Bonjour! Another month gone, and so another month closer to the wedding and still stuck on choosing our honeymoon... Must. Not. Panic! Recently, I made Barry sit me down in order to go through everything as I was having nightmares every night and felt as though I had no idea where we were in the planning.

By doing so we realised that we have in fact made progress in the last month. I picked up my (second) dress and am really, really happy with it! Barry found and got his suit. We have chosen the food we want for the night. Barry's made an appointment with our local registry office to obtain his certificate of non-impediment. We may also have found our first song which is very, very exciting!

Amongst of all that, we have been dreaming of sun and getting away. Choosing our honeymoon has not been straightforward, as our plans have changed several times over the years!

As much as, should a beach holiday be imposed on us, we would take up the offer without protesting too much (what must be done must be done!), Barry and I have always preferred holidays where we could visit historical places and truly get a feel for the country. Therefore, we never considered a beach holiday for our honeymoon, such as the Maldives. (Although I do insist that should this appear as a gift somewhere along the line, it would be rude to say no thank you and so we would oblige!).

Before the arrival of our lovely little cherubs, Barry and I always talked of going on a road trip around Italy, and felt that this would be perfect honeymoon material! We envisioned hiring a little classic, two-seater convertible. I would naturally look very much like Audrey Hepburn, complete with swishy, elegant skirt and big sunglasses. And we would travel all over the country, eating and relaxing throughout.

I have always talked about taking Barry to Siena, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Lucca.... (can't go wrong with Tuscany!). Then there is also Cinque Terre, and Venice. And all of the other places I would love to see such as Pompeii, Naples, Sorrento, Bari, Sicily... I think we could lose a few weeks there easily!

However, once the bambini arrived, and having had some holidays with children, to compare with our previous holidays... Well we thought it best to keep this little road trip for some other time when the children are little older and/or have flown the nest.

Our second thought, was perhaps to spend some time in the South of France. Leaving the children behind. Then heading a few hours South to Monaco (Barry is a big F1 fan!) and other charming towns on the French riviera. Unfortunately, the venue we wanted only had two dates available, of which only one was suitable for the wedding. It also so happens that little cherub number 1 starts school that year. Failing to have checked the dates properly from the start means that we will have to fly home 2 days after the wedding to ensure that said cherub doesn't miss her first day in big school. Oops. So that plan failed too.

We have however come up with plan number 3.

I must warn, it looks awful. The photos really don't make it look inviting. Simply... awful.

What do you think?!

We are incredibly lucky that my sister and brother-in-law moved to Australia in the last year. More specifically, to the Sunshine Coast. This beautiful part of the world is surrounded by stunning beaches and places that simply look unreal. Everytime I google places that my sister goes to, she confirms that the google photos do not lie... It is simply breathtaking!

We are therefore planning to go and see them sometime after the wedding. Naturally, the children will be with us (can't wait for the flights with them...). But overall, it sounds like the perfect honeymoon for us as a family, and we get to see our family. Bonus! On top of that, my sister has already insisted they look after the kids for a few days whilst we go off to Noosa National Park. So we'd still get a little bit of a romantic break. Perfect!

I know what you're thinking. This will mostly consist of beaches... despite what I said above. But like I said, we are fairly flexible people and can easily work around that. If we must soak up the sunshine and sunbathe a little... so be it!

I look forward to catching up with you next month. For now, I am off to eat some cake, as it is birthday today!

Bisous

Fiona x

Where did you go on honeymoon? Did you go with or without your children? Did you perhaps have a mini-moon first followed by a bigger one?

Don't forget you can follow Hollie C and FIona as they plan their upcoming weddings, and you can find all the Belle Brides past and present here.