Rosie and Paul's wedding

Rosie and Paul's wedding started at 1pm but we had to pick up my sister Christina and my Uncle Kester on route so we left the house about 11.30am. Christina looked great in her blue vintage dress and thankfully she had recovered from her recent illness well enough to attend the wedding. Uncle Kester was co celebrating mass so he had to be at the church fairly early to get prepared. His short term memory had deteriorated in the last few years and he kept forgetting peoples names although during mass he recited a long prayer off the top of his head and later on at the reception he talked to my dad about books and philosophy so obviously certain parts of his brain are still functioning very well. I like him very much, he's a cool guy. This was the first big family event I had been to for a number of years so I was slightly nervous but all my cousins and aunts and uncles were pleased to see me and we exchanged warm greetings. The mass was lovely. Rosie looked beautiful in her white wedding dress and was glowing with happiness. Paul also looked very relaxed and happy. The only blemish was the homily. Instead of talking about the sacrament of marriage and Rosie and Paul he droned on about the priesthood and himself, repeating the same points over and over. He did eventually talk about Rosie and Paul but it felt more like an afterthought, rather than the focal point. I think he liked the sound of his own voice. My Uncle Brian timed the homily at 30 minutes but it felt more like two hours and my mind began to wander after a while, daydreaming about Jessica Alba and other gorgeous and unattainable women. Afterwards we made our way to the Marriott Hotel in the city centre for the dinner and reception. I mingled and chatted for an hour or two in the lobby, sipping on the complimentary champagne. Then Rosie and Paul arrived to loud applause and shortly after we made our way through to the main function room for dinner. The tables were all named after albums or songs by the late great Michael Jackson. I don't know if this was a last minute tribute or something planned well in advance but it was a novel idea. Maybe at my wedding the tables can named after my favorite wrestlers. 'John, you're sitting at the Bret 'The Hitman' Hart table'. Each table had a photo of MJ and the title of the album or song. I was sitting at the 'You Gonna Start Somethin' table but, in keeping with my character, maybe I should have been at the 'Bad' or 'Off the Wall' tables. I was seated next to Christina and an old acquaintance David Kerr on my left and my cousin Lucille Rose and her boyfriend Tom on my right. Lucille Rose is a lovely girl and over dinner we chatted away about Michael Jackson and her degree in medicine. The dinner was very good: melon and mango slices for starter, chicken wrapped in bacon with potatoes and veg for the main course, and cheesecake for dessert. The wine and chat flowed freely, maybe a bit too freely as my memory from this point gets a bit hazy. I was just about lucid enough to follow the speeches and to cheer and laugh and applaude at the right moments. They actually went very well, including the best man's speech, which is always a bit of a banana skin, and thankfully there was no embarassing anecdotes. Contrary to tradition Rosie got up and spoke, and she did so very well. She recalled the time when Paul and herself were 'just good friends' and saying to him 'You're not my type and I'll never be your type'. It's funny how things turn out! She also said to Paul 'Thank you for not trying to understand me but for just loving me and accepting me'. I thought that was very sweet. Shortly after the speeches the band arrived and they were terrifc, playing swing and jazz, so Rosie and Paul had their first dance in style. My dancing is quite shocking so I stayed away from the dance floor, the only exception being when everyone gathered around to watch my mad cousin Adrian dance Michael Jackson style to one of his songs. It's really the only time a man can grab his crotch and shout 'OOiii' and not get arrested for indecent behaviour. To give Adrian his due he was a great mover and thoroughly entertained the onlookers. I spent the rest of the evening mostly catching up with my cousins, who I had not seen for quite a while. There was a mixture of good craic and banter, deep and philosophical conversations, and general chit chat. I'm not a great conversationalist but I managed to pass myself okay and enjoyed the company. As for chatting up a good looking blonde I'm afraid I was unsuccessful. My excuse is that I have about 40 cousins and most of the evening was spent catching up with them, so there was not much time left for chasing girls. I did have a very good conversation with a nice girl in the early hours of the morning but her boyfriend was lurking in the background so it was a non starter. But I can't really complain, it was a great wedding. My only regret was that I did'nt get a chance to say hello and congradulations to Rosie but I will send her a card after she returns from honeymoon in Thailand. Rosie and Paul are a really lovely couple and I'm sure they will be very happy together. I wish them all the very best.