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I've lost my phone. Yet another phone has met its maker prematurely by being unlucky enough to have me as its owner. A history of my deplorable phone-caretaking record...the phone I just lost already had a brush with death when it fell from my back pocket into a toilet in a pub in Lahinch on the day Sean proposed. I swear that drink was not involved and I noticed the phone in the loo before I went.
The phone before that got rolled over by a bus when I dropped it outside Limerick station. Phone before that got wet when I went hillwalking in the Burren on the wetest day in Irish history. Phone before that was accidentally dropped (by me) into a mug of coffee...it was early, I'd just woken up, I was trying to do too many things with my hands.
There was also the phone 2 or 3 phones ago that just inexplicably died for no reason, I swear...that was the time I left my car keys in the Carphone Warehouse while I was buying a new phone, they closed up shop - I went to my car to discover I was locked out and worst of all...I'd a new phone with no numbers so I couldn't ring anyone!
Will I ever have a phone that just dies of old age? The society for the protection of phones is going to have to get a restraining order out against me :<(
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Meet the parents
Mam finally met Sean's parents over the weekend. We brought them all to the tasting at Coolbawn - gave them a purpose so it wouldn't feel too awkward. I'm happy and surprised to report that Mam didn't embarrass me, Sean's parents didn't embarrass him...once they'd established a few nuns, priests and dancers of mutual acquantaince they were happy enough to chat away.
They were all delighted with Coolbawn, but Sean and I were a bit disappointed with the food, especially the main course. Fuelled by half a bottle of wine I overcame by natural shyness about sharing my doubts with the staff, who were lovely - very understanding, sympathetic and happy to pass on our views to the poor chef. He'll have plenty of time to work on his spit-generation between now and september. On the upside, we stayed the night and had a lovely time - accommodation was fab and breakfast was lovely.
We'll have to go out again and do more tasting before we settle on a menu...why, oh why did we pick somewhere so far away? All Sean's fault, of course.
They were all delighted with Coolbawn, but Sean and I were a bit disappointed with the food, especially the main course. Fuelled by half a bottle of wine I overcame by natural shyness about sharing my doubts with the staff, who were lovely - very understanding, sympathetic and happy to pass on our views to the poor chef. He'll have plenty of time to work on his spit-generation between now and september. On the upside, we stayed the night and had a lovely time - accommodation was fab and breakfast was lovely.
We'll have to go out again and do more tasting before we settle on a menu...why, oh why did we pick somewhere so far away? All Sean's fault, of course.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The church music
A minor wedding rant...
A trad band played for the library at a conference dinner a few weeks ago. There were 4 of them and they played for 2 hours. I rang them up to see if they could do the church music for me. They quoted me double the price we paid them for the conference, they'll play for an hour and there will only be two of them there. So I'm getting half a band for half the time at twice the price! Grrr...wedding schmedding!
On the upside, after I got over my outrage I consulted my essential wedding forum groups to see what the going rate was, and discovered I'm getting the two musicians for the price that people normally pay for one musician. So I'm actually getting a good deal...I think. Actually I don't know...I'm confused...my head hurts.
Anyway its an Irish flute and a fiddler for the church...and of course Tara singing.
A trad band played for the library at a conference dinner a few weeks ago. There were 4 of them and they played for 2 hours. I rang them up to see if they could do the church music for me. They quoted me double the price we paid them for the conference, they'll play for an hour and there will only be two of them there. So I'm getting half a band for half the time at twice the price! Grrr...wedding schmedding!
On the upside, after I got over my outrage I consulted my essential wedding forum groups to see what the going rate was, and discovered I'm getting the two musicians for the price that people normally pay for one musician. So I'm actually getting a good deal...I think. Actually I don't know...I'm confused...my head hurts.
Anyway its an Irish flute and a fiddler for the church...and of course Tara singing.
Friday, July 17, 2009
The entertainment
I'm a woman on a mission this week...mostly cause my boss is on holidays. I've the night time entertainment booked. Coolbawn recommended a guy with a guitar who does a lot of weddings for small groups - low key kind of entertainment. I rang him, he's available and affordable. I haven't heard him play so its kind of blind faith but he sounded like a very nice man.
He said people can get up and dance or not dance, whatever they want, and he's happy to do backing music for anyone who wants to sing a song. I said there would probably be a few mothers who would be up whether he liked it or not! I don't think wild horses and a muzzle will be enough to avoid a rendition of "Love changes everything". I must remember to tell him I've an aunt and a sister who do a unique version of "The Rose" so he can work on his backing vocals!
He said people can get up and dance or not dance, whatever they want, and he's happy to do backing music for anyone who wants to sing a song. I said there would probably be a few mothers who would be up whether he liked it or not! I don't think wild horses and a muzzle will be enough to avoid a rendition of "Love changes everything". I must remember to tell him I've an aunt and a sister who do a unique version of "The Rose" so he can work on his backing vocals!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Photographers
I met 3 photographers yesterday and I'm torn between two of them. One of them does really good work – his photos are beautiful and the album is a storyboard thing which is all the rage apparently – but…I didn’t like his personality at all. He came across as bossy, a bit smarmy, like he thinks of himself as an artiste. The other guy was lovely – a real gentleman, calm, professional, seems very experienced – but…his photos are a bit ordinary and albums are quite traditional. Both were priced around the same and both have good recommendations in the wedding forums.
So do I go with the guy that will drive us mad all day but come up with the goods afterwards? He said he airbrushes the pictures…adds hair to the grooms, gets rid of crows feet for the bride…do they all do this? Is this the norm now? Sean is delighted, he has his vote, but it seems a bit dodgy to me.
And he didn't have the sense to say that crows-feet removal would obviously not be required in this instance!
So do I go with the guy that will drive us mad all day but come up with the goods afterwards? He said he airbrushes the pictures…adds hair to the grooms, gets rid of crows feet for the bride…do they all do this? Is this the norm now? Sean is delighted, he has his vote, but it seems a bit dodgy to me.
And he didn't have the sense to say that crows-feet removal would obviously not be required in this instance!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Bridesmaid dresses acquired...& I didn't have to do a thing!
In a stroke of masterful genius I ticked another thing off the list yesterday without lifting a finger. Its all down to my wonderful, fantabulous bridesmaids, probably realising that if they didn't take control of their dress shopping they risked ending up wearing potato sacks on the day.
It all started in March, before I was even engaged. Clo bought a lovely black and ivory dress in the classily-named Dress Barn in Wrentham (ah Wrentham) the last time she was in Boston. After I bought my dress we put them together and decided they were perfect together - the styles complemented each other beautifully. Having checked Dress Barn online without success, Tara's most important bridesmaidly mission, should she choose to accept it, was to scoot out to Wrentham and acquire a second dress the minute she landed in Boston. And success! She got the second last one...there since March...in Wrentham...what are the odds?
Well done Tar, you're a gem! I have to say this wedding planning business is a breeze!
It all started in March, before I was even engaged. Clo bought a lovely black and ivory dress in the classily-named Dress Barn in Wrentham (ah Wrentham) the last time she was in Boston. After I bought my dress we put them together and decided they were perfect together - the styles complemented each other beautifully. Having checked Dress Barn online without success, Tara's most important bridesmaidly mission, should she choose to accept it, was to scoot out to Wrentham and acquire a second dress the minute she landed in Boston. And success! She got the second last one...there since March...in Wrentham...what are the odds?
Well done Tar, you're a gem! I have to say this wedding planning business is a breeze!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Bridesmaid-illas
Tara visited Ireland for the last 3 weeks and tried her best to light a fire under me, with some success. On the upside I now feel pressure to get things done, on the down side, I haven't actually gotten anything done since my last posting...except I got the shoes...hoorah! Okay, they were Tara's shoes and I had to take a stack of wedding folders, files & to-do lists as well, but at least I now have my "something borrowed"...and "old" (sorry Ta).
I tried on the dress for Tar & Clo and had a few moments of doubt...its all wrong, what was I thinking, I look like a whale, and so on. Not helped by bridesmaids making comments like "its definitely not traditional", "its a mature dress" and worst of all "Sean will love it" (i.e. your arse looks enormous). My doubts didn't last too long thankfully - I put their input down to jealousy (obviously) and fell back into the haze of bridal delusions of fabulousness that I've been living in since I said yes and made Sean the happiest man in the world!
Anyway, the 3 of us trooped to Coolbawn for lunch on saturday where my choice of venue was reaffirmed far more convincingly than the choice of dress - they thought it was wonderful. So we'd a lovely few weeks but I have a vague feeling that I should have overloaded them with a lot more bridesmaidly duties, if only to distract them from plotting the hen...
I tried on the dress for Tar & Clo and had a few moments of doubt...its all wrong, what was I thinking, I look like a whale, and so on. Not helped by bridesmaids making comments like "its definitely not traditional", "its a mature dress" and worst of all "Sean will love it" (i.e. your arse looks enormous). My doubts didn't last too long thankfully - I put their input down to jealousy (obviously) and fell back into the haze of bridal delusions of fabulousness that I've been living in since I said yes and made Sean the happiest man in the world!
Anyway, the 3 of us trooped to Coolbawn for lunch on saturday where my choice of venue was reaffirmed far more convincingly than the choice of dress - they thought it was wonderful. So we'd a lovely few weeks but I have a vague feeling that I should have overloaded them with a lot more bridesmaidly duties, if only to distract them from plotting the hen...
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