Sunday, December 12, 2010

Ireland - The Main Event

On October 6, we took the train from Dublin to Limerick, which is the town that Adare Manor was located. Ritu, Tim, mom & dad arrived a few days before preparing for the wedding events. We met the group and headed to the castle where the rehearsal dinner was to take place. The venue was a true medieval castle and would not disappoint. After the details were finalized, we headed to the "Cliffs of Moher". The Cliffs are 120 meters above the Atlantic Ocean and on a clear day you can see the Aran Islands. A few of famous films were also taped at the Cliffs, such as "Harry Potter and the Half Blooded Prince" and "The Princess Bride". We luckily had good weather, it was windy, but bearable.

From the Cliffs, we headed to "Papadum", an Indian restaurant in Limerick. We had about 20 guests who had arrived for the wedding so far, who joined us for dinner. The food we had at this restaurant was amazing, one of the best Indian restaurants I have eaten at. After dinner, we headed to the Manor. We had not yet seen it and were so excited after hearing how amazing the compound was, and it did not disappoint. I can't even verbalize how magnificent the manor was. From the minute you stepped in the door, you felt like royalty. There was a piano bar at the manor, where we decided to toast to the beginning of a wonderful wedding weekend before turning in for the night.

October 7 was a relaxing/exploring day. The rest of the guests were arriving, including Abhi and Priti. We started off the day with a magnificent breakfast and then headed to the rehearsal. After understanding the logistics of the ceremony, the bride and bridesmaids headed to town for lunch and manicures at a darling spa. It was a nice and relaxing afternoon, which was much needed for the bride. That evening, we had a "Welcome Reception" at the "Tack Room" in the Manor. We enjoyed a wonderful slide show put together by a dear family friend, toasts, dinner, and cocktails! By this point 90% of the guests had arrived, and the manor was bustling with guests for the Nemani/Reimer wedding.

On October 8, the morning again began with an amazing breakfast and great company. the groomsmen and friends went golfing first thing that morning. The golf course at Adare is world renowed, Tiger Woods played at the course over the summer for the Irish Open. Justin was so excited and after playing the whole course (which took them close to 7-8 hours), he said it was worth every minute but man it was hard! While the guys golfed, a group of us walked around the compound, enjoyed lunch at the Golf Club and then walked through Limerick, which was adorable! They had the cutest little shops, which we enjoyed very much! Soon it was time to get ready for the Rehersal Dinner. After a little bit of a frightening bus ride to the Castle (imagine large bus, small road up and down hills), we arrived, in one piece to singers welcoming us and "mead" (sweet honey wine). After social hour, we headed into the holding area for a welcome from the performers, and then into the dining hall. What an amazing night, with everything from singers, dancers, heckling of Justin, and kind words from family and friends. Per usual, we had a night cap at the Tack Room.

October 9 - THE BIG DAY!
It was finally here! The ladies began the morning in Ritu's suite having our hair and make-up done, enjoying champagne, and breakfast, and in disbelief that the day was finally here! The whole day was magical and went perfectly. Jayson did an amazing job officiating the ceremony. It was such a personal and meaningful ceremony. Following the ceremony, there was a cocktail hour while the bridal party had photos taken. Shortly to follow was the reception, which was like an event which took place on the Titanic, luckily our ending was much better. The reception hall was grand, and beautiful. The couple cut their cake, had their first dance, and the night kicked off! There wasn't a dull moment all night, from the heartfelt toasts, dancing, professional Irish dance performance, fireworks, and a few enjoyed a scotch tasting. All in all, it was perfect.

I can't put into words how amazing of a trip this was, being in Ireland with 80 close family and friends was unlike anything we had ever experienced. I hope that we are able to enjoy this type of event again with such amazing people. Thank you Ritu and Tim for choosing such an amazing venue and thank you to everybody who came to celebrate the two of them. Thank you to mom and dad for arranging the event wiht the couple and making it something nobody will ever forget!

I would post photos, but there are so many, please use the link from the previous post to see photos from the wedding!

Cheers!

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