As Good As It Gets: My Bachelorette

Did you ever feel like your heart could literally explode? That so much love could permeate through this little pump that it could blissfully burst? As my kindred spirit Seamus Heaney so perfectly put it: to “catch the heart off guard and blow it open.” 

It is so important to savour the moment, to allow yourself to become enthralled by the many facets of happiness: family, friends, feelings. The precious etches they make on your soul. Imagine all of your favorite people in one place and every one of them emitting enthusiasm on an exponential level, I am lucky to have experienced this. Cue a new addition to my favorite memories, one of the best yet; my bachelorette. 

When my bridesmaids asked me what I wanted this weekend to look like I made a few simple😅 requests: American sports franchise theme featuring alpacas. As luck might have it, I just happen to have the most amazing bridesmaids in the world🙌🏼. A foursome more formidable than the Fantastic Four and the Famous Five combined, they truly are one of a kind. 

The first win of the weekend was visiting my Aunty Helen who sourced top shelf Prosecco which we sipped as we stopped off en route to the destHENation😅. We then made our way to the Martello Hotel in Bray. This place has super staff, an amazing air about it and an ambience to match. It might remind you of Summer family holidays of yore to places along the Irish shore. 🏖 It is a charming spot that radiates character. 

That night I got my wish, a sports theme with loads of swish😆! There was pizza, Prosecco and the best people, it was an actual dream😍. We woke the next morning to tackle the first item on the agenda, Alpacas🦙😍. The Bray sun was shining on our shook little heads and this warmth served to brush any cobwebs off our weary bones. We set off to K2 Alpacas to be schooled on the sweetest, spongiest creatures to be found. 

This 'pacativity involved herding the little beauts, attaching them to a lead and taking them for a joyful jaunt around the area. There was even one called Aoife but I christened mine Tupaca🖖🏻🦙😄. The staff in K2 Alpacas were so knowledgeable and passionate about their precious pac’ it further enhanced the experience. 

That evening, the rest of my faves arrived including my Mam, who had never been on a hen in her life. The best first experience of her existence! We then shook things up with a spot of cocktail making and some delightful dinner, The Martello was literally the gift that kept on giving. 🙌🏼 We awoke the next morning for breakfast (which you got to select from an absolutely amazing menu). No room for a breakfast buffet in Bray, which was yet another yay to add to our day. 

We rounded off the weekend with family dinner in my cousin’s house and a trip to Cassidy’s in Camden Street. One of our hometown heroes Fran Deffew was singing with Rake The Ashes and they absolutely fired up the place with their resplendent renditions of old Irish tunes. We had a lovely little VIP spot right up the front and everyone was buck lepping around the place, it was just the best end to the perfect weekend🎶.

As I nostalgically dwell on this once in a lifetime event, it is hard to put into words the warmth I feel when I reflect on it all. I read a lovely line in a magazine recently that I feel adequately captures the essence of my emotions: it is like diving under a duvet on a drizzly day. I’ll never forget the energy that encircled me, the fantastic family and friends that left an indelible mark on my soul. 

As I type these last few lines, I pause to feel my pulse, my full heart is just hopping away. It's skipping a little stronger though, since that little vacay in Bray.