The honeymoon (Part 1) - Aruba

What can I say about Aruba, other than wow! After the stresses and strains of the previous few weeks the R&R in Aruba felt incredible. We knew we would be tired after it - having been told by friends how it was for them - but it's not until you are in that position yourself until you realise how much you crash.

We stayed in the low rise area of the island in the Bucuti Beach and Tara Suites resort. The 'modest' room looked like this...

The view from the balcony was pretty impressive also. Not too far to go to the loungers (or the beach bar - to the left).We made some interesting friends in Aruba, although Lynne didn't appreciate the company during meal times!!
We got over it though and always managed to relax during the afternoon happy hour, with a cocktail or four...

Photo time

Our photographer on the day was Philip Daly and he did an amazing job. He ticked all the boxes we had in terms of how a photographer should operate. In particular, he never obstructed proceedings and took some amazing shots which we didn't even notice.
See for yourself with the online slide show of the day which he posted.

The Hen: Dingle

The first piece of evidence from Dingle appeared on Facebook today, with much more to follow I'm sure! The girls had a great weekend, tearing up the town and tormenting the local gentlemen.

Roll of honour: Lynne, Joy, Carol, Kat, Susan, Deirdre, Paula, Laura, Mary, Tara, Aoife and Mary-Anne

Hen and Stag Mayhem

So we are back in Cork this weekend trying to wrap up some of the finer details. In addition we will be distracted (no doubt) by Lynne's hen, which is stopping in Dingle for two nights before finishing in Cork on Sunday, and my Cork stag which will be a modest one night affair in Douglas.
Watch this space for the photographic evidence next week...

Only 25 days to go.....

.....and still so much to do. aaagggghhhh!

From Cork to Rosscarbery

For anyone with a bit of extra time on their hands returning to the city on the Sunday after the wedding, I definitely advise taking the back road via Kinsale. For those of you who don't know it there are some stunning views (much better than this shot shows)

The road also provides some good driving with lots of long sweeping bends like this one...

Note the looming black clouds - par for the course, sadly

As you leave Clonakilty you will be turning right onto the R600, and after 35 minutes or so you can reward yourself with a cold drink in Kinsale.

Top table introductions

Not everyone will know everyone else on October 4th, of course. But by way of introduction I thought we'd introduce some of the top table for those of you who need it.

The parents have already been introduced here, so we'll look at some of the other main protagonists.

The bride's side:

Joy, the Maid of Honour. Joy is the second of the three O'Sullivan girls.

Carol (left) is the baby of the O'Sullivan house and Kat is Paul's only sibling.
Seen here pre-dress fitting!

The groom's side:

Best men 1 and 2, Benny and Gearoid, enjoy the views at the Alex in Clapham...

... and the third protagonist, Dave!