Moving...

I'm moving to Dubai if you haven't already guessed from the previous posts. If I'm honest, and I know Mr Shortcake won't mind me saying, I was not best pleased when he told me he'd been offered the job. We were all set to go to France for a ski season, until my shoulder healed slower than expected (I had it stabilised after a snowboarding injury), so the prospect of living in a city in the middle of the desert for a few years did not take my fancy; I made that clear as well, probably a little too much (Sorry Mr Shortcake, love you!).

Mr Shortcake has made a lot of sacrifice and compromise to support me through my studies and various career paths over the years, so I sucked it up and agreed to sup

port him in this little adventure. He assured me it didn't have to be forever, but if we didn't try we will always wonder about what could have been.

So here I am, on Flight EK002, 13.45 from London Heathrow to Dubai airport. My spouse visa is in my bag with my passport, the cat has already been exported and is sat on the bedroom window-ledge waiting for me to arrive. Most of our house has been packed up and put into storage and the rest was sold or gifted. We've shipped the essentials which will hopefully arrive sometime in April; I imagine that will

feel like christmas, lots of boxes of our treasured possessions turning up.

Waiting at the gate to board

Mr Shortcake has been gone for over two months now. We've kept in contact using Blackberry messenger and Skype. I've lived with my parents for the last month, something I haven't done for 10 years! It was great to be able to spend so much time with them before I left. They've been an amazing support base, helping with removals and packing, cooking and letting me u

se their space. I know it couldn't have been easy having me invade again!

The giant A380 Airbus

Mr Shortcake will be at the airport to meet me, I'm so nervous. I don't know whether I will laugh or cry when I see him. I can't wait for a hug! He's got the day off tomorrow and wants to show me around, as I've never been to Dubai, although neither had he until he got the job! We really have embraced the unknown with this venture. I hope it bears the fruit it promises.

I've got lots of exciting plans to implement, business ideas and hobbies to take up. I want to take advantage of the facilities on offer. First stop is the marina yacht club to sign up for kayaking lessons. I was lucky enought that I gained my level 1 kayaking certificate at my last job, I would love to improve. Then there's the textile souks, I have a little sideline that's a bit of a secret at the moment, but the fabrics available in the middle east may bring that added edge I was looking for. I've got a few

plans for our new apartment which involve some statement rugs and textiles so the souks are a definite hot spot for me.

First things first, lets get this flight over with, I'm not a keen flyer!

Toodles,

*Update: I made it to Dubai in one piece. One of the nicest flights I've been on, Emirates are a great airline, everything is included and the entertainment was excellent; I watched a couple of films, read the information provided on screen about Dubai and watched the aircraft land via the onboard cameras mounted on the tail, belly and cockpit with a lovely lady I met on the flight. We had a good giggle actually! :)

The Special Event

So, that event I told you about that took place in the garden really was a great day…. I got MARRIED!!!

Yep, Mr Shortcake and I finally tied the knot. With TWO WEEKS notice we booked the registry office, set up a Facebook Event, called the family, purchased a dress, picked some shoes, sorted a suit, made some decorations, had bouquets and buttonholes created, organised photographers, hired caterers, acquired rings and wrote our vows. WOW!

The reason for the rush? Mr Shortcake was offered and accepted a job in Dubai; it’s illegal to live together unwed over there, so we whipped up some plans. We were already engaged and I had been gathering inspiration for our impending nuptials, I just wasn’t prepared for them to be so soon! We kept the reason a secret so we could tell everyone at the reception and thought we'd be inundated with questions about the rush, but no-one did! They all just put it down to our crazy, impatient personalities and thought it was 'typical' for us to do something like that!

I’m simply amazed at what we achieved with so little time and a very very small budget. I couldn’t have asked for more; the best day ever, FACT!

I’m sharing it here, as I want other brides to be to understand that you don’t need to spend thousands to have the perfect day. Here are the details and some pics:

The Outfits

My dress is from Warehouse, the shoes are from Kurt Geiger and were purchased in the sales. I made the bow in my hair and I changed the laces in the shoes. I knew immediately that it was the dress for me. It has long ruffled sleeves and a tiny bow at the back. Cute! Mr Shortcake picked his suit up in House of Fraser and I found him a tie to match my shoes. My outfit cost £76, his came in at £150. Bargain!

The Bouquet

Made and gifted by my AMAZING friend Becky of Blossomking Floral Design It's completely precious, crafted from foam roses and reclaimed jewellery. I still can't stop looking at it.

The Cake

The cake was completely gluten and wheat free, tasted delicious and cost a few pounds! It's a Chocolate and Cherry sponge from Marks & Spencers, the weekend we went to purchase it we were informed they were on offer 2 for £3 so we picked up 7 chocolate and 3 lemon drizzle for a bit of choice. £15 for a 5 tier wedding cake + spares is pretty good going! I made the cake toppers from wallpaper samples and wooden craft sticks I had in the cupboard. While I was getting ready my nimble assistants dressed them. The cake stands are made from thrifted plates and glassware that I stuck together with epoxy resin! The prettier glassware I saved for the sweeties! The table cloth is grey suiting fabric I had in a box with a piece of statement wallpaper over the top.

The Bunting

In the cake room the bunting consisted of hearts cut from the wallpaper samples, loving hole punched and glued by my friend Laura.

Outside we had tissue paper bunting and pom-pom bunting (see below). These were also made with the help of Laura along with another superstar Jacqui. These lovely ladies couldn't make it to the day so we had a craft session and a curry to make up for it, creating these beauties in the process!

The Reception

At such short notice it was difficult to find a venue for the reception at a reasonable price. We knew we didn't want a sit down meal, it just wasn't us, so we went with the BBQ option, supplied by our local butcher Johnny, in our garden. The food was awesome and it produced the relaxed atmosphere we wanted. However, it was the 6th November so we provided a couple of patio heaters and a hamper of blankets, scarves, hats and gloves which went down a treat.

The Entertainment

It was the day after Bonfire Night so it would have been rude not too! Fireworks supplied and lighted by my new husband, purchased from the firework factory down the road. Sparklers were handed out to everyone and we gazed up at the sky in wonderment!

The Photographs

Our photographs are brilliant and we were lucky enough that it didn't cost us a penny. We asked around and got a couple of volunteers with cameras that were eager to use them. Our wonderful friends Laura and Dru got some absolutely amazing shots, they have a natural talent. I then tweaked a few on Photoshop which will be framed up and hung in pride of place.

The Live Video Stream

Mr Shortcakes family were spread across the world on the day we got hitched. It was important to us that they were still able to be a part of the day so clever-clogs here, set-up a channel on Ustream.tv and broadcast the wedding ceremony live! It was a wonderful idea as anyone who couldn't make it was able to watch at home/work/on the beach. We recorded it as well so we can watch it wherever we are, whenever we want!

It truly was a budget affair but such an amazing one! We are so blessed to have such fantastic people surrounding us that pitched in and made it a day to remember. A BIG THANK YOU to all those that helped and attended.

A Lovely Surprise!

On returning home today, I found Mr Shortcake busy in the kitchen. When I enquired what he was up to, I was shooed away as he was creating a special Gluten & Dairy Free fruit cake, just for me!!! OOoohhhh, lovely!! He has never baked so this was a very special treat and it is delicious....light, fluffy and fruity, so good with vanilla ice cream!! The recipe is on the This Morning website, it is labelled Gluten-free, it was aired today! Enjoy....