So to pick up from where I last left off......I arrived home the Friday before the wedding, went for a bite to eat with the folks in the Step, then back to my brothers where myself and Ais stayed up having a few glasses of wine, joined by Graham after he got back from a work do. It wasnt too late, so we made it up in OK time the next morning to travel down to Waterford for the stag. Jill had come up to Dublin to pick me up from the airport, and then headed back to Nicola's where she was staying the night with the girls. Her hen night had been organised months in advance, a day at the races in Kildare, but somebody forgot to tell the Irish weather, so at the last minute Gail and Nicola pulled it out of the bag and had organised for all the girls to go into a casino in South Anne Street, followed by dinner and cocktails, and then off to Club 92. Needless to say, the casino went down a storm, and several gambling habits were born!
Meanwhile, myself and Graham took a few wrong turns but made it to Waterford just in the nick of time for the golf. One four ball had teed off in front of us, but we squeezed in, beating Dawood, Shane, and Scats! Ahead of us were Barry, Simon, Johnny Weir and Hubb, and myself and Graham and Gavin hacked our way around the 18 holes on what turned out to be the first sunny day in Ireland in 2 months (apparently!). We were joined by Robbie and Brian in the clubhouse afterwards, and by Jay, Dave, Gary and Niall in the hotel.
After a quick shower we all met up in the bar and hit the road in search of the local lap dancing club! (sorry to offend any readers, but it was a stag after all!!).
We then continued on on our pub crawl around town, ending up in one of the nightclubs until closing time wherein we proceeded back to the hotel residents bar, finding not one but three separate hen nights in progress. I thought I snuck off to bed after a few hours but discovered a photo of myself and Scats drinking Buddies (Bud Extra for the uninitiated!) back in my hotel room, and I assume it was Baz on the camera!). Meanwhile the boys were running around the corridors having the craic and driving the hotel staff a little but mad.
The next morning none of us were too fit to drive, so a breakfast and walk around town were in order before the return home!
Back in Dublin, myself and Gav dropped in to Nicola's to get the low down on the hen night, just missing out on walking in on 5 of the girls walking around Nicola's front room half naked (or so the story goes). Needless to say my bride to be was still quite giddy from the night before, and wasnt alone in her semi-drunk state!
Off we trecked back down to Athy after some Sunday dinner, and up the next morning to sign the official documents in Kilkenny Cathedral and pop into the hotel to make sure that everything was OK for the weekend. The countdown had well and truly begun!
Tensions were high in the Chambers household so yours truly skipped out that night, back to Dublin, to "organise my end of the wedding", otherwise known as meeting up with people all week and going out!
I re-insured the Vespa for the week, happy out on my two wheels buzzing around town! A few meetings on Tuesday, and some shopping followed by dinner with Gail and Graham, and then off to Harry Potter with Gail, rounded off the day! Wednesday involved some more shopping, a visit to Black Tie to get the suits fitted, some lunch with Fiona and Joe, and a night in Drogheda in Gav's new house with Col, Halpo, and the Griswalds.
Thursday and I was back on the train to Dublin, some more shopping in the avo, then up to my bro's to get my stuff, back to my mum's to drop the Vespa off, and then off for the night to Simon and Noreen's, where to my pleasant surprise, Simon had invited all the lads over for the night. With sore heads the next morning, softened by Noreen's fry, we set off down to Athy for the rehearsal!
Myself and Si were an hour early. The girls were running late in the hairdressers, Graham and Ais were stuck in traffic, Gav was late and lost, but it all came together eventually, but not without a stressed Jill having to shout at everyone to shut up in the church to allow the priest to be heard! At last I got to see my sis and my two nephews, but my poor Nephew Gavin wasnt so much in the mood for running around a church!
With the run through over and done with, myself and Graham, Si and Gavin headed back to the Heritage, followed closely behind by the rest of the wedding party who were coming down for some last minute deliveries and checks. After a few drinks in the bar, the girls all headed off, and the enormity of the day ahead begun to sink in!
We went over to the Italian for a bite to eat, then back to the Thatch bar until closing, and then back to our 4 bed golf house where Gavin whipped out the guitar for a sing song. At 2:30am, the night before my wedding day, we finally called it a night and headed to bed.
By the way, I think Jill was busy enough that week, organising something, cant remember what she was doing but she definitely seemed busy! To be honest, between all the meeting up, lunches, dinners, drinks and craic, I just didnt have the time to keep up with her! ;)
