WeddingDates.ie

As an avid Electric-Picnic-goer I love the festival vibe and a definite highlight is hanging out in the marquees and wonderfully decorated tents in the rolling fields of Stradbally.  I’ve been overheard manys the time saying that EP is like a playground for adults!  The Bollywood Bar at the picnic is a top spot to chill out on an oversized flourescent pillow on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Well, if you feel like ditching the stiff sit-down dinner option for your wedding, and go completely OUT THERE, then fret not, you can re-create your own Electric Picnic stylee wedding funtion!  Bohemia Tent Company supplies fabulous marquees, Indian tents and Mongolian Yurts for events in Ireland.

Not only can you hire a special tent or marquee for your own garden or land, they also supply marquees for events at Hotels, stately homes and country houses that actually compliment the beautiful surroundings and add to the aesthetic of the event.

Although they are primarily located in the UK they also have a base in Slane, county Meath and storage in Carlow in Ireland, so they are able to and do cover the whole country without bringing stock from the UK.

Sounds super, right?  But most of us out there wouldn’t have a clue what it would cost to host such a wedding.

• The smallest Yurt will cost you a mere €850 and can seat up to 30 people
• The Indian Marquee will cost you less than €1,500 and has a capacity of 70 seated and 120 standing.
• The Grand Pavillion, the creme de la creme of outdoor venue options will set you back about €11,000 including flooring and lighting.  This will hold 230 people fully seated and up to 450 standing.

They’ve done celebrity weddings such as Jasmine Guinness to the full backstage VIP and artist areas at Electric Picnic as well as smaller more intimate events and weddings.  For the camping enthusiasts out there, they also offer bridal yurts and Tipis with a bedroom interior in remote locations!

New for this year are two canvas pole marquees recreated in minute detail.  These can be lined, with a choice of elegant yet historic linings, varying from Damasque wallpaper prints, chinoiserie styles and 18th century Indian patterns as well as more traditional cream coloured linings.  Swit swoo!

They can accomodate all budgets and have a range of more contemporary easy-up tension marquees that are pretty unbeatable on price; so as I was reliably informed by Charles, the company director - they try to offer an across the board service.

Bohemia are often the first port of call for clients, and they have an arrangement with many venues around the country where they can put together a package that incorporates all of the elements including the grounds.

You can download their entire brochure (do, its beautiful!) here

This came to my attention recently, a recession-busting all-in-price for small weddings of 50 people.  I think it’s great that hotels are beginning to be a bit more innovative in how their attract their business in these tough times and with Rathsallagh House in Co. Wicklow being so transparent about their prices that can only be a good thing.

Responding to the demand for down-sized weddings, (particularly 2nd time around where a civil ceremony is involved ) Rathsallagh House has launched a new product; an all-in-wedding for 50 guest ( includes wine, champagne, pre and after dinner entertainment etc ) for a recession-friendly €10,950. If you want more than 50 guests you can add additional numbers at €125.00 per head.  This offer is available Sundays to Thursdays in April, May, October and November of 2009.

Personally, I have heard great reports about Rathsallagh, it is the Gold Medal Award winning Irish Country House for 2007 and 2008,  a member of Irelands Blue Book and is regarded as one of the ultimate Country House wedding venues in Ireland.  The great thing about Rathsallagh is that it belongs solely to you and your guests so you have the complete run of the place and can have a very tailored wedding to suit your own personal style.

In their own words: “With its walled gardens and Orangery all available to you Rathsallagh is ideal for civil ceremonies and blessings and there are a number of traditional and quaint country Churches on our door step.  All of this a mere hour from Dublin!”

Unfortunately, I don’t have information on availability for Rathsallagh on WeddingDates.ie just yet, so you’ll have to contact them directly - but if you do, make sure to mention that you head about the deal from Ciara @ WeddingDates.ie!

Wedding Guest Book Ideas

With big weddings nowadays, you have so many guests and people to talk to during the day that it can be sometimes be difficult to take it all in and remember all of the kind wishes and things people said to you on your big day.  Guestbooks are an ideal way for couples to get these messages and blessings written down all in one place and a great way to look back on your guests and your special day long after the event.

While a traditional guestbook will fulfil this mandate, it will probably end up being consigned to the bookshelf or a dusty box in your cupboard never looked at again.

You can have great fun creating a guest book that not only will the guests enjoy signing, but also one that you will actually look at again in years to come long after the wedding.

• If you have a themed wedding, try to incorporate that into the guest book, for example if you have an autumn wedding you can used pressed autumn leaves with labels on them to hold each guests message.  If you have seaside nuptials, use large shells and a design marker (eg gold-leaf marker)
• If your friends are very arty, or if you are having lots of kids at the wedding (although you may want this activity supervised!) you can prop a canvas from an art supply shop on an easel and provide some materials such as paint, brushes, coloured pens etc so guests can sign and illustrate it for you.  You will have an original work of art at the end!
• Put note cards and envelopes on the tables so the guests can write you short letters.  Then open them on your one year anniversary….if you have that much willpower to wait that long!
• If you are having a “destination wedding” or the location is of significance, hang a vintage map of the area or a large photograph or print of the location on the wall and ask guests to sign it.  Afterwards you can frame it and hang it in your home.

Not so crafty? Buy a coffee-table book…

If you’re not into the creative ideas above, but still want something a bit more personal than the standard guest book, you can buy a coffee-table book that has a special meaning to you, such as a photography book of your wedding location, where you are going on your honeymoon, a favourite children’s book, or for movie or music buffs, a anthology book.  Leave it on a prominent table at the reception venue entrance with a Sharpie marker for guests to customise.

Another lovely idea is to have a photo guest book.  Place a blank photo album. I love these ones (http://www.kolo.com) with a Polaroid camera and photo corners.  Guests can then snap themselves, put the photo on a blank page of the album and also ask guests to write a message.  As the night wears on, the photos (and the messages!) will get funnier and funnier….!

While this blog is pretty focused on you brides-to-be, I thought I’d been neglecting the fellas out there who may be searching the net and struggling with the whole marriage thing.  From deciding on WHEN to pop the question to wedding budgets and future plans, the man of the moment is faced with huge life-changing decisions and is often left resource-less while the ladies are laden down with glossy mags telling them in exacting detail EVERYTHING they need to know about the preparation for the big day itself and indeed what to expect out of married life in general.

Today I stumbled across www.groomgroove.com, a website with heaps of articles and information for the grooms out there.  While it is an American site, I haven’t found an Irish one to match it in terms of content and relevance just for the boys.  There’s also plenty of info on there for the best man and the groomsmen - make sure they all know what their duties and responsibilities are!

So - pass this on to newly engaged guys out there or indeed any prospective grooms-in-the-making!!

The Trident Hotel in Kinsale are now offering their stunning Master Suite to all Brides & Grooms for their 1st night as a married couple.  The Master Suite, that was recently described in an Irish Times article as “one of the best suites in Ireland” has uninterrupted sea views from the bedroom and sitting/ dining room and has it’s own private balcony overlooking Kinsale Harbour.   The bridal couple will be welcomed to the suite with a chilled bottle of champagne and a fruit plate to share, as they relax in stylish privacy.  As an added bonus, the Trident are also offering the parents of the bride & groom complimentary overnight accommodation in a Sea View Executive room, complete with luxurious Spanish marble bathroom as standard in their new wedding package.

What are you waiting for?!  Check availability for your wedding in The Trident Hotel now!

We’ve been lucky enough to get quite a bit of coverage over here in WeddingDates.ie and we are delighted each time we get a piece of media attention!

2 weeks ago we got the WeddingDates.ie plug in twice on the Ray D’arcy show on Today FM, on Monday Conor Pope the consumer watchdog, was asked a question about wedding deposits by a bride-to-be who was worried about her hotel closing down and the high deposit they wanted from her upfront.  I quickly sent in an email to the show stating that the typical deposit required to hold a date was €1,000 and that the girl in question should make sure she talked to the hotel to make sure that she was getting a fair price and she was comfortable with the payment procedure.

The very next day, I got through to the infamous Odd-One-Out Quiz and chatted to Ray live on air!!  He remembered me from when we both participated in the Spencer Tunick photo shoot last year in Blarney and I had also met him at the Rose of Tralee.  He mentioned WeddingDates.ie and of course I got a few plugs in myself!  I managed to answer 10 questions in the quiz and scored myself an O’Neills odd-one-out hoodie!!  It arrived last week - in pink!!

After the success of the launch party, we had a 2 page spread on the Evening Echo Social Diary with a lovely write up by Elaine Duggan and lots of fantastic photos which were taken by the Echo photographer Darragh Kane on the night.  If you want to read the article, or check out the pics of some of our glamourous guests then you can download the pdf here.

The press release was also picked up by the Cork Independant with a photo of our “Bride and Groom” and RED from the Marvels taking centre stage.

(c) Peter Sweeney 2009

We still have loads more quirky PR stunts up our sleeves, so keep a close eye on the local and national media for more mentions of WeddingDates.ie and of course snaps of me in THE dress!

Last night was the first episode in the new season of Brides Of Franc and Franc aka Peter Kelly ventured West to the Aran Islands to organise a wedding in the community centre Halla Ronán in 3 short months.  The couple Máirtín Eoin Coyne and Aoife Flaherty had very little done before Franc came on hand so the challenge was immense.

One of the most difficult aspects of the job was not transforming the halla, as could be seen from previous shows, Franc can transform ANY venue; it was the logistical problem of having to ship everything to the island by ferry.  As Franc himself noted, it was a very expensive option as things had to be rented for a week, not a day as would usually be the case.

The brief was organic and eco-friendly, but when it came down to it the couple did want a bit of glamour and from the tails of Máirtín Eoin’s suit and Aoife’s beautiful vintage-style lace dress there certainly was the wow-factor that I think they wanted all along.

It was impossible not to be impressed with the massive feat of logistics and planning that Franc and his team put into the wedding.  I’m sure the half-hour program only gave us a glimpse of what actually went into it all.  It was so lovely to see a young couple so very much in love and Máirtín Eoin came across as a complete gent, so softly spoken.  Aoife was very much the relaxed bride and put so much trust in Franc and really went with the flow, even getting hair extensions - something she had never had before!

It was all so worth it in the end, with the most beautiful wedding on their beloved Inis Mór, where they grew up together.  I think even Franc himself was overwhelmed by the love in the room on the night.

A great watch - definitely a lovely couple to start the season with.  No bridezilla’s here!  What did you think - anyone else watch the show last night??

I was overjoyed this morning to see that weddingdates.ie was promoted as one of the Top 5 websites of the week by Ireland AM on TV3!  Great plug for the website to be on national TV.  Next up, will be an interview with me hopefully to get even more publicity and those all important hits to the website!

You can watch the clip here: Weddingdates.ie on Ireland AM

weddingdates.ie is the 3rd website mentioned, about half way through.

It’s a great day when a prestigious Irish Glossy Magazine calls to ask your input on an article they are putting together and that’s exactly what happened to me 2 weeks ago when the Irish Tatler got in touch regarding an article on wedding venues.  I was delighted to contribute and I put together a piece for them on “The New Irish Bride” and the types of venues that people might be looking for.  See below for what I submitted to Irish Tatler and if you want to read their piece, then you’ll have to nip out and buy the April edition!

Move over the traditional wedding - Irish Brides are getting more creative and inventive with their wedding plans.  After all, no one wants to be sitting in the middle of a wedding only to get the dejá vu effect.  As groups of friends get married one after the other, it can feel like Groundhog Day with the same guests, similar venue, decor, band and even style of dress!

Here are our top tips for some alternatives to the big traditional wedding:-

City Slicker: Bonos ‘uber snazzy, Clarence Hotel in Dublin offers great wedding packages for the romantic Dubliners.  As 5 Star venues go, this one is reasonably priced and the upstairs function room can hold up to 120 guests.  With beautiful large windows overlooking the Liffey and the city of Dublin, there is no more romantic spot than this for the city-dweller.  They also can hold civil ceremonies in the hotel and joining ceremonies for same-sex couples.

Tree Huggers: If you want to ‘be green’ for your wedding check out the list of venues who have won the Green Hospitality Award on http://www.ghaward.ie.  The Maryborough House Hotel & Spa in Cork holds the Gold Medal award for its commitment to environmental management of the property.  It is also a stunningly beautiful venue for summer weddings.  They can erect a gazebo or small marquee in the gardens adjoining the Country House which makes for a relaxed spot for photos, a string quartet and maybe some champagne and strawberries.  You don’t have to sacrifice luxury with this green wedding, the Maryborough Hotel has been doing weddings for decades, is very experienced and with its 4 star status and complete with spa, you will feel like a princess on your big day (even if you are a hippy at heart!).  With the hotel fully ‘green’ it is then up to you to ensure the other parts of the wedding are eco-friendly so shop around for a second hand dress, or getting your Mum’s dress re-designed for yourself.  Consider the environment and design pretty email invitations and reduce your carbon footprint by honeymooning in Ireland or at least closer to home.

Fit for a Queen: If you’ve dreamed of a fairytale wedding since you hung a pillow case over the back of your head as a little girl then getting married in a castle will be a magical experience for you.  Markree Castle in Co. Sligo is an authentic Victorian castle and is straight out of a picture book.  If lavish and opulent is what you want on your big day…look no further!

A Very Civil Affair: The new civil ceremony laws now mean that you can get married in any building that is open to the public but some couples still like the idea of the traditional church wedding.  Well, for couples who want to combine the two, the beautiful Cork Vision Centre is the perfect spot to tie the knot.  The Centre is an old church which has been converted into an art gallery, so the space is bright, open and modern on the inside but still maintains the charm of an old church.  They can host up to 60 guests sitting down for the ceremony itself and up to 400 for a standing reception.  The staff are hugely accommodating and put a huge amount of effort into working with the couple to make things “just right”.  It’s also a bargain at only €400.00 to hire the venue.

For the Love of the Game: If you and your beloved are sports-mad, why not consider having the wedding in one of the legendary sports stadiums in the country.  The first wedding in Thomond Park was held this Valentines Day and they have 5 more booked this year! Croke Park also has a venue that they rent out which could be used for weddings - you can theme the wedding with your county colours!

We’re Irish After All: If you and your beloved like a pint of the black stuff, why not consider the Guinness Storehouse as a quirky and unusual venue for the wedding with a difference.  They have a range of rooms that are available to hire depending on your numbers and would be spectacular for an evening wedding overlooking the city lights.

Second time around: We are seeing more and more weddings for couples on their second time round and these tend to be smaller, more intimate affairs.  For a boutique style wedding, private hire country houses are perfectly intimate and Ballintaggart House in Dingle, Co. Kerry fits the bill perfectly.  Ballintaggart is a late Regency country house that has been extensively restored so it is extremely comfortable but retains many of the original features.  Guests have the run of the house for the duration of the wedding and with breathtaking views of Dingle bay it would be a perfect retreat wedding to get-away-from-it-all with your guests.

Romance in the Recession: Don’t let the economy put you off tying the knot, there are plenty of recession busting wedding deals out there at the moment and with the hotels striving for business like never before, they are more likely to throw in extras so  you end up getting great rates and still having the day of your dreams.  If you are in the awful situation where your hotel has closed down, then the Mount Falcon Hotel in Co. Mayo are offering unfortunate couples who have lost their deposits an alternative wedding date, subject to availability.  They will then reduce the final bill by the amount of deposit you have lost.  Definitely one to consider if you don’t have wedding insurance, and are stuck in the predicament of losing money due to hotel closures.

Frolics with Foodies: For the food connoisseurs out there, there is nothing more shudder-inducing than 300 plates of Beef or Salmon being doled out at a function.  More and more restaurants are offering private hire and some even allow civil ceremonies to take place before the meal too.  Fallon and Byrne, a bouquets-throw from Grafton Street has a fantastic function room upstairs and the food is to-die-for.  They also have a specially appointed wedding coordinator to help you plan your whole day.  Oh! And did I mention they also have their own wine cellar on the premises?!  Jola’s Restaurant in gastronomy-town Kinsale in Co. Cork works with the couple to design tailor made menus and they even bring in their own flavoured vodka from Poland for the post-dinner drinks!

With some of the off-beat wedding ideas like these, keep in mind that you MAY need to hire a wedding planner to help you with the preparation or at the very least an Event Decorator to assist you with the dressing of the room.  The beauty of the traditional wedding hotel is that they have done this thousands of times before and you know your day is going to run like clockwork with them.  Some of these venues are literally like wedding-factories and it will inevitably be a seamless event.  There will be more work and hands-on involvement with a more unusual venue or theme but at the end of it all, you know you will have a truly memorable day and it will be totally unique to you and your beloved.

Check availability on www.weddingdates.ie for the venues listed above.

With the first bit of real sun any of us in Ireland had this week, it got me to thinking about spring-time and the impending summer months ahead!  Summer is a time of colour and every bride needs to think about her colour palette for the wedding well in advance.

The colours you choose will go along way in determining other elements of the big day including; bridesmaids dresses, flowers, center pieces, invitations, and wedding favours.
This is where the fun starts, you can be all sorts of creative when it comes to your colour palette!

Inspiration:

Time of Year: If you are getting married around Valentines Day, red or pink could be your colour of choice.  If its a summer wedding, how about yellow - think sunflowers..  Autumn/Halloween weddings would be lovely with russets and burnt orange and a winter wedding could bring in luxurious deep purples and magentas.
Time of Day: An evening wedding can get really glam with darker tones - even black as an accent colour!
Location: Depending on where you are getting married, this could give you some inspiration for your theme and your colours.  If its a castle wedding, look around at the decor in the castle itself, maybe go with the family crest of the castle or the family tartan if its Scottish!  Coastal location?  Ocean blue would be the perfect compliment to a seaside theme.
Your preference: It’s YOUR wedding, so you can do what you like!! If you have a favourite colour, then go with that!
Start with 1 element, then go from there.  Lots of people will choose the bridesmaids dresses first and then go from there, coordinating the invitations and favours around that.

Keep in mind that there will usually be a palette of colours involved in the big day.  Choosing one can be hard enough, but make sure your other colours coordinate with your primary colour.  You can use a colour wheel or websites such as www.colorschemer.com and www.colourlovers.com to help you.

Any suggestions from you guys about colour palettes or do’s and don’ts??