many chairs were laid out etc). We're looking to probably invite between 120 -140 people so dont want people squashed.

The lady on the phone was cool. She didnt have to sell it to us cos we're already booked so she was quite honest. Said that the owners daughter got married last year and had 180 people sitting down for a meal which was a little bit squashed but not uncomfortable....so our 140 would be cool! She said 120 - 150 is perfect (whoop).

So now Lee feels a lot better about the whole thing and we're gonna go up on 18th February to see it all laid out again.....

Planning, planning, planning!!!

Right, here's the start of the craziness!! Thought i'd keep a blog purely for wedding stuff to keep a track on all the happenings of what's going into making sure our wedding is wicked!! Even though we set the date months ago now that our wedding is next year we really have to get it all organised and planned out properly and im starting to get for real excited!!

Im half mega looking forward to all the planning and picking and choosing but half nervous... im completely rubbish at organising things and i know im going to have a mini heart attack over it all!!!!!! Doesn't help that 2 countries are involved!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Im sure me and Lee are going to have fights and disagreements along the way and im pretty sure im gonna end up calling it all off about 100 times but it'll be worth it when im wearing my pretty dress (accompanied by white boots - none of this airy fairy wedding shoe malarky for me!), with all my important people around us!!! :)

What needs to be done?

1. Venue - Booked and deposit paid. Wanna go down and see it again and hopefully get a food tasting opportunity. Got to decide who is going in what rooms....that is when we make our list and know who's definately coming.
2. Church - Booked. Gotta sort out all the registry and all that malarky! But that doesn't need doing until nearer the time!
3. Guest List - WRITE A LIST OF GUESTS!!!!!!! How hard is this!!!! Seriously....we know too many people! It's so hard to decide who to invite and who to miss out! It's so mean....'you are not worthy'! :( Poo!! Cue first argument for me and Leo!!!
4. CAKE!!!!! - Know what i want. Have a pic. Just need to find someone i trust to make my beautiful masterpiece...and not for €5million. Cakes are so expensive!!! Getting chocolate biscuit....dribble...none of that crappy fruit cake pants of us!!!
5. Dress - Need my dress.... kinda have an idea of what i want but dunno if it's gonna happen! Want Lea and Oz here to help me but not sure when that will happen! Dying to get it now....but i think the anticipation is part of all the excitement!!!! Also need shoes, jewellery, underwear etc
6. Bridesmaid Dresses - Gonna let the girlies pick their dresses (as long as i like them!!hahaha!!) Want them to look and feel cool...no puffball pants please!!
7. Flowers - For the church, me, bridesmaids, button holes....the reception has flowers included so that's cool.
8. Suits - For Lee, Russler, Chris (who's giving me away), Terry, 3 groomsmen and Ros.
9. Favours - Want something cool but not expensive! Something people will eat/use/keep so its not a waste of money!
10. Invitations - If time allows i might attempt these myself! Why pay someone for something that i can do myself!!
11. Hair/makeup - not goin mad on this...happy to do my own make up and just get a hairdresser friend to do our bouffants!
12. Little extras - We have a few little ideas up our sleeves to make the day (sounds wierd when you realise this is all for one day!) even more cool but these will only be happening if we dont run out of dough.

I know there is stuff missed out and im gonna poo when i remember them!!! But that's the jist of what we need to start on!