Married 15 Years Today

It’s quite hard to believe that 15 years ago today, myself and Sean took a big step in our relationship by getting married.

It was one hell of a day, the ceremony wasn’t until the afternoon but I had so much to deal with before then that I was so glad when the ceremony was done so we could go to the pub lol.

I’d booked a lady to come and do my nails as well as my mum’s and bridesmaids’ the night before the wedding. I emailed her a few days before to make sure she knew where to park and confirm times when she said she thought she was doing our nails on the Saturday, not the Friday. After she realised that she had read my email wrong, she moved some things around so that she could come to us on the Saturday morning, which wasn’t really what I wanted as it was one more thing to do on the day and I didn’t want everyone rushing to get stuff done, but it’s what we went with. What didn’t really help was that I paid quite a bit of money for her to come and do our nails but I was getting messages from everyone a few days after the wedding saying their nails had come off.

Myself, my bridesmaids (Simone, Fran and Jodie), parents, and some of my guests were all in the same hotel and the night before the wedding we were told that we could use the little function room the next day for us all to sit in to have our nails and hair done. They said there were no bookings so it’s not a problem. We thought this was great so the next morning, everything was set up, it was all going to plan, until the hotel owner came in screaming and shouting at us that we shouldn’t be in there. I tried to explain that we had been told we could use the room but he continued to shout at us and told us to go down to the breakfast room instead. We did do this but he later complained that the room then smelt like hairspray and nail polish. It turns out that he had booked the room out but hadn’t actually told anyone but was blaming us for being in there.

My mum had fallen over a few days before the wedding and had 2 black eyes so she nipped out to Boots to have a makeover at the make-up counter. She'd gone in the day before to ask about concealer and the lovely lady she spoke to had told her that she would do her make-up for her.

At lunch time it started raining which annoyed me a lot as I didn’t know how I was going to get to the car and then from the car to the registry office without my hair getting wet after just having it done. Lucky enough, the rain held off when I needed to go to the registry office so that was a little blessing.

My mum was getting overly worried about everything going to plan and got so stressed that one of my guests had a bit of dig at me about it. I couldn’t understand why my mum was getting so stressed as the only thing I had asked her to do was get her nails done, everything else was fine. I found my mum and told her she was a silly plonker, which she did find funny, and we hugged it out.

I forgot my flowers in the hotel bar and didn’t remember until I was in the car and nearly at the registry office but lucky enough, my sister-in-law Rachel was still there and picked them up for me.

I rolled up to the registry office car park to see Sean and his groomsmen, Jason and Dave, walking into the building so we had to go round the Maidstone one way system to give them time to set everything up in the room we were using for the ceremony.

When I finally got to go in, I needed to go into a little room with the registrar to confirm I was who I said I was, that I wanted to get married, etc etc etc. That was all fine, that was the easy bit of the whole day lol.

I was standing in the hallway with my dad, bridesmaids’ in front of me, waiting for the music to start so we could walk in and out of nowhere, I started crying. Full on crying for no reason. So the pictures and video of me walking into the ceremony looked more like someone was walking to their death rather than their future husband lol.

The ceremony went really quick, thank goodness, and before I knew it, we were back outside as husband and wife. We had lots of pictures taken and then it was off to the pub. My brother had brought his Bentley to drive me around in, so took me and Sean to the pub and then a few other trips to get people from the registry office to the pub as it was starting to drizzle a bit.

The lady, Jenny, who ran the pub where we holding our wedding reception, let us have it free because we were going to be bringing in so many people. She asked if the locals could still come in to drink and we said yes seeing as we knew them all, so everyone was happy. I found out a few days later that she had taken a month’s worth of money in that one night lol. I did tell her there was some heavy drinkers coming lol.

It was lovely having everyone in one place for once as it wasn’t very often that both sides of our families were in the same place at the same time. I got a real surprise when my Uncle Billy turned up, he was in a wheelchair because he was disabled so I wasn’t sure if he would be able to come and then he turned up haha.

Everyone had a brilliant time, at one point, I had a pint glass with vodka and coke in it. Everyone was buying me drinks and I was starting to get annoyed having to hold multiple glasses so I got the barmaid to put them all in a pint glass for me. I know, classy right? haha

After the reception, we went back to the hotel and we were in the bar until 2am, I wanted to go to bed but Sean didn’t so I went up just yet. Only problem was that I didn’t tell Sean what room we were in, so when he did want to come to bed, he didn’t know where he was meant to go haha. He eventually found me after waking up a lot of other guests by knocking on their doors. He looked so relieved when I opened the door to him haha.

Then, in the middle of the night, I woke up to find Sean wasn’t in the bed. I went to the bathroom and sitting upright in the bath with his arms crossed over his chest and fast asleep, was Sean. I woke him up and told him to get into bed but his response was that he was having a bath, even though there was no water in the bath. I tried a few more times to get him to come to bed but he insisted he was having a bath, so I left him there.

I got a wake up call from my nephew Jack to make sure I was up and ready for breakfast and I told him to f off. To be fair, I had told him to ring me to wake me up but I wasn’t happy about it haha.

So, that was 15 years ago, I better start thinking about how we are going to celebrate when it's been 20 years, definitely need to have a big party for that one.

A Day Out At Leeds Castle

During half term, I wanted to take my niece (5) and nephew (8) for an awesome day out. I had a look around for anywhere that was doing something special for half term and came across Leeds Castle. I'd been there a few times over the years but hadn't taken the kids before.

I had a look through the ticket options and found that they had a family ticket with loads of benefits like having lots of the events included in ticket, trips on the swan boat or little train, the maze, the kids playground, exploring the castle and it's a year pass so we can go as much as we want. I went for the Ultimate Explorer as it was for 2 adults and 3 kids so that Sean can come with us as well on days out.

On the day, I needed to go into the gift shop to get my ticket as they give you a physical ticket and take a picture of the adult, I guess that is so you can't give you ticket to someone else to use.

We walked through the grounds to the castle instead of getting the train and I am glad I did because the kids loved seeing all the ducks, and the views of the grounds were beautiful.

I wasn't sure if the kids would be interested in looking round the castle but they loved it because the theme for half term was Chaos In The Castle. The story behind it was that a new piece of furniture had arrived in the castle which was making other objects start to misbehave. We had to solve riddles, there was a sheet the kids had to fill in to say what object they would like to invite to live in the castle and look out for objects that were misbehaving.

The kids were quite excited about trying to get through the maze so we walked through the Culpeper Gardens and headed straight into the maze.....which we walked around for 45 minutes before finally getting to the middle. Top tip, get a picture of the maze from Google Maps and work out the route, I wish I had thought of it before going lol.

I thought the kids might be a bit scared of the underground grotto that you need to go through to get out of the maze but they really liked it. I love the big green face when you first go into it and then there are figures that look like they are made out of shells and murals as you walk through.

We then walked around to the kids play area which is in 2 parts, the first is for smaller kids with slides and a little zip line that has swing seats so the kids don't have to hold onto the rope. The other is a big wooden castle that the kids disappeared into and occasionally re-appeared screaming my name for me to wave at them lol. both are great though because the kids can run around and have fun.

There is a few cafes where you can buy food or you can take your own food with you. I popped to Tesco on the way to pick up some meal deals to save a bit of money but the kids really wanted ice cream so we went into the cafe near the play area to get ice cream.

There is a brilliant assault course that both the kids had fun on. My niece can climb on anything so she did everything like a total pro and my nephew has long legs so he was stepping over most of it haha.

We watched the falconry display where an owl flew over our heads, that was quite exciting for everyone. It was really interesting to watch but the kids weren't 100% on it so we left after a little while, I think they had expectations of huge birds and not little ones lol.

The kids really loved the beach scene near the playground, it was another area for them to explore and it's a nice big space so there was plenty of room for everyone. Plus, they have deckchairs for adults so if you close your eyes, it feels a bit like being on a real beach.

I couldn't believe it when I looked at the time and saw that it was 3:30pm, we had been there for 5 and a half hours and the kids were shattered. So we started walking towards the pick-up point for the train, Elsie, to go back to the entrance. It was only £1.50 each and the kids had been asking all day about getting the train so I thought "why not?" It was a great little ride round, we got one last look at the castle and the lake where all the ducks were still wondering around and the trains stops right next to the gift shop which is also next to the car park.

I am not surprised at all that both kids passed out in the back of the car before we even drove through the castle gates. i can't wait to take them again.

Madame Tussauds - Blackpool

Madame Tussauds in Blackpool was one of my favourite attractions that I visited on our Blackpool trip. It offers lots of fun for everyone getting to see the wax works of their favourite celebrities, and booking online is super easy and flexible.

Located on the iconic Blackpool Promenade, Madame Tussauds Blackpool is a must-visit attraction that brings you face-to-face with lifelike wax figures of British celebrities, sports legends, music icons, and even Marvel superheroes.

It’s the only Madame Tussauds outside London in the UK, and it’s packed with themed zones that appeal to families, couples, and solo travelers alike.

🌟 What to Expect

• Celebrity Encounters: Pose with wax figures of stars like Mo Farah, Olly Murs, Bear Grylls, and even the Queen. There are also immersive sets from Strictly Come Dancing, I’m A Celebrity, and Coronation Street. Yes, you can actually get a drink in the Rover Returns.

• Interactive Fun: Many zones are hands-on — you can take selfies, walk through themed environments, and even try challenges like the Jungle Adventure. There are also chances for you to have your pictures taken in scenes such as the large beach chair and standing in front of the Hulk.

• Get Handy: How would you like to have your very wax cast of your hand? Well you can! You can pay to have a wax cast of your hand doing whatever you like, My husband and both did rock hands for our casks. It was a weird sensation as you are repeatedly putting your hands into melted wax (don't worry, it doesn't burn you).

• Family-Friendly: With a mix of pop culture, sports, and TV icons, there’s something for everyone. Kids especially love the Marvel Super Heroes Zone, it's also my favourite haha. Ladies, when you see Thor, you will know what I mean haha.

🖥️ Booking Your Visit

Booking online is strongly recommended and comes with a flexible ticket guarantee:

• Visit the official website: madametussauds.com/blackpool

• Choose your ticket type: Options include single attraction tickets, multi-attraction passes (e.g., with SEA LIFE or the Blackpool Tower), and family bundles. If you are planning on going to the other Merlin attractions in Blackpool, I would highly recommend getting the multi-attraction pass which will save you a lot of money. Check out my article all about it here.

• Timed Entry: All tickets include a timed entry slot. You’ll select your preferred time during checkout.

• Booking Guarantee: You can reschedule your visit for free up to 24 hours in advance which is great if your plans change last minute.

• Voucher Holders: If you have a promotional voucher, you can redeem it online and still reserve a time slot.

🧭 Tips for Visiting

• Plan for 1–2 hours inside the attraction.

• Arrive early to enjoy nearby attractions or grab a bite before your time slot.

• Accessibility: The venue is wheelchair accessible and staff are helpful.

• Photos: Make sure your phone is fully charged and take as many photos as possible as photography is encouraged throughout.

Single Review - Steride - Cober Mouth

The Cober Mouth boys are back with a new single!

Steride is the song I needed today hahaha. It has the sort of screaming that you have to hold onto something when you hear it because it will blow you backwards and off your feet.

I love that the first few seconds sounds like you have pressed play on a dance track and then the whole band come crashing in and erupt into the song. The vocal range going from singing to full on growling from one word to the next is super impressive and takes the song to another level.

I can feel it in my boots that this song would be an insane experience to hear it live at a gig.

The lads are currently doing gigs in the South West but on the 21st of June they are heading to London for a gig at The Black Heart. It's the closest they have been to me so I am definitely going to see them, I need to have this song screamed in my face!!

08.03 - The Blue Anchor, Helston SOLD OUT

29.03 - Phoenix, Exeter

06.04 - Thekla, Bristol SOLD OUT

02.05 - Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff

21.06 - The Black Heart, London

Go see these lads ASAP while they are still doing gigs in small venues because I don't think it will be long before these guys get the recognition they deserve and skyrocket to a bigger audience.

***Originally posted on my music blog Suzy's Musical World