Off Topic Thread 3.0

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 04-11-2016 01:08AM

awec wrote: »

I'm the opposite, don't ever remember the food.

The most important thing about the food is that it's served at a reasonable time and you're not left starving. Was at a wedding last year where the main course was being served at 9pm.

Zzippy · 04-11-2016 09:36AM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

The most important thing about the food is that it's served at a reasonable time and you're not left starving. Was at a wedding last year where the main course was being served at 9pm.

I was at a wedding in Argentina where the church ceremony was at 9pm and we didn't eat til well after midnight!

Buer · 04-11-2016 09:55AM

awec wrote: »

Trying to pick a first dance song right now, leaning toward van the man - have i told you

Van is always a safe bet. I've seen couples agonise over the first song to try and pick something original and special to them. Rarely is there such a song that suits them both.

Myself and the current wife went with Into The Mystic. We both like it, people know it and it wasn't a song that we'd look back at and cringe at. Much.

First dance is generally a bit daft anyway. Awkward shuffling around as 200 people crowd around you. Don't think I'll do it next time I get married.

Stheno · 04-11-2016 09:58AM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

The most important thing about the food is that it's served at a reasonable time and you're not left starving. Was at a wedding last year where the main course was being served at 9pm.

We'd a half hour wait between the third course and main course last week 845 before it arrived.

It was a long long day

Buer · 04-11-2016 10:04AM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I have a friend organising a wedding at the moment and everything they are doing seems to be to please other people. Their catchphrase of late seems to be "if it was up to us we wouldn't be doing *insert wedding cliché* at all". I have to fight the urge to shout "IT IS UP TO YOU, YOU F**KING TWATS!" at them.

It's not though. Welcome to Irish society. The marriage is about the couple but the big show is for everyone else.

It's good to see more non-traditional weddings taking place now but the vast majority are still the traditional big day with the church, hotel, band etc.

molloyjh · 04-11-2016 10:17AM

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I hate weddings, full stop. I'd be eternally grateful to any friend/relative who ****ed off to Vegas or Spain or Gretna Green and told me about it afterwards.
I have a friend organising a wedding at the moment and everything they are doing seems to be to please other people. Their catchphrase of late seems to be "if it was up to us we wouldn't be doing *insert wedding cliché* at all". I have to fight the urge to shout "IT IS UP TO YOU, YOU F**KING TWATS!" at them.

Yep. I was a bit of a dick about my wedding. It was our wedding, our choices. I wasn't going to do something I didn't want to do for other peoples sake. We made sure we had a section outside the main room for the oldies if they didn't like the music etc which is basically the wedding equivalent of sweeping the problem under the rug. But that was fine by me.

Then there was the invite list. My parents and their "Oh you have to invite Bob from down the road because his son invited us to his wedding". No, I don't know Bob. Bob can f*** off. We had very strict rules on who got invited and who didn't and I made sure everyone knew that from the start.

I've seen times when other people have made a mess of someones wedding (a friends bride ended up balling her eyes out at theirs because of the attitude of certain family members). That was not going to happen at mine.

Also, the first dance is the most horrifically painful thing ever. I hated every moment of it.

.ak · 04-11-2016 10:17AM

Yeh if we ever got married it'd be in the middle of nowhere in Italy or somewhere and nobody would have any input but us. If you can make it, great. If not I wouldn't really care sort of thing.

molloyjh · 04-11-2016 10:22AM

Buer wrote: »

It's not though. Welcome to Irish society. The marriage is about the couple but the big show is for everyone else.

It doesn't have to be. Put your foot down early and you can do what you want. Sure some people will mouth off, but let them. It only affects you if you let it.

Buer · 04-11-2016 10:30AM

molloyjh wrote: »

Then there was the invite list. My parents and their "Oh you have to invite Bob from down the road because his son invited us to his wedding". No, I don't know Bob. Bob can f*** off. We had very strict rules on who got invited and who didn't and I made sure everyone knew that from the start.

I'd have been happy enough to do similarly. I've a small family. She has a massive one. I'm from Dublin, she's from a country town where loads of people know one another. I wasn't bothered enough to try and put a stop to the invites for people I'd never met but she had known all of her life. It was sufficiently important to her but I just went along with things mostly on the day.

On the plus side, they were generous people and our wedding ended up costing us zero!

I'm honestly unsure how people can end up dropping €50k on a wedding.

awec · 04-11-2016 10:34AM

Yea, one of her mates told her it's impossible to do it for less than 25K. :pac:

awec · 04-11-2016 10:38AM

Any honeymoon recommendations lads? We still haven't booked one, planning to go early next year.

04-11-2016 10:40AM

awec wrote: »

Any honeymoon recommendations lads? We still haven't booked one, planning to go early next year.

Active or chill out?

b.gud · 04-11-2016 10:45AM

awec wrote: »

Any honeymoon recommendations lads? We still haven't booked one, planning to go early next year.

Giant's Causeway

Buer · 04-11-2016 11:07AM

awec wrote: »

Any honeymoon recommendations lads? We still haven't booked one, planning to go early next year.

Well, if you're going early next year research your location according to weather firstly. You might not want 35C every day but I'm sure you don't want to go anywhere during rainy season.

If you're going in our winter, you might be looking at southern hemisphere. We went to South Africa which was superb. Cheap, amazing food and drink, good weather and lots to do. A bonus was being only a couple of hours off Irish time so jet lag wasn't an issue once you'd a decent sleep.

If you have the time and funds, NZ is spectacular and would have good weather at that time, in the twenties.

If you want to sit on your arse in luxury and just get fat then a few mates have done the all inclusive trips to Mexico or Caribbean, taking in an American city for 3-4 days en route. Not my cup of tea but they raved about them. Cocktails and lobster for breakfast and being waited on hand and foot every day.

As something alternative, I'd recommend Vietnam. Beautiful country, cheap as chips, tonnes to do and you can mix a beach stay with some incredible cities and culture. Long old flight but can go direct from Paris.

sydthebeat · 04-11-2016 11:08AM

awec wrote: »

Any honeymoon recommendations lads? We still haven't booked one, planning to go early next year.

rome, on the 11th feb?

molloyjh · 04-11-2016 11:26AM

Buer wrote: »

I'd have been happy enough to do similarly. I've a small family. She has a massive one. I'm from Dublin, she's from a country town where loads of people know one another. I wasn't bothered enough to try and put a stop to the invites for people I'd never met but she had known all of her life. It was sufficiently important to her but I just went along with things mostly on the day.

On the plus side, they were generous people and our wedding ended up costing us zero!

I'm honestly unsure how people can end up dropping €50k on a wedding.

Anyone who spends that kind of money on a wedding is cracked. We didn't exactly hold back ourselves and as we had a relatively small wedding we didn't make all of it back, but we were very close. While weddings can be done on a budget we figured we might as well go all out as we obviously don't plan on doing anything like it again. It was definitely worth it at the time but looking back there's a little bit of me that wonders what I could do with that money now....

awec · 04-11-2016 11:28AM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Active or chill out?

Bit of both. I like chill out, she likes active!

We have three weeks so we're thinking of a cruise for one of the weeks.

04-11-2016 11:35AM

awec wrote: »

Bit of both. I like chill out, she likes active!

We have three weeks so we're thinking of a cruise for one of the weeks.

Cruises are marmite. I know people who have absolutely hated them, I know people who loved them but it's hard to know until you are on one but be warned!

That said, if you are staying in Europe it's going to be off season in a lot of places and cold even on the med so a cruise might be the best bet.

Outside of that it really depends on Budget. South Africa should be pretty nice that time of year, and as others have said NZ is meant to be stunning.

I spoke to someone recently who went to Kenya and said it was the holiday of a lifetime and another who went to a resort in Pakistan and loved it also, said it was the closest they've been to being treated like royalty and it wasn't outrageously expensive outside of getting there.

mfceiling · 04-11-2016 11:36AM

Zzippy wrote: »

I was at a wedding in Argentina where the church ceremony was at 9pm and we didn't eat til well after midnight!

I was in Argentina years ago with herself. You'd be starving at 8p.m and then you'd be the only ones in the restaurant!! Every night was the same...we'd be leaving at 10 as the place was filling up.

awec · 04-11-2016 11:41AM

Is South Africa safe?

mfceiling · 04-11-2016 11:44AM

awec wrote: »

Is South Africa safe?

Very. Was there in 2002 and down the garden route and Capetown were perfectly fine. Google Camps Bay....beautiful part of the world and very cheap. Just the usual precautions and you'll be grand...Ulster jersey would probably give you some kind of diplomatic immunity!!

mfceiling · 04-11-2016 11:53AM

awec wrote: »

Is South Africa safe?

10 of the best places to eat in Cape Town, South Africa

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/nov/02/10-best-eats-cape-town-south-africa-cafes-restaurants?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Buer · 04-11-2016 11:54AM

awec wrote: »

Is South Africa safe?

Yes if you don't do anything remarkably silly. Stay to the tourist areas. Don't pick up hitchhikers. Get taxis at night.

We went there in 2013, drove ourselves across half the country staying in multiple locations and never once felt unsafe. We stayed in Camps Bay just outside Cape Town for a week and then travelled to Stellenbosch and across the Garden Route finishing with a 3 day safari in a "small" game reserve of 100 square km the far side of Port Elizabeth. Never once felt unsafe driving around.

The vast majority of populations are based in and around the cities. Once you get outside of them to the small towns and countryside, there are very few people around in relative terms.

Buer · 04-11-2016 11:56AM

mfceiling wrote: »

10 of the best places to eat in Cape Town, South Africa

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/nov/02/10-best-eats-cape-town-south-africa-cafes-restaurants?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

Went to The Codfather in Camps Bay. Still remember it as one of the best meals I ever had. It was about €40 including a bottle of wine for the two of us.

Zzippy · 04-11-2016 12:37PM

mfceiling wrote: »

I was in Argentina years ago with herself. You'd be starving at 8p.m and then you'd be the only ones in the restaurant!! Every night was the same...we'd be leaving at 10 as the place was filling up.

It's very different alright. Most people only eating at 11pm, or if going out for a few drinks they're not heading out til 1am. Was a bit mad sitting outside in a large plaza in BA drinking beer at 5am and the place was packed...

mfceiling · 04-11-2016 04:21PM

Buer wrote: »

Yes if you don't do anything remarkably silly. Stay to the tourist areas. Don't pick up hitchhikers. Get taxis at night.

We went there in 2013, drove ourselves across half the country staying in multiple locations and never once felt unsafe. We stayed in Camps Bay just outside Cape Town for a week and then travelled to Stellenbosch and across the Garden Route finishing with a 3 day safari in a "small" game reserve of 100 square km the far side of Port Elizabeth. Never once felt unsafe driving around.

The vast majority of populations are based in and around the cities. Once you get outside of them to the small towns and countryside, there are very few people around in relative terms.

Think I was at that game reserve as well Buer. My funniest memory of that trip was getting bitten by a scorpion. Not once but twice!! Left my hoody beside the camp fire one night and when I put it on the next day I got banged twice. Fecker had crawled up inside it and I obviously disturbed him from his sleep!!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 04-11-2016 05:24PM

Buer wrote: »

It's not though. Welcome to Irish society. The marriage is about the couple but the big show is for everyone else.

It's good to see more non-traditional weddings taking place now but the vast majority are still the traditional big day with the church, hotel, band etc.

Yeah, I don't want to sound like a cynic or worse, a hipster, but I find myself increasingly disappointed with various friends and family lately. There's a lot of people I thought would have more sense are killing themselves organising massive weddings to suit their parents, or outdo a sibling and various other ridiculous things.

The worst thing for me is the religious hoopla that goes along with it. If your faith is really important to you then by all means get married in your church/temple/synagogue etc. but it absolutely does my head in when people who haven't set foot in a church since their confirmation are jumping through hoops for priests because "oh, you have to have it in a church!". Actually, no, you don't. The legally binding part of the marriage is done and dusted before you even get to the church. There's no need for the church at all!

A cousin of mine had a civil ceremony in a lovely hotel, same hotel the reception was in. We all stayed the night before, had a leisurely breakfast, went back to our rooms, wandered down stairs in time for the ceremony, drinks and snacks laid on while the couple get their photos done, shuffle into the next room for the reception. Best wedding I've been at. If you're going to do it at home that's the way to go.

Synode · 04-11-2016 06:56PM

I hadn't been to mass is ages before my wedding but I really enjoyed the ceremony. The priest was great. It's mad how much of the mass you remember word for word.

I'm not a practicing Catholic but I still like the message behind it all. Don't see what the problem is having a church wedding

chupacabra · 04-11-2016 07:22PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Cruises are marmite. I know people who have absolutely hated them, I know people who loved them but it's hard to know until you are on one but be warned!

Read that in my tired state as "Cruises are maritime" and thought "...why yes, I suppose they are." I need sleep

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 04-11-2016 07:44PM

Synode wrote: »

I hadn't been to mass is ages before my wedding but I really enjoyed the ceremony. The priest was great. It's mad how much of the mass you remember word for word.

I'm not a practicing Catholic but I still like the message behind it all. Don't see what the problem is having a church wedding

There's nothing wrong with it, I just don't see why it still holds such importance for a lot of people especially those that have no interest in the church otherwise.

Off Topic Thread 3.0

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