'Going to the Chapel '

Where do I start? I haven’t kept a diary since I was in secondary school and looking back on them I think they should be published a la Bridget Jones! Well, here goes. I read one of the other Bride’s Diaries, they met online too. I guess I should start there, at the very beginning…Well, rewind 3 ½ years. I’m in New York on holiday with my brother and sister, staying with my grandfather. Bored to tears every evening as granddad did not let us out at night!!! so, I started logging on to Yahoo Chat every night. I got talking to this one guy. It got so that I logged on just to chat to him, we would only use the private boxes. This went on for 2 weeks until I got home. When I got home from America, I found out that while I had been there, a friend of mine had died. Mum waited until I got home to tell me. I was pretty depressed at the time, even before going over to America, I’d gone through a tough patch, so hearing this about my friend nearly sent me over the edge!

So on the Monday evening (22nd April 2001), I got a text from Sean (the guy from the internet) asking me what I was up to, I told him I was bored sitting at home watching tv. So we arranged to meet up, it turns out we only lived around the corner from each other! So we met up, it was like fate, I fancied him the minute I saw him (Elijah wood double!!) and it just went from there. He told me he loved me after 6 weeks, I knew I loved him in the first week! Crazy isn’t it! So, we had a break for a year about 2 years ago, did our own thing. But we realised we still loved each other and tried again.

Fast Forward to December 2003. about 2 weeks before Christmas we were lazing about in his parent’s house when he said to me, let’s go for a drive. So off we went. We pulled up outside a house, now, there was a shop across the road so I just assumed he was going there so I just sat in the car when he got out. He came around and opened my door, grabbed my hand and said “come, I’ve something to show you!” . So we walked up to the front door of this house. He hands me a key and says “Happy Christmas!!!” could have knocked me over with a feather! He and his dad had plotted and bought it and said nothing until it was all sorted and surprised me for Christmas!! It is a really old house and needed a lot of work done on it so we didn’t actually get to move in until April of this year.

He proposed to me this year, on the 3rd November, in Paris, on a cruise boat on the Seine. At night, it was dark, the city of Paris really is the city of love! I’ve never experienced anything so romantic in my life! We went on the cruise and as we were passing Notre Dame, he asked me to marry him, I just turned around to say something to him and he had the box open with the ring twinkling back at me! I was speechless (which doesn’t happen that often!!!!), I cried, then I laughed and we kissed, I forgot to say yes! I couldn’t tell you what else we saw for the rest of the hour long trip, I forgot how bloody cold I was!!

You know you never really appreciate how it’s going to feel until it happens do you? even now I’m getting a bit tearful remembering it all. I’ll never forget our proposal, really is one for the grandkids to hear! It was so special.

So we went mad and rang everyone!! Dreading my phone bill this month!! I was a bit apprehensive of ringing his parents but they were so so happy! Mum and dad were delighted that we were engaged, and I think, although they won’t admit it, happier that I am engaged and living in sin, than living in sin and not engaged ?

So, went home to Donegal the week after we got back from Paris (still I think recovering from all the Champagne we drank celebrating!_ We had appointments with 3 hotels in the town where I’m from on the Saturday. We had set the date ourselves in Paris - 22nd April 2006, and I was told to start booking things now!! I couldn’t believe it! The first hotel we saw, Sean decided there and then that was the hotel he wanted at any cost!

So we cancelled the meetings with the other 2 and had a good look round, even decided which wedding suite we wanted!! We were lucky, the hotel was booked up already for the weekend before and after! I couldn’t believe it. So then we booked the Church, free that day thank goodness!! I rang a band I know of old, and have always liked and they are already booked that weekend for a wedding, I am still in a state of shock over how quickly things are booked up, and so far in advance!

Bought my dress. Completely by accident but no details on that for a good while! Lets just say I’ve 14lbs with the grace of weigh watchers before I can even think about the dress!!

So apart from booking the hotel and church, we’ve nothing else done really. I’m going to make all our invitations and thank you cards myself, so I’ve done up a few samples and have pretty much decided on what I am going to go for. Haven’t a clue where to start as regards service booklets, photography etc. It’s harder as I live in Dublin. I’ve also decided on my bridesmaid - my sister, and I’m having 2 cousins as flower girls and 1 as pageboy.

So I guess that’s it for now really until I have made some more progress!
Sinead.