This month has been a strange one. After Mark and Julie’s wedding and the rest time I needed to recover from it, and everything else, I haven’t been blogging much over the last while. Think it was just the month that was in it…
I’ll be back blogging regularly from now on…
On Wednesday I met Marco in town for some shopping. We needed shoes, belts and tie pins. It was actually pretty painless. I drove home and mark followed me, then brought me up to thrifty where I rented a car and put mark on the insurance. We went back to marks place and tried on the suits to make sure everything was ok. It was. We then headed to
Ratoath where we met Michael Nally for something to eat and a few drinks, followed up by a few more in Ryans. Getting home took a while and then we got raped by the taxi driver.
On Thursday the first thing was to visit the hotel to drop off chocolates and cameras, then head back through Ratoath to pick up the jeep, back to Marks, to Blackrock and somewhere else i can’t remember now. Then we had a wedding reharsal at 1900 which was actually really weird. We all then went back to the Nally’s to try the wine we were going to be having at the wedding. I dropped Julie’s Mum and Lisa home and got to bed for about 0130.
The next moring I had an osteopath appointment because I had managed to lock to of my vertebrae together on Monday (which is pretty painful) and although I was fine, it was still a good idea. The plan was to then go back, work on the speech, then meet Marion for lunch to go over it and buy some clothes to wear on Sunday morning for breakfast.
I decided to get a smoothie on the way, but ended up doing my clothes shopping in Santry in Jack n Jones. I basically bought what one of the dummies was wearing. Now I decided to do my speech in an internet cafe in town, Marion acutally happened to be there already. I worked on the speech and she read it and gave it the ok. But in reality I had only
the introductions kinda done, and the opening and closing paragraphs of my speech.
I then headed out to Marks to meet him at his house. I picked up a voucher for Father Paul as a thank you present on behalf of Mark and Julie on the way. Mark had the flowers so next thing to do was lock up the house and hit the church. We then went back to the Nally’s and on to Ryans for a few drinks which was good fun. Marco and I finished the night with a drop of Midleton Very Rare which was fitting.
The next moring we had breakfast at 9. Everything was pretty calm although I was worrying about the half assed pile of notes that was my speech. I got a chance to put it all down on index cards which sorted out the order and really helped me. Showers and getting dressed and we headed to the church for 1200. The weather was great with a bit of wind.
Damo was to be an usher so we met him there and basically helped him through it. My duties were pretty easy to be honest. I’m looking forward to seeing the pictures from the church with us all talking and getting organised. Aisling had brought Marion to the church.
Afterwards I drove Marion, the bridesmaid (Lisa) and her boyfriend Dillon to the castle. Turns out Marion has worked with the two of them in a pub in Edinburgh which was strange. The reception all went down fine and soon enough, and after a lot of pictures, we were in the main room. My first stint with the mic was coming up fast… It was my job to introduce Mark and Julie to the room. I fucked up Ladies and Gentlemen… and I was getting worried that I would keep fucking up words. I was also getting worried because I wasn’t worried and I was going to be winging it.
I introduced all the other speakers and that went down fine and even got a laugh at one of my jokes. Then my speech was to start, and i was really worried about my first line… Good Ladies, evening and Gentlemen. I really wanted a laugh there and I would be set up for the speech. It got a really big laugh, as did the next two lines. Then I went with, for those who don’t know me, my name is Ronan and I’m single which cracked everybody up so I was flying. Every joke got a
massive response and I think I can honestly say I had people laughing for most of the speech.
Afterwards I sat down at the lads table… and they were like, where did that come from? There were all delighted, but also really worried beforehand because they had never heard me speeking publicaly before. I sat there for about 5 mins chuffed with myself and the reaction I got… and then it was time to mingle…. The rest will have to stay in the memory banks…