Mother of the Bride

by Marita Conlon-McKenna

  ‘Enough? The place looks like a church!’

  ‘Candlelight is romantic!’ she teased, slipping into his arms.

  ‘I’m feeling romantic, then.’ Daniel mussed Amy’s freshly blow-dried hair as she tried to stop him. Undeterred, he ran his hand sensually over her hips in the silky blue and grey wrap dress she had bought especially for the occasion.

  ‘Dan,’ she teased, kissing him slowly. ‘We don’t have time! People will be here any minute.’

  ‘Later, then!’ he promised, reluctantly letting her go.

  She mentally did a run-through: the champagne and white wine were chilling in the fridge, the crates of beer were out on their narrow balcony, and a case of Bordeaux was sitting at room temperature in the corner of the spare room. Both of them had been to scabby engagement parties which hadn’t even provided one drink for the guests, an early harbinger of wedding guests having to shell out a fortune to see friends marry in some out-of-the-way location. Neither of them wanted anything like that!

  Amy had made some canapés and finger food for the party, and her mum was bringing some quiches.

  ‘People are not coming for the food!’ murmured Daniel, wandering into the kitchen and grabbing two cheese and mushroom vol-au-vents. He stuffed them into his mouth.

  ‘They’re for later,’ she warned, smacking him on the fingers as he tried to pinch a few more. Then the bell rang downstairs and she pressed to open the door.

  ‘Take these, Amy love.’ Her mum and Ciara arrived laden down with four massive home-made quiches – which they would serve later – and a basket of crusty sliced French bread. Meanwhile, her dad and brother lugged another big crate of beer into the apartment.

  ‘Thanks, Mum, here’s some wine. You deserve it.’

  Helen O’Connor grabbed the reviving glass and glanced around the apartment approvingly. Amy and Daniel had done a great job on the place, and it was a true reflection of both their styles, with two big red comfy couches and a mixture of family photos and quirky art prints decorating the walls.

  ‘Do you have any vodka?’ asked Ciara, rooting through the kitchen cupboards.

  ‘No!’ said Amy, glad that their bottles of vodka and rum and gin had been secretly stashed away. She had no intention of having her younger sister get plastered drunk tonight in front of her friends. ‘There’s plenty of wine and beer, though, so help yourself.’

  Looking disgruntled, Ciara contented herself with a can of chilled Heineken, then she joined Ronan and his girlfriend Krista, and Dan’s friend Jeremy, who were smoking out on the balcony.

  Amy watched, amused, as her mum automatically began to serve drinks and introduce people, dragging her dad over to meet Dan’s brother Rob and his girlfriend Hannah. Rob was a taller, bigger, fatter version of Dan, and had been going out with Hannah for years. Hannah stared enviously at Amy’s ring, and Amy wondered why they hadn’t got around to getting married.

  ‘We should all try to get to know each other before the wedding,’ she coaxed, as her dad did his best to be polite and friendly.

  As her girlfriends arrived they demanded not only to look at her beautiful engagement ring, but to try it on and make a wish.

  ‘Please, Amy, for luck! We just want to make a wish!’ begged Lisa and Tara in unison.

  Reluctantly, Amy slipped the ring off her finger and on to the fingers of two of her closest friends. She knew exactly what each of them was wishing. Lisa was wishing that Simon O’Keefe, the lazy sod she was living with, would do the decent thing and after six years of being together propose before she was an old lady; whilst Tara was wishing that her boyfriend Johnny would stop cheating on her.

  ‘Amy, the ring is gorgeous,’ Tara said, twisting it around her finger.

  ‘If Simon ever gets me jewellery it’s usually totally wrong!’ sighed Lisa. ‘Do you remember that awful watch with the brown leather strap he got me last Christmas? I had to bring it straight back and exchange it and he was in a huff for days as a result. And what about that vile pearl choker!’

  Tonight of all nights, Amy wasn’t in the mood for a litany of complaints about Simon. Excusing herself, she moved off to open a few more bottles of wine as the crowd swelled and the music began to get louder and louder. There was no sign of Carmel and Eddie Quinn yet. She glanced across the room to see Dan surrounded by Colm and Kev and a load of his mates, who were downing cans at a fierce rate. Dan raised his can to her, and she silently mouthed I LOVE YOU before grabbing the fancy silver corkscrew.

  ‘Do you want a hand with that?’ Jess slipped in beside her and grasped another opener and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

  ‘You look great,’ Amy said, noticing that Jess had made an extra special effort to straighten her normally wayward hair and was wearing a short, V-necked dress with tights and a pair of sexy new peep-toe black shoes.

  ‘Do you think so?’

  ‘Yes I do,’ Amy said, giving her friend a hug. ‘And if Dan’s friends don’t notice you then they need to go and get laser surgery on their eyes.’

  ‘Is Liam coming?’

  Amy groaned inwardly. What Jess saw in Liam Flynn was beyond her. He and Dan might be best friends but she wouldn’t wish him on her worst friend, let alone her best one. Liam went through girls like nobody else she knew, charming and winning over each poor sucker before a few months later getting bored and breaking it off, and moving on to some new conquest that he swore to Dan was just the woman he was looking for . . .

  ‘I think Dan said he was bringing that new girl, Hazel, that he has just started seeing,’ she said softly.

  ‘Oh.’ Jess couldn’t keep the disappointment from her voice, and Amy secretly cursed Liam and his ability to manipulate women so well. Dan had already asked him to be his best man, and she’d kill Dan if Liam went and upset Jess in any way between now and their wedding. Being best man and chief bridesmaid they were bound to be thrown together, and she was determined to let nothing spoil their wedding – nothing!

  ‘Amy, when is the big day?’ interrupted her friend Nikki Kelly. ‘What date is the wedding?’

  ‘Give us a chance!’ Amy pleaded. ‘Dan and I have had barely a minute since we got back from Italy, with all the excitement. We are hoping some time in June, but the venue is totally undecided.’

  ‘What? You haven’t got somewhere yet?’ Nikki gasped. ‘My sister found it impossible to get a good venue, and she had to book almost two years ahead to get a Saturday in September in Mayfield Manor.’

  Amy remembered that for almost a year Nikki had had all of them demented with almost every tiny detail of her sister Georgina’s extravagant wedding to her much older American boyfriend, Taylor. The wedding had cost a fortune, and had ended with guests being entertained with a performance by some of the Riverdance Irish dance troupe and a magnificent firework display. She’d seen the photos and knew that her parents would collapse with the cost of such a spectacle.

  ‘Well, Dan and I are going to check out a few places next weekend.’

  ‘I’ll email you Georgina’s list,’ offered Nikki. ‘She had a massive folder of info which might be useful.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Amy said, slipping away to check on the food heating in the oven.

  ‘How’s my beautiful future daughter-in-law?’ asked Eddie Quinn, who had just arrived with Carmel and Dylan, Dan’s eighteen-year-old brother. Dylan was tall and thin like his mum with straggly fair hair and a trace of teenage acne. He was a nice kid and he gave her a big sloppy kiss.

  ‘I’m fine, Eddie. I’m dying for you to see my mum and dad again and meet my brother and sister.’ Amy smiled. ‘But let me get you all a drink, first.’

  ‘Two beers, please,’ said Eddie. He picked up a can of Heineken and passed it to Dylan. Eddie was a smaller, shorter version of Dan. Father and son had the same eyes and nose and easy manner, but Eddie was almost completely bald.

  ‘And I’ll have a white wine,’ said Carmel, looking around. ‘It is good and chilled, I hope.’

  Instead of usi
ng the wine on the table Amy took a fresh bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the fridge and opened it. Carmel Quinn was a bit of a wine snob, and Amy had seen her study the label on bottles before drinking. Dan had made sure to get the wine his mother liked.

  Amy’s mum and dad were over talking to a few of her friends in the living room and she brought Carmel and Eddie over to them.

  ‘Mum and Dad, you remember Eddie and Carmel?’ Amy introduced them, hoping that they would get on, as they all stood there awkwardly for a few seconds.

  ‘Nice to meet you again, Carmel.’ Helen smiled. ‘Isn’t it wonderful news about Dan and Amy?’

  ‘It was a surprise,’ said Carmel, sipping her wine. ‘Daniel getting engaged in Italy was a bit out of the blue, but Eddie and I are delighted to see him settling down at last.’

  ‘Once they’re happy and love each other. That’s what matters!’ Paddy O’Connor added firmly.

  ‘Exactly,’ agreed Eddie. ‘They make a lovely couple.’

  ‘It’s very exciting about the wedding,’ continued Helen. ‘Paddy and I still can’t believe that Amy’s getting married.’

  ‘Amy, when are you and Dan thinking of having the wedding?’

  Amy sighed. Carmel had already asked them about setting a date when they had called up to her house last Sunday.

  ‘It’ll hopefully be early next summer, June maybe, but we have to decide what we both want, and it’s been such a rush since we got home we haven’t even had time to think yet!’ She smiled. ‘But neither of us wants a long engagement.’

  ‘But that’s only a little over eight months away!’ remarked Carmel. ‘Not very long to organize a big wedding.’

  ‘Amy’s a great organizer,’ added Helen.

  ‘And so is Mum!’ Amy laughed, excusing herself to check on the party food heating in the oven. All their friends were here and the party was in full swing.

  Daniel grabbed her by the hand when she went back into the living room, and got everyone to give a bit of hush as Ronan lowered the music and their friends stopped talking.

  ‘I just want to say that Amy and I are delighted that so many of you are here tonight to celebrate our engagement. Most of you are old school and college friends and have known Amy and me for the best part of our lives. From the minute I met Amy I knew that she was the girl I wanted to marry. Call me old-fashioned or romantic or mad, I don’t care – but I just knew that I wanted this beautiful girl to be my wife and to spend the rest of my life with her.’

  Everyone cheered wildly, Amy blushing.

  ‘We have no definite date yet, and we still have to decide where we are getting married, but all I will say is that there is definitely going to be a wedding, hopefully in the summer, so that I can make this lady my beautiful bride. Enjoy the night, please, everyone.’

  Amy could feel happiness bubbling up inside her. Daniel was just Daniel: saying what he felt, open and honest and kind. Everyone began to clap and cheer, and Amy felt the comforting grasp of Daniel’s fingers in hers.

  Her mum was getting all emotional, and even Carmel was moved by her son’s words. Amy signalled to Ronan to turn up the music, and everyone began to chat again. The food would be well heated by now, and needed to be served immediately.

  Ciara and Jess and Helen and Tara all gave a hand passing everything around. It was a bit of a tight squeeze in their long narrow galley kitchen getting everything on to the plates, but the food was going down a bomb. Ever hungry, Ronan was laying into the vol-au-vents, and Eddie was paying great compliments to Helen about the quiches.

  ‘You should give Carmel the recipe,’ he said.

  Once the food was out of the way, Amy was able to relax and enjoy herself. The noise level was rising and everyone was having a great time chatting and laughing and drinking. They had warned their neighbours about the party so hopefully there’d be no complaints.

  Dan’s dad was enjoying himself talking to Dan’s old school and college friends.

  ‘That son of mine is a lucky fellow to land himself such a beautiful fiancée’ he chuckled, and Amy thanked heaven that he was such a sweetheart. Dan’s mum was sitting on the couch, talking to her mum, and she could tell by the tilt of Carmel’s head that they were still discussing the wedding plans. Oh no, she thought. She’d better go over and rescue her mum.

  ‘Amy, you look beautiful in that dress.’ Carmel smiled, hugging her. ‘It’s good to see you dressed up.’

  Amy flashed a warning glance at her mum, hoping that she would not rise to the bait of responding to one of Carmel’s digs. Dan didn’t even notice what she was doing, but poor Eddie spent a huge amount of time covering up Carmel’s antics.

  ‘Thanks, Carmel. I’m usually a jeans person, but a little bit of Karen Millen does no harm, especially on a night like this.’ Amy laughed, giving a twirl.

  ‘You look beautiful, darling,’ said her mum loyally. ‘And your party is going really well.’

  ‘Yeah, everyone’s enjoying themselves,’ Amy agreed.

  ‘I’ve invited Carmel and Eddie and the boys to come to dinner at our place next weekend,’ Helen said, pleased with herself. ‘Your dad and I would like the two families to be friends and get to know each other better.’

  ‘We’re looking forward to it,’ nodded Carmel.

  ‘That’s great!’ Amy couldn’t believe her mum was inviting the Quinns over to their house. Carmel would probably turn her nose up at their four-bed semi-detached on an estate in Blackrock.

  ‘I was just telling Helen that if you want to book a good venue like Slane or Ashford Castle or Dromoland or Mount Juliet for the wedding you would need to be putting a deposit down the minute you go to see it.’

  Had Carmel Quinn gone off her trolley? The last time Amy had been at Slane was for a rock concert, with about twenty thousand mud-soaked fans going crazy to U2. She had no intention of having their wedding somewhere like that.

  ‘Dan and I aren’t sure about a venue,’ she said firmly. ‘Nothing is decided yet, nothing!’

  ‘Oh,’ said Carmel, disappointed. ‘I just thought that, with a big wedding, a venue like a castle or a large country house makes sense.’

  ‘I’m sure Amy and Dan will give lots of consideration to a number of places before they make up their minds,’ added Helen O’Connor diplomatically. ‘Young people nowadays have their own ideas about what they want. They’re not like us old fogeys!’

  Amy felt like cheering her mum, who, to her surprise, was well up to handling Carmel.

  The wine was flowing and Dan, Liam, Dan’s surfing buddy Bren and a huge gang were out on the balcony, smoking.

  Ciara, who looked like she had stepped off the set of Twilight – with her white skin, and her dark eyes emphasized by a huge amount of eyeliner – was being chatted up by one of Daniel’s friends in the hall, while Jess was in a huddle with the girls on a couch near the door to the balcony. Amy grabbed a fresh glass of wine and went to join Jess.

  ‘Great party!’ said Amy’s friend Kerrie, whose husband Billy had stayed home minding their two kids.

  ‘Dan’s so romantic!’ added another, Orla.

  ‘You are so lucky!’ said Jess.

  Sarah made space for Amy as she curled up on the couch beside Tara and Mel, everyone full of chat about the wedding.

  ‘You have got to put us girls at a good table,’ warned Aisling. ‘I read in a magazine that weddings are one of the best places to meet someone.’

  Amy groaned inwardly. She thought she might have enough to do on her wedding day without worrying about matchmaking her single friends!

  ‘You won’t forget?’ Aisling pleaded.

  ‘No!’ Amy promised.

  At 2 a.m. Dan and herself looked around at tables and chairs and shelves littered with empty glasses and plates and cans. Everyone was finally gone, the party was over, the wooden floor was sticky, the place was a mess. Liam and his date Hazel, who had been snogging the face off each other for the past hour, had been the very last to leave. Dan and Amy had pra
ctically had to throw them out.

  ‘We could do a big clean-up now or . . .’ she suggested.

  ‘Definitely OR,’ said Dan, as he pulled her into his arms. Stepping over two beer cans and a few glasses, they made their way to their bedroom and fell into bed . . .

  Chapter Six

  Helen walked quickly through the park to Frascati, the small café off Carysfort Avenue. Maeve and Ger and Ruth were already there. Fran had gone to the dentist and would be along later. Helen waved to them all as she arrived, ordering an Americano and a nice flaky almond croissant.

  ‘How’s the Mother of the Bride?’ asked Maeve.

  ‘Great,’ Helen said, sitting in beside her women friends.

  ‘How did Amy and Dan’s engagement party go?’

  ‘Paddy and I had a lovely time. It was mostly the young crowd. I don’t know how they managed to fit so many people into their apartment. We had a long talk with Dan’s parents, Carmel and Eddie. They seem nice people, and his two brothers were there, too. I’ve invited them all to dinner in our place next Sunday.’

  Ever since she had told them about Amy’s engagement her friends had become a fountain of advice on all aspects of planning a wedding.

  ‘You have such a time ahead of you!’ laughed Maeve, sipping her cappuccino. ‘It seems so far away when your daughter gets engaged, and there is so much to do. Next thing the wedding is on top of you, then before you know it, it’s all over. I loved it when my girls were getting married. We had the best fun. It cost a fortune, and Andy still complains about it, but it was money well spent. We have such great memories and photos of the day.’

  ‘Costing a fortune, that’s an understatement!’ jeered Ruth. ‘When Rachel got married we took out a huge loan from the bank. The costs are enormous, and you really need to watch your budget and stick to it.’

  ‘They haven’t even decided the date yet.’ Helen laughed. ‘So give them a chance.’

  As she drank her coffee Ger gave her the rundown on a wedding she’d been to in Connemara. ‘The hotel is lovely, just on the water, and the church was so quaint. My niece looked so pretty, and it was such a special day.’