Finding The Venue.

This weekend Michael and I spent the day at the venue that we'll be hosting our post wedding celebration - and we absolutely love it. It ticks all the right boxes for us as a couple. It's clean, modern with lovely, smiley staff and large comfortable spaces for everyone to relax in. Location is a big factor too; we wanted it close to home that our guests can get to really easily. We wanted somewhere a bit chilled out and effortless with a nice bar and hotel rooms either on site or nearby for ourselves and our guests. The price also had to be right as we want to put the majority of our budget into our trip. We wanted somewhere that could host a 3 course dinner for close family in a comfortable but luxurious setting followed by a function room with a bar and dance floor for our 80-90 guests.

I first visited it a couple weeks ago while out venue-scouting with my lovely Motherbear, Wendy. We had a real girlie day as she chauffeured me around half the country to look at various hotels, restaurants, stately homes and castles! We had a lovely afternoon tea break in Brownlow House in Lurgan.

Brownlow House is a really lovely building, with huge windows and doors. I knew it wasn't for me though when I discovered that it was jam-packed with Taxidermy! With both of us being animal lovers from a young age -and having a pet rabbit ourselves - I wasn't sure we'd be all the comfortable with the amount of dead rabbit heads adorning the walls. It's quite grand too, and I know we'd feel a little out of place there with our rowdy lot! They made me a lovely lunch though and Mum and I were able to have a good natter by the open fire.

After Brownlow we took a drive out to The Dunadry Hotel in Country Antrim. Mum was the obvious choice to take with me on such adventures - as I've mentioned before she has worked as a florist for her entire adult life and she's worked in the wedding industry in Northern Ireland since before I was even born. Check out her Facebook here. She has contacts left, right and centre and has worked in most of the venues around NI - she's my number one contact for anything wedding related! An invaluable resource - plus, it means I get to spend even more time with her than usual - she's my favourite person in the world!

The Dunadry is another grand hotel - very spacious with large rooms and halls. The staff are all dressed really well, and are polite and courteous. The Dunadry Hotel lives for weddings. They have glass cabinets all around the building filled with champagne corks signed by all the couples that have been married there. A nice touch! We were greeted by one of the wedding coordinators who, despite us not having an appointment, took us for a tour of the suites and answered some of our questions (all the while doing slight-of-hand magic tricks as he spoke. Wendy didn't even notice.)

I really liked the Dunadry, but there was something just not quite right about these old-style hotels that I didn't think suited Michael and I. I began to think that these hotels would be more suited for couples having a full day wedding there. As ours was just a party, it made more sense to focus on function rooms alone. There had to be something out there that suited us! 

In the beginning we had our hearts set on - and it still pains me to say it - Riverdale Barn. Riverdale is this fantastic rustic barn near Aghnagallon and Mum had it earmarked as my perfect venue long before Michael popped the question. I always had it in my head that I wanted a gorgeous rustic barn wedding, lots of candles and handmade bits and bobs. Very Pinterest. Infact, between Mum, my sister Laura and my sister-in-law-to-be Maygen we had the entire thing planned in one night. I had emailed Riverdale Barn on Boxing Day to register my interest and ask for a quote. It was decided, this is where I was having my wedding reception and I was buzzing to hear back from them.

As it was the Christmas holidays, they were closed and my impatience was getting the better of me. I finally decided to pick up the phone and call them and on New Years Eve I eventually received a text message with a brief quote. And my heart absolutely sank. They were quoting £3700+VAT for room hire alone, with an additional £37.00 per person. This price didn't include décor, or furniture or even HEATING. There is no way that was within our budget and my disappointment soon gave way to anger. How could they ask so much money for just a few hours in the evening? I didn't even reply. Riverdale Barn dream over. Moving on. After a few days of huffing "I don't even want a reception now" I shook myself and took Mum up on her offer to go and look at other places.

Focusing now on function rooms, we began to consider Gowdy's at the Racecourse. Both my Mum and my Uncle Andrew had held wedding receptions there before it was refurbished and both were really relaxed and rustic. I could probably still hold my rustic barn theme there. So we went for dinner (fantastic food by the way!) and had a peak in at the function space. It wasn't much to look at but I knew that with Mum's talents we could make it into a really beautiful setting for our reception, plus the price was shockingly cheap (FREE to rent - can't do much better than that). The huge open log fire in the foyer sold it.

However, Gowdy's was second only to the venue I had spotted and fallen in love with earlier in the day. A 4* hotel in Belfast. I was waiting on a quote back from them, and if it turned out to be absolutely ridiculous, we had Gowdy's to fall back on.

Mum had me well coached that the hotel may come back and be out of our budget - she'd learnt well after the Riverdale Barn fiasco. When we were being shown around I remember looking at Mum all glassy-eyed and she was like "I knew you'd like this..." in an oh-crap-what-have-I-done voice, clearly petrified that she'd set me up for a fall again. She needn't have worried. When the wedding co-ordinator emailed me with a price list I almost cried - it was so much more affordable than we even imagined and they had the date we wanted available. When I told Mum the price she texted back two words "book it."

Michael still hadn't seen the venue, so the two of us went to see it on Sunday. He was, thankfully, as enthusiastic as I was and he whipped out his card and paid the deposit right then and there. We have our date! The hotel is perfect for our needs and we're really excited. It took us a bit of coaxing to abandon our rustic barn wedding idea, it just wouldn't work in the hotel we've booked, but we've chosen a new theme that is absolutely perfect for both the hotel and for us and our wedding adventure. Can't wait to tell all!

-Rachel

Elopement

We decided that we were going to elope before we were even engaged.  The very idea of a traditional wedding gave (and still gives) both of us major anxiety.  The idea of being the center of attention for a whole day - photographs, speeches, walking down the aisle...it just isn't us and we made the decision that our wedding day would be completely "us" and that we'd do whatever it is that we're most comfortable with.

Months before our engagement we had begun to plan a "last hurrah" before "growing up".  On our very first date in 2010, sitting in a nervous-drunken stupor in a dark corner of Auntie Annies in Belfast, we were talking about my up-coming trip to the USA, New Zealand and Australia.  I remember asking Michael where in the world he would love to go if he had the chance and he answered, without skipping a beat, New York City.  Ever since then, I've always inwardly made it my mission to go back there and take him with me.  

So, we planned a trip for Christmas 2015 where we would spend the holidays exploring the city and experiencing a "Home Alone" Christmas in New York.  In addition to this, we thought we could fly out to Las Vegas and spend New Years there and really go all out.  So the plan was/is to spend all of 2015 working our butts off to save as much as we can in order to make the most of our trip.  This being the plan, I had figured there was absolutely no way we were going to get engaged before the trip, so it was an even bigger surprise when we did!

I think it was Christmas Night (24 hours post-engagement) when we decided we would get married in New York while we're out there and treat Las Vegas as our honeymoon. The more research that we've put into it, the more perfect a decision it has been for us.  We're so, so excited to be getting married on Christmas Eve, exactly one year from our engagement, in the most magical city in the world.  

We have decided to cut all the traditional wedding stuff - no bridal party, no big ceremony, no big dresses and photography - and wake up Christmas Eve, travel to City Hall in Lower Manhattan and have the smallest, most intimate 30-second ceremony possible!  Just the two of us (and some random witnesses we'll grab from the foyer, probably). I always feared growing up that I would get sucked into the craziness of a massive wedding.  I never wanted that, and neither does Michael.  Weddings often distract from the real meaning of and reason for a couple committing to marriage.  We're committed to keeping a clear head; always being aware of the huge decision we're making and the true and real meaning of our vows.  Our whole wedding will be centered around just the two of us.

Once the ceremony is over and we're officially husband and wife (eeep!) we plan to go for cocktails at The Plaza and take a walk around Central Park for some photos before a lovely dinner somewhere special.  We'd love there to be a bit of snow too!

We are umming and aahing over whether to spend our wedding night/Christmas Eve in a nice hotel or whether we should rent our own apartment for the week.  We actually have a Hilton apartment suite in Central Manhattan provisionally booked - it would be nice to be able to cook our own Christmas dinner there!  Flights aren't available until February so we're itching to get them booked so that we can really start to plan.

Thankfully, our family have been really supportive of our plans to get married away.  Of course, if it was possible, we'd love them all to come with us but it just wouldn't be.  This is why we have booked and confirmed a post-wedding reception party for when we return! 

Engagement

After 4 years of being together and surviving some pretty tough times it's been pretty clear to us for quite some time that we're in it for the long haul.  
 
We've created two very happy homes together and adopted a kitten and a bunny that we (lets be honest here) treat as if they are our babies. We've supported each other through all our ups and downs; 2013 was a particularly trying year where we both lost our jobs at the same time and believe me, if we made it through that we can make it through anything!  I even took off for 8 months traveling around the world at the very beginning of our relationship and we were in contact every single day by whatever means we could. £200 phone bill included!  We can honestly say that we're best buds and after so long together we're still as excited to see each other than we were when we first got together. We're beyond delighted that we're engaged and are really looking forward to being husband and wife.

The proposal was lovely.  He got down on one knee in our new home on Christmas Eve while we were sitting in front of the Christmas Tree and the open fire, sipping on mulled wine and watching the 1985 version of The Santa Claus - so cosy and relaxed and perfect.

I don't think I've ever drank as much Cava and Champagne in all my life than I did this Christmas.  Definitely not complaining though.

Everyone has been so kind and thoughtful - we didn't expect any gifts or cards especially as it was so close to Christmas but everyone really spoiled us.  Thank you to all our family and friends who texted, messaged, called or stopped by to congratulate us.

Beginnings.

Like millions of newly engaged couples in this day and age, we quite fancied the idea of beginning a diary to keep track of our wedding planning. Our wedding will be something a little bit different from the norm  - we're planning an elopement!  

 

I (Rachel) am no stranger to keeping track of experiences and milestones throughout my life whether it's on Facebook, Twitter or on blogging sites (some public, most private).  As a committed "memory collector" I take photos of absolutely everything and I write about them too.  There's something so lovely about being able to look back on what your thoughts and feelings were at a certain time.  Through this diary we'll be able to track our plans and see how much they've evolved and changed throughout the planning process - the things that went right, the things that went wrong and the things that happened differently than expected.

My main aim in life has always been to spend my present making sure that my past is worth looking back on.  I'm a self-confessed over-document-er and proud.  On Christmas Eve 2014 my partner of 4 years (Michael) got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of his life with him - one of the most special moments of my life - and we've since been launched at full-speed towards marriage and I want to record every moment. 

Having been surrounded by weddings my entire life thanks to my Mum being the best wedding florist/planner around, I'm not your typical Bridezilla (yet..) and I am taking a more chilled out, non-traditional approach to the Big Day.

If wedding stuff isn't for you - look away now - why are you even here?! 

- Rachel