Opposites make for difficult wedding planning...

The boyfriend is the man of my dreams. Not because we saw each other over a crowded room and just knew we were going to get married believe me we didn’t. We went to the same college we were two people in a huge group of friends but we were the odd ones in the group. He was shy and I was an ‘emo’ with a different colour fringe each week. One day I looked at his Ipod and he was not a ‘chav’ as I had thought; He liked good music, my kind of music. When you are sixteen that is all the evidence you need for this guy to become your crush. So he did and a year later he asked me out. (I will explain more at a later date)

So when your first attraction is based on music taste you never think it will last more than a summer. Believe me, my friends were so surprised that we were still together after the summer. We had grown close found out about each other, found what we liked and disliked. We had totally different backgrounds and totally different beliefs, but this teenage boy wasn’t like the others, he was smart, funny and down to earth.

I am manic, emotional, irrational and loud. He is the opposite to all of the things I am but he knows me no one else knows when I need to be left alone and when I need help. We’re perfect because we work at it not because we’re meant to be. We are only twenty but we’ve really been up against in the last 3 years and together just the two of us we made it through and got stronger every time.

All sounds great right all our differences are what make our relationship work. These differences will get us through a life time you know what is super difficult when you’re two individuals in one relationship, Planning a wedding!

Most things are easy the most important things for our wedding are,
1. Showing our love and the commitment we wish to make to one another.
2. Music, well music never stopped being a huge part of our lives and I think it always will be.
3. Great food that we actually like, we’re not party people we’re put your favourite songs on in the background and have good dinner with loved ones sort of people.
4. Photography because I have a huge appreciation of the art and because I want to be able to show my children how we got married.
5. Having just the people that really know and love us there. I come from a huge family it would be easy to invite everyone but who has actually met the boyfriend, who will actually want to be there to see us married not just to say they we’re invited.

The most difficult thing that we don’t agree on is that I’m catholic and the boyfriend doesn’t follow religion, he’s happy for everyone to believe what they want, he just doesn’t want or need it in his life. So on a day that is supposed to be about both of us it is difficult to plan a wedding where opinions are so different.

I wish I were an American bride. Where you can get married anywhere you want and have a friend ordained to marry you. Because I would like someone that knows and cares about us to marry us (which we have but he is a catholic priest that can only marry us in a catholic church.) But in a place that makes both of us feel comfortable and is beautiful. I’m totally stuck and can’t think of how to find a compromise. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Love
Simone
xxxx

I don't know which way I'm going, I don't know which way I've come. Hold my head inside your hands, I need someone who understands.

The Pope was in Britain last week for many people this meant a time of protest and anger. For others it meant nothing apart from extra traffic on the way to work and the television and radio being dominated by the Pope. However for some it was a life changing experience and time of great celebration.

I am catholic, I was babtised catholic, went to catholic schools up until college and for most of this religion seemed like something everyone must have in their lives. Last week I found out that 49% of Britain doesn't follow any type of religion, this surprised me. But when I told the boyfriend he laughed and said do you not live in the same country as me, of course 49% of people don't believe in religion. He doesn't believe in any God or higher power. This is of course one of those things that takes a huge amount of compromise in our relationship.

I unfortunately did not get to go to London to see the Pope as I had work and has it was my first week it trumped a day trip. Before on the blog I have mentioned the difficulties I have been through, without meaning to sound like a cliche, religion had been one of the things that has got me through.

When something scary or challenging comes along I pray and you feel suddenly as if someone is on your side. When I didn't do well at college and was scared and was unsure of what the next step could be for me, I spent 9 months volunteering at a Catholic retreat centre that works with children and teenagers. Through this I spent an Easter taking disabled children and children to the shrine in Lordes France. While there I sat in front of the share surrounded by hundreds of people from many different countries and I felt a part of someone thing bigger, that I have only ever since felt in a church or in a religious environment.

I belong to a community, a religious youth community and on Saturday that religious youth group along with others from all over the country went to see the Pope. One of the members of our youth group was the young person that got to welcome and touch the Pope and he was so unbelievably excited about it and when I was him welcome the Pope I was emotionally moved even though I couldn't be there. Some members said it was it was amazing, some actually described it as life changing.

I'm not saying that there aren't faults with the Catholic Church my word there are. I don't believe that gays shouldn't get married. I don't believe contraception shouldn't be used especially when in movement towards stopping AIDS. I don't personally feel that abortion is right but I do believe that women should have the right to choose.

But I do believe that even in this modern day when believing in a religion and a God can mean that you are judged as less intelligent than those that don't, that there is a place for God and faith. Do I wish that it could be in a world where religion didn't divide people and cause wars, yes. Do I personally wish.that my church would move forward with the rest of the world and be more accepting, yes. But I also wish that people could be accepting and let young people that have found something to believe in something good that is not gangs on street corners, drugs, drink or crime. That people could not beat those young people down as having found nothing more than an imaginary friend. So maybe next time someone tells you their religion don't shy away from it, ask questions. But my religion always makes me ask more questions about other peoples faith how many atheists can says they need as always searching for more?

So God bless :)
love
S
xxxx

Song for today: Coldplay - Kingdom Come

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