Wherever we go, there we are…

Catherine and I would consider ourselves quite well travelled. Between us we have been most everywhere. As the wedding plans have gone on and decisions been made there is one topic that we simply cannot decide on, the Honeymoon. We have a funny thing where almost simultaneously we look at each other, think it together, and say “Problem for Future James and Future Catherine?” to which we both nod and agree to let our future selves deal with it.

There are a couple of options that we keep coming back too…

Ireland – We have lived here all our lives however there are parts of our own country that we have never seen. Although we have the gift of the gab, I have never been to kiss the Blarney Stone in Cork and neither of us have seen the cliffs of Moher where parts of ‘Lord of the Rings’ was filmed. Although Catherine has been to see some of the sets to Game of Thrones I would love to go too. This would be a grand idea for a Honeymoon however since it is supposed to be our “once in a lifetime” holiday and is so significant, I feel we should push the boat out a little bit.

Cruise – You can’t push the boat out any more than a cruise. Originally Catherine and I were all set for going on a cruise with Catherine’s family. For Rosemarie’s birthday and her and Liam’s 30th wedding anniversary (The same week as me and Catherine’s wedding, you’d almost start to think I planned all this stuff to happen!) we were all supposed to be heading for a Mediterranean Cruise. The family cruise was off. So it would almost be fitting that we go on one for our Honeymoon. Mediterranean, Caribbean, Icelandic, there are loads to choose from. My only issue with it is I am not sure how well we land lovers would handle the open seas and I don’t fancy spending the whole honeymoon portside feeding the fishes.

Spain – Sun, Sea and Strawberry Daiquiris. It is many peoples idea of heaven heading off to warmer climates for a relaxing vacation. Catherine and I went to Santa Ponza in July 2013. It might make me sound like an old fogey, after the bars there was very little to be doing, mostly it was young’uns drinking too much and making a wild racket. We really enjoyed our time there however we are not sun worshipers and we like to have a good balance of relaxation and activities. (note from Catherine - what James means by a “good balance” is that he can do the activities and I can do the relaxation!)

America – This option has been our “go-to holiday” over the plan making. Florida keeps popping up. As I mentioned we have both spent time in America. I have lived in California and Catherine is no stranger to Texas, plus last month she went to Las Vegas for her job.

Egypt – I have always wanted to see the pyramids. It is defiantly a bucket list item for me. That being said I feel that I could knock that out in a day. It would be like National Lampoons Vacation “Admire, admire, admire… ok let’s go!” Even without taking into consideration the unrest in the country, it doesn’t seem to be a place I’d like to stay for an extended amount of time.



Basically we would appreciate your input. Do not hesitate in posting a comment about where you think would be nice for us to go. Even places that you have enjoyed yourselves. It’s about time Future James and Future Catherine make a decision. We will definitely do a post on the destination we choose.

The One

So today is a massive post for me.

I am going to be talking about "the Dress".

I am going to share something with you all, and this will be this first time James learns about most of this!
I have always planned to have my dress made for my wedding, and I never planned to spend a lot of money on it. There are so many options online I was 100% sure that was the way I was going to go. I had gone so far as to get a seamstress's number to get all the perfect measurements. I had found the dress that I had settled on! I was really happy, the reviews of the page was awesome, plus I was getting a complete bargain!
I had heard from so many people that you will end up going for the totally opposite dress style as you think. Things don't always suit the way you think. I guess I wanted to cover all my bases so I found another website that did fancy copies of dresses for in and around £100. I decided to go for it. I bought myself a "just in case dress".

I was all set. Then my sister sent me a message saying she was going to be home in a few weeks, and she'd booked us in to two Bridal shops to try on dresses. It was the same weekend as the Quirky Weddings Alternative wedding fair. It was all set to be a great girly weekend!

On the Friday night my mum picked me up from James and I's house and we made our way up to Belfast. Ciara was flying in from England on Saturday morning at 7am, and rather than having to get up super early we decided to stay in the Maldron Hotel next to the International Airport. I have to say it was a big surprise! Fantastic staff, great sized rooms and free parking!

Anyway, Mum and I settled down and attempted to get as much sleep as our excitement would let us! At about 5.55am Mum decided to text Ciara and see how she was getting on in the Airport. 2 minutes later and the phone rang. Ciara had just woken and was still in her hotel, her flight was closing in 35 minutes. Next thing Ciara was off the phone and we had no idea as to whether she'd make her flight or not. We began searching for the next flights we could get her on and found nothing. Then we started talking about making our way over to see her. 30 minutes later and another phone call. She was through security and in the queue for her flight! Panic over you may say… well no. Us Morris folk don't make it easy for ourselves! Next thing we got a text, "queued for wrong flight. was going to Barcalona"

…

Another few minutes and another text

"I'm on the plane"
"to belfast"

At this stage mum and I are ridiculously relieved but still a little bit on edge. An hour and a bit later Ciara arrives into Belfast International and there are tears all around!

We made our way to the Beautiful Angel Star Bridal shop on the Lisburn Road. We were meeting Cathy there (unfortunately Nuala Couldn't make it over, but she is coming to visit soon, so I am super excited to see her!). The girls where lovely and the room was just incredible. The dresses were just beautiful! I had the chance to try on three gorgeous ones over my 1 hour 45 minute appointment.

Now brides to be, I am going to be totally honest. Although the dresses were absolutely stunning, I just didn't feel like they were for me. I felt like I was dressing up as someone else being a bride. The girls oo'd and ahh'd and I tried on veils. I'm not great with being the centre of attention at the best of times, but not feeling like myself, I just freaked out a little bit. I ended up having to rush myself out of the dress. The panic attack took over. Apparently I may have even snapped at the rest of them :S

So once we had left the shop and got me a bottle of water I was back on form! I had manage to clear my head and realised that this was just another shopping day where I got to try on pretty dresses and twirl around!

Off to our next stop! We made our way over the Pronuptia. As soon as I walked in through the door it felt special. Even though there were a few other brides in the shop, it didn't feel like we were all in each others way. Everyone was so engrossed in their own groups no one had a chance to have a look at the others!

I was greeted by the lovely Lynn and went straight to look at some dresses. Lynn was just fantastic! I felt like it was one of my friends helping me in and out of stunning dresses that I felt comfortable in.

Now I am a big girl, so no shop is going to have samples in that would fit, it just wouldn't make sense! Thankfully Lynn clipped me into each of the dresses. It was just a fantastic experience. And then in the third dress I tried on I felt it. The feeling that nearly every bride that I have spoken to says they have felt. Before I even looked in the mirror I knew it was it.

The One. My Dress.

And then I walked out into the room. I don't know whether it was my face, they felt that my vibe had changed or if the dress was just that gorgeous, but the girls all had tears in their eyes. That was it. I was buying my dress, in the most amazing shop, with friends (including Lynn) all around me. Even Jacqueline the fabulous owner of Pronuptia came over and recognised that it was the one.

So I had headed to Belfast expecting to have a girly weekend and I was 1 day in and I was paying my measurements deposit! I just didn't think it would happen.

So now it will be 6 months until I see my dress, thats 2 months before the wedding! It's really going to fly!!!

Interesting Fact…

The term 'honeymoon' first originated in Babylon, about 4,000 years ago. Honeymoon came into use for the month after a wedding, when the bride's father would give the groom all the mead he wanted. Mead is actually a honey beer, and being so, the Babylon's calendar was a lunar calender, which is based off the moon. They then started to call that month, the 'honey month', which we now have adapted to be honeymoon.

This interesting fact is brought to you by Wikipedia. Not always the fountain of truthful information but I like to believe it’s true.

Three months before my 28^th birthday, around the time I had decided to ask for Catherine’s hand. I decided that I wanted to add another skill to my quiver of past times. By this time I had become quite the Baker with a long gallery for cakes and buns (yes a future post will go into this in more detail) also I had hit a pinnacle point with my work in crochet. My next adventure was the magical world of brewing beer.

 

 

It was a random Thursday when I arrived home from work when I ran into the house to be greeted by Catherine, once again I was like an excited little boy who thought he had invented sliced bread.

“CATHERINE...” (pause for dramatic effect) “I have had the best idea ever!!!” (more dramatic pausing) “I am going to start brewing my own Beer!!!! I’ve even got a name for it all figured out… LIQUID COURAGE”

Catherine - “How the heck did you know I was going to get you a Beer brewing kit for your birthday?”

This was all the proof I needed, if I ever needed proof to begin with. Catherine is my soul mate, my other half. She knows what I want before I even dream up the crazy thing I want. She completes me.

This all leads me back to the interesting fact. Honey Mead. Whilst brewing my beer, which I received in time to brew and serve at my birthday (Clever move Catherine) I decided to go the extra mile and brew my own Honey Mead. This was a simple process of fermenting honey in water with yeast. I had even thought of a name “MORRIS MEAD”.

Trust me there is a connection.                                                                                     

So Honeymoon – Honey Mead… I thought it would be an awesome idea that as our wedding favours that each person would receive a miniature bottle of honey mead with a tagline about the interesting fact. This idea is not the one we will be using for our wedding however feel free to use it yourself.

This brings me full circle around to where my next post will continue… the Honeymoon.

Everyone likes a bit of Quirk in their life...

It's been a very productive week since my last post! If you recall I mentioned I'd be heading to Quirky Wedding Alternative Wedding Fair in the Waterfront in Belfast!

This was my second visit to the fair. Last February, I attended it as a girlfriend. The wonderful Cate Conway invited me again this year as a blogger which was just lovely (thank you Cate!). 

It was amazing this time going with a date (the last time we went we ended up making up a date for our non-existent wedding due to everyone asking when it was!). There were some incredible vendors there again and I am planning on doing interviews with some of the super awesome ones (all of them were incredible!). 

I thought I'd give you a quick guide to attending a Wedding fair! 

• Do your research - have a look at the fair's website, or ask friends who have been there before. Having an idea of what companies and services are going to be there can help. It can be a very overwhelming experience at your first wedding fair!

• Make a list of questions – what are you looking for, is there a particular service or product you want to research, what would you like to know from the venue, what are your burning questions? Use your phone, or a notepad to record these so you don't forget!

• Take a friend/parent/partner – don’t attempt it alone as you’ll need someone to bounce ideas off, help gather information and get a second opinion. I brought my mum and two of my bridesmaids!

• Wear comfortable shoes!

•  Don’t forget your diary so you can schedule any appointments and work out dates

• Quotes – be sure to collect as many quotes as possible so you can compare and contrast once you are home, don’t get carried away by the details and distracted by the free samples!

• Take your wedding scrap book / swatches / colours. If you have settled on your colour theme, or have strong ideas about decor – don’t forget to take samples, or your scrap book of ideas to show to the suppliers. They will be able to give you advice and bounce off your ideas, and you’ll find out if they are doable or just wild fantasy! It may also help to secure more realistic quotes if a supplier can visualise your ideas.

•  Fill in all the free prizes and give aways – you never know what you might win! There were some amazing prizes!

• Consider setting up an email address specifically for your wedding – to give to wedding suppliers, this will prevent lots of annoying spam and you can close this account after the wedding.

The most important thing is to enjoy yourself! Take the chance to check things out that you might not normally have thought of.  Check out the video below that I made  of some of the incredible suppliers!

Don't forget to click on the tags for more information! you can even buy the track from within the video!

^{Powered by Taggled}

I am Iron Man…

There is one thing that is required of a groom on the day of the wedding (other than showing up early and worrying about his bride to be showing up) and that is to look sharp, dapper, distinguished; basically he has to scrub up well. This post will centre on my hunt for the lads suits.

 

When I took the time to sit back and ponder what I would be wearing that day 2 styles came to mind, one was slightly outrageous and the other ever so slightly less outrageous. I ended up choosing the latter. (I will not go into my choice, as I believe it should be as much a secret as the brides dress, however I did get Catherine’s approval.)

 

I did say that I had something in mind but it was more of a general idea than a set in stone plan. My first stop was SD Kells in Omagh. Catherine and I were on one of our frequent visits to the lovely Morris’s when the talk turned to wedding. I had shared my ideas with Catherine and Rosemarie and after a quick google image search they understood what I was after, and I was met swiftly by “Sure go down the town and see what you can see”. Off to the suit emporium.

 

I am no stranger dressing up and looking snappy, let’s just say when I arrived at SD kells I was like a kid in a “suit” (sweet) shop. 

There is nothing better than suiting up. I don't know a man who doesn’t derive pleasure from sticking on a suit and imagining he is James Bond on his way to Monte Carlo as he promenades in front of the mirror. The selection in SD Kells was very impressive and was quite reasonable on price for a package. I received a brochure that I could peruse at my leisure and bit of advice… “It’s great you are taking an interest but grooms usually wait a bit closer to the time”. It dawned on me then that although I do not give off the impression, I am a complete GROOMZILLA.

 

Whilst in town, I visited Bowes Brothers of Omagh, another establishment that deals in suits of the wedding variety. They were also very helpful and they directed me to their distributor Debonair in Magherfelt.

 

I decided that I would leave my hunt for a couple of weekends and check online what was available.

 

My next trip would kill three birds with one stone. I checked out the selection in Tom Morrows in Dungannon, RED in Cookstown and Debonair in Magherfelt. In one day I made it to all three comparing prices and selection. First stop Tom Morrows, very affordable local and friendly, however the only suit that I like was the one Dinky had used for his wedding and this just wouldn’t do. 

Next on my travels was RED, a lot of selection however it seemed too modern, I… like my good wife to be, have quite vintage tastes. Lastly Debonair, this was the only place that I could find any hint of my first slightly outrageous idea but alas it was too much even for them and I headed home. It was this drive home that I made my decision.

 

I burst through the doors and excitedly started to ramble that I had chose what and where. Turned out that it was simply incoherent babbling forcing Catherine to use the phrase I’ve heard so many times whiles excited “James… use your words”. After calming down and actually explaining what I had planned, Catherine seemed puzzled. I tried a Google image search but my efforts were fruitless. 

I ended up in the closet finding different parts of suits that could possible show what I was thinking. Finally she got it. 

Job done.

Dress up time!

So todays post is going to be a bit of a mixed bag! It will start off nice, possibly go into a bit of a rant and then come back round to being nice again, I promise! Stick with me!

So this week is a really exciting one. Ciara, my Chief of Honour (She's no ones maid! lol) and Sister, is coming home from london for the weekend, Me, my mum, Cathy (bridesmaid) and Ciara are going Dress Shopping! Sqweeeeee! Ciara has been incredible. She has organised not only our accomodation but also two appointments at two of the most beautiful Bridal Shops in Belfast. We are starting off at Angel Star Brides and then on to Pronuptia.

 Angel Star

Pronuptia

I am so excited to go! Hopefully we will be able to facetime Nuala so she can see everything!

I have some expectations of what it is like to go to a bridal shop. It will be so much fun looking at dresses, and maybe finding "the dress".

My Facebook feed has been taken over by so many Bridal shop pages. I recently saw one which was on my way home from work and saw that they had a very impressive sale, in fact they were having a dress sale were some items were only £100! I decided to stop off at the shop to have a look at their shoes and veils! 

Here's what probably should have happened;

I walk up to the door, if it was locked I would ring the bell and someone would come to the door.

Girl from shop, "Hi there, how are you?"

Me, "I'm great, thanks very much, how are you?"

Girl, "I'm doing fine, have you an appointment with us or are you just browsing?"

Me, "Actually I saw your sale on facebook and wanted to have a look at your shoes!"

Girl, "Oh thats great, what type are your looking for?"

I would then describe my ideal shoes.

Girl, "I'm afraid we don't have any exactly like that, but tell me what size you are and I will see what we have that might be another option."

Me, "size 8"

Girl, "I'm afraid we only have these few left in a size 8 due to the sale"

Me, "That's fine,  can I have a look through the veils and the dresses?"

Girl "Of course you can, we actually have an appointment in, so you won't be able to try anything on, but if there is anything you like the look of we can note it down, and maybe book an appointment for you?"

At this stage I would have probably agreed to checking with my mum and sister to see if they were ok to take a trip to this shop as well at some stage. Unfortunately, this is not what happened. I actually had the closest experience to *that* Pretty Woman scene I think I will ever have - obviously without the prostitute thing!

I guess I just wasn't their kind of person. Either I didn't look like I had enough money, or because I was on my own, I didn't have the nicest experience at all.

What actually happened:

I walk up to shop door which is clear glass and see three women standing around the desk. I attempt to open the door but it is locked, the women look at me...

I then press the door bell and one of the women comes to the door and unlocks it.

Woman 1, "It freezing out there isn't it."

Me, "It really is."

Woman 1, "So do you know what you are looking for?"

Me (a little taken back), "Oh well, I saw you were having the sale on Facebook and saw some of your lovely shoes.

Woman 1, "Yes there are here, what size are you lookin'?'

Me, "a size 8"

Woman 1, "Well I don't think we have any, these are all the shoes we have now, let me look and see"

She starts pulling down individual shoes to check their size.

Me ," Actually I have a particular style in mind"

I describe the shoe in basic - obviously can't talk about it on here yet!

Woman 1, "We only really have this shoe and this shoe in your size"

Shows me two shoes the complete opposite to what I had asked for.

Me, "No problem, I was wondering if you have any (proceed to describe a veil I had seen online and couldn't quite remember what it was called)

Woman behind desk practically groans the correct name for the veil as though it was the most tedious question anyone had ever asked. 

Woman 1, "Yes we have a few of those."

Me, "May I see them?"

Woman 1 grabs one from a rail, "Here's one, we have either white or ivory, you don't get tones of Ivory"

Me, " That's lovely"

I would have loved to have been offered to even look at the veil on in a mirror but the "ladies" were not forthcoming with any niceness.

Woman behind desk, "Do you even know what kind of style you are going for?"

Me,"Yes" 

I then described my dress, that if I can't find in a shop, or that won't arrive in time if I order it,  I plan to have made to my exact measurements. 

Woman behind desk, "I've seen it a hundred times, you'll be back looking for a dress from us"

Me, "Do you have any in (style I am looking for)?"

Woman behind desk, "Yes, but they aren't in the sale" - she then turns around and starts speaking to the until now silent 3rd woman.

Woman 1, "You couldn't try any of ours on anyway tonight as we have an appointment in."

At this stage I was done with them. I handed back the veil and said thanks very much, that I might be back tomorrow to look at the veil again.

I have absolutely no intention of heading back to that shop, and had considered naming them on here, but I wouldn't even give them the views to their website!

So my first visit to a Bridal shop wasn't the experience I was expected but I can't wait to have a real treat of going with my Mum and 2 of my bridesmaids!

The second part of the weekend with my ladies, I am super excited for! 

This Sunday 2nd February, is the Quirky Weddings' Fair! It will have everything from Venues like the Nomadic in Belfast, to a Wedding video cinema, and even some of the most amazing cakes I have ever seen! James and I went last September before we were even engaged just to have a nosey around, and to hand out some business cards from Taggled. 

I really can't wait and will be writing all about it next week! 

This really is the weekend for wedding fairs. some of the others happening are:

The Old Inn Spring Wedding fair 

Wedding open week at the Dufferin Coaching Inn

and of course

The Ulster Herald Wedding Fair

I am really hoping to make it to the Ulster Herald Wedding fair in September, just before the wedding to pick up any last minute bits and pieces we might need!

So there you have it one very long, mixed bag of a post! Looking forward to writing about what happens this weekend next week!

 

The Big ‘D’ word

This I know is a touchy subject to be coving however it is an important part. In the back of every bride and grooms mind is how they going to look standing in front of a sea of people. Getting photographs taken that will be looked upon for years to come.

The Diet

People do comment that I have lost ‘a pile of weight’ to which I normally reply “Sure I’ve got a dress to fit into”. I have actively been trying to lose weight for the last 9-12 months or so and have just come down under to the 3 stone marker. This has been tough going (I am very regimental in my eating habits). So much so I eat the same thing every day. I know this sounds a bit odd but I have worked it out. I can have all the food I enjoy and it is sustainable, until I reach my target.

I do truly believe that Catherine is the most beautiful creature I have ever set my eyes upon and that I wouldn’t change a thing about her or want her to feel that she needs to change. This is about me. She deserves the best, I am no oil painting but I will do my best to try and look striking for her.

Below is my diet, I do hope that this does not cause too much controversy. I do understand that the body needs all different nutrients and vitamins. However I will point out that this is not a diet for life just until I reach my target. Basically the idea is that my calorie intake for a day is 1500kcal. I eat at regular intervals with quite large portioning.

Breakfast (7am) Approx 420 Cal

 

4 x Weetabix

300ml Semi Skimmed Milk

 

Tea (10am) Approx 250 Cal

 

2 x Brennan White Bread

1 x Galtee honey roast ham Slice

1 x Low Low cheese slice

 

Lunch (1pm) Approx 250 Cal

 

2 x Brennan White Bread

1 x Galtee honey roast ham Slice

1 x Low Low cheese slice

 

Dinner (5pm-7pm) Approx 450 Cal

 

300g mixed Frozen Vegetables (approx 180 Cal)

100g Chicken fillet cooked Sliced (approx 110 Cal)

150ml Pasata (tomato Sauce) (approx 40 Cal)

Generous sprinkle of Chilli pepper powder – kick starts the metabolism

50ml HP Brown Sauce (approx 60 Cal)

50ml HP BBQ Sauce (Green Label) (approx 60 Cal)

 

Snack (8pm-9pm) Approx 95 Cal

Half of a Flyte Bar

Check Nutritional info and eat whatever you feel like but make sure it adds up to approx 450 Cal:

Dinner Alternate

100g Chicken fillet cooked Sliced

200g mixed Stir Fry vegetables

150ml Curry Sauce

150g Pre cooked Low cal noodles

 

This is what has worked for me. I have also started back to 6 a side football. This is to keep fit but more a chance to reconnect with all the lads before the eventual stag do! – (Plans to come)