Tossa de Mar, the Wedding, goodbyes & get ready for lift off.

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Well, I´m sure everyone enjoys their own wedding and we were no exception! We had a fantastic wedding day/week, it really was superb, I think most people enjoyed themselves - Ruth, one of the guests summed everything up perfectly:

the venue, the beach, the town, the hen night, the stag night, Bar Josep, San Miguel, the Craic, the sunshine, the church, the suits, the guests, the outfits, the dress, the veil, the bride, the bridesmaids, the music, 'Supergreg', the Corrs sisters, the vows, the readings, the tapas, the cocktails, the decorations, the candles, the table names, the Gypsy Kings, the starter, Justin Timberlake, the monkfish, the beef, Justin Timberlake, the chocolate pudding, the sword, the loveboat cake, the speeches, the laughter, the tears, Vivos los novos (sp?), the band, the free bar, the dancing, Arroochacha, the singing, wine on the beach, the guitars, more singing, more drinking, more laughter and more dancing

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Got there on Sunday wedding dress in tow, Aer Lingus put it in an overhead bin all by itself, it wasn´t too heavy, so it was easy to carry.

Arrived in the hotel and 2 wedding guests were already there - my cousins Cathy and Fiona, they told us they hadn´t been able to leave the hotel on the saturday because there had been torrential rain all day and there were even floods in the hotel. Hard to believe cause when we arrived the sun was beating down!! However, someone must have been looking down on us because that´s how it stayed until everyone left, the day the last guests were leaving it rained, a reflection of how we all felt at the end!!!

Anyway I enjoyed my first few days relaxing by the pool by day and drinking cava in the piano bar by night with family and friends that had arrived.

Maurice, Dill and the 'Big Rig' arrived safe and sound on Wednesday, looking the worse for wear (a case of 3 drunken nights I suspect).

We had our hen/stag on the Wednesday night - Maurice in Bar Josep, Siobhan in Bar se Torre, we then met up later on across from Bar Josep. When I met Maurice he was in really good form, helped by a few Damn beers no doubt(no really that's the name of the beer!!) Alot of guests arrived on the Wednesday night flight and started arriving to the bar about 11pm, the excitement was starting to build - the Irish were everywhere - Long live the Irish!!. I had to walk Maurice home at 2am for fear there might not be a wedding if I didn´t!! I returned to the bar and Dill, Pete myself and my Dad were the last to leave the bar at about 4am.

Thursday, met Maurice for an hour while we talked about the speeches then I had to run along for a hair trial. Got back and had to doll myself up for the rehersal at 8pm (or so I thought - it seems it was at 7.30pm and I missed it!!). Between the jigs and the reels the rehersal had to be held in the hotel at 10pm after our dinner with the two priests and our interpreter. It was crazy, we were all sitting around a table and couldn´t understand each other, I really wish I spoke Spainish as the priest was just such a nice man. He got a bottle of Cava for us to celebrate and wanted to pay for dinner lucky enough Maurice got in there just in time!!! Our own priest Fr. Peter was great - he really put everyone at ease, he said ´you know what if something goes wrong, it´s only us´ that really helped. Said goodbye to Maurice that night and headed back to my hotel. However, it seems the night didn't end there for the folks in Hotel Mar Menuda - a pre-wedding sing-song was held until 2am when the boss man in Hotel Mar Menuda said 'enough is enough off to bed with ye'. Meanwhile back in Hotel Golden Bahia - the rowdys from Naas were having a few drinks so I joined them for one and headed off to bed to my friends singing the obligatory: ´I´m getting married in the morning´.

My sister Kathryn stayed with me the night before the wedding and helped me apply the necessary fake tan. Finally off to bed for me at 1.30am.

Had a decent nights sleep, got out of bed at 8.30am checked the fake tan, hmmm not so bad . On the way to breakfast noticed some rain clouds over the mountains, I thought I hope it doesn't rain but then thought, at this stage, it´s really no big deal if it rains!! Had breakfast with family and since it was my wedding day I treated myself to a bucks fizz!!

We all headed off for our hair at 11am, started to panic at 12 when I was still waiting for her to start on my hair. Eventually she did and was all finished by 1pm, on the way home the sun had appeared and it stayed for the rest of the day a nice 26 degrees - fantastico.

In the early days I had wondered what I was going to do the morning of my wedding since I wasn't getting married until 4pm - I would be so bored waiting for time to pass. Not so, since I didn't get out of the hairdressers until 1pm and the photographer was arriving at 3pm everything turned into a rush in the end. Mam did my nails, I did my make-up, there was a knock on the door - a single red rose with a box attached - from Maurice ofcourse - a white gold chain with a black pearl - 'see you at the altar' it said on the card - oh no not now, I've just done my make-up I thought as the tears started to well. Anyway then it was into my dress and before I knew it the photographer arrived and room was a mess but soon cleaned up.

Dad had collected the bouquets from Hotel Mar Menuda - mine beautiful yellow/orange calla lillies and the bridesmaids orange and white lillies.

The photographer and DVD man took some shots and then left to get to the church for 4pm.

There really was nothing left for me to do at that stage so it was time to go. Outside Hotel Golden Bahia there were plenty of women with cameras waiting to see 'the bride'- what is it about women and weddings! Arrived at the church at 4.06pm and everyone was outside including Maurice, he had to cover his eyes and run inside fairly quickly. I felt absolutely fine about walking up the aisle. Kathryn and Emer walked up first to ´Cavatina' while Mam fixed my veil and dress. Then Mam, Dad and I walked up the aisle to an instrumental of ´Nothing else matters'. I really enjoyed the walk up, took it nice and slow and then greeted a VERY nervous Maurice at the altar. The ceremony was really lovely, the music, the readings, the vows - we enjoyed every minute of it.

Afterwards we went up to the old town for some photos where there are lovely old cobbled streets, flowers and great views of the sea. Had many photos - the line from the day was 'you look me, you look you, you kiss'. Back to the hotel where we were greeted with two cocktails one had Maurice and one had Siobhan written on it in sugar, ahhh, nice touch. Tapas and drink were flowing. We headed down onto the beach for a couple of family photos, everyone was chilling out and seemed to be enjoying it. Before I knew it the hotel were calling everyone in for dinner, how could it possibly be that time already I thought - the day was flying by. We entered the room to ´volare´ by the Gypsy Kings - everyone was on their feet clapping and singing - fantastico.

Then the hotel put on the best show of all, everything was as much a surprise to us it was our guests. There were about 10 waiting staff who marched into the room one by one to the tune of Justin Timerlake with a tray of food for each course. Before serving any food they would surround the top table to show us the food then they would turn to the crowd to show them the food and finally they would serve it. On pouring the wine each waiter would take their place and wait for their cue before all pouring at the same time. After dinner came the Cava, each waiter came out with a bottle and bowed in front of our table as they showed us their bottle of cava to the sound of trumpets. But the best, most magical moment was the cake - there were about 8 cheesecake type cakes on a stand which was wheeled out the lights were dimmed to a blue colour and there were sparklers on the cake, the music was the theme from the loveboat, I genuniely felt that I had just been lifted into a fairytale, they handed us a large sword to cut the cake!!! The Best Man 'Dill' commented afterwards 'imagine giving a Limerick man a knife that size'. The whole dinner experience was just so entertaining.

The speeches were 58 minutes long - crazy but very enjoyable. My Dad spoke first then Maurice's Dad, then Eugene the groomsman - they kept it nice and short. Then Maurice and Dill spoke, taking up most of the 58 minutes.

The band were due to start at 10pm, they finally kicked off about 11.30pm after our first dance - Ì only have eyes for you'. The band were crazy, they really interacted with the crowd - everyone loved them. Kathryn and I did a questionable rendition of ´Kiss´ then Maurice got up and really ´stirred it up´. Just to keep the singer in the band entertained while the mike was occupied - the best man and Maurice´s cousin Aodan hoisted the singer onto their shoulders and ran around the room. Once the band finished, Maurice took to the mike for the second time ordering everyone onto the floor - and I mean everyone, he started his party piece - 'the arootacha', the band and waiting staff thought we were on day release from the local mad house. We spoke to the band guy after and he said ´that is the best concert we have ever played´. Well 2am we had to close down the music and party but some of us stayed drinking in the garden until 5am at which time they said they were locking up. It was far too early to be going to bed so about 12 of us headed to the beach. The sunbeds were locked up, not a problem to my Nordy cousin Michael, he somehow managed to 'unlock'some sunbeds and chairs, the guitars appeared too and we continued drinking and singing until 7am.

Maurice and I finally went back to the hotel at 7am and collected the key to the bridal suit. Opened the door and oh my God, there were rose petals scattered all over the floor, it was fantastic, water in the bath with rose petals and candles floating in it. On the bed were 2 love hearts made out of rose petals and on the pillows one had S made from rose petals and the other had M made from rose petals. There was a bottle of Cava and a bowl of exotic fruit - boy was that room wasted on us arriving at 7am!!

Saturday we pottered around and because we didn´t get a chance to use the DJ music we asked the hotel if we could use the function room on the Saturday night, they were only too delighted thinking of all the money they would make on drink. Left there about 1am and about 30 of us headed to a nightclub, had a great laugh but another late one - bed about 5am!!!

It was a real anticlimax from Sunday onwards as everyone was heading home, and we had to say goodbye for 9 months.

We stayed in Tossa until Thursday, seeing off the last of our guests on Wednesday. We then headed to Barcelona, we stayed there Thursday night and flew to Venezuela Friday.

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Photos

Enough said
84 year old Josep had his biggest week of the summer, he wants to know when the Irish are coming back.

Oohh, I just find these weddings so boring
Christopher wasn´t going to miss his "Siesta" even if Aunty Siobhan was getting hitched

Comments

[Eamonn Redmond]

Hi from Newbridge (Ireland!)
Hi Maurice and Siobhan, I just spent an entertaining 15 minutes with a coffee reading about your exploits. Sounds like an absolute rave, and a fantastic set of memories. Arootcha cha brought back memories of Killashee, but with a better venue, better crowd! Won't bore you with work stuff, but actually much better since you left.... er didn't mean that the way it came out!!!! So for now, continue to have a great time, Congratulations and have a very Happy Christmas Eamonn PS I'm off to a budget meeting now, any chance you'd sell the Big Rig?