WeddingDates.ie

Couples Names: Jerh & Carolyn
Proposal Date: October 1995
Wedding Date: 5 March 1996 (remember that but forgot our first anniversary – haven’t forgotten it since though!!)
Wedding Location: Gretna Green, Scotland!

Proposal Story: Jerh proposed in October and had already lined up some gorgeous rings in a jewellery shop in Douglas, so off we went and chose a beautiful solitaire!  We decided to avoid the fuss and head to Gretna Green to get married (for the official bit) with a sister from each side (so we wouldn’t be lonesome) and got married in the most beautiful registry office in Gretna (that was the nicest part of Gretna, the rest was pretty drab!).

The four of us celebrated that evening back in Glasgow and then back to Cork a few days later, got dressed in our wedding gear again, had a beautiful ceremony with a blessing (the religious bit) at home with daughter Jess and the rest of the family and then a huge party (the fun bit) in the Rochestown Park Hotel with friends and family and a great rock band!!

Wedding Venue Kerry - Dromhall Hotel

Creating a special day for 150 guests can come in amazingly at under €10,000 including a Drinks Reception, 5 Course Meal, Evening Buffet, Photographer, Band DJ and Wedding Cars in the 4 star Dromhall Hotel in Killarney, Co. Kerry.  This is an amazing deal for any thrifty couple out there, and also minimizes the stress of organising everything yourself, as the hotel has thought of the lot.

The Dromhall has recently launched a newrange of All Inclusive Wedding Packages to suit all needs and budgets.  Naturally there is a range of options available, depending on which package you get, but rest assured the service will be the same as the Randles Family Group of hotels have been hosting weddings in Killarney for over 40 years.

You can check availability for your perfect wedding in the Dromhall Hotel here.

You know how everything to do with a wedding is really freakin’, annoyingly expensive? Well, here’s a free template set for beautiful, customised multi-piece wedding invitations:

The set includes invitation, RSVP card and Save the Date card, too. These templates come courtesy of Etsy designer curlygnomes and are available to download for free at Vecteezy.

They come in EPS format, which means you need Photoshop (or a compatible graphics program) to open them. They can be re-coloured, the fonts can be changed, and obviously you can edit them to add your own information.

If you want to DIY your invitations, you could colour print each piece on heavy stock paper with a good quality printer at home, or you can have your invitations custom printed and cut by your local printer instead.

One of our venues here on weddingdates.ie is the Claregalway Hotel just outside Galway city.  They have just announced a VERY special promotion, so anyone wanting to get married in the Galway area - sit up and listen!

Wedding Venue Ireland - Claregalway Hotel

The Claregalway Hotel are sponsoring the Galway Club Championships and to celebrate are looking for “The Perfect Match” -  the prize is a €20,000 Dream Wedding!!

The Claregalway Hotel, one the most popular Galway wedding venues is now live on WeddingDates.ie and you can check their availability for your chosen wedding date.

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, they are inviting couples, young and old, engaged or betrothed to get involved. All you have to do is fill in an application form on their website. The final 6 couples in the competition at the end of the championship in October will then be invited to attend a live final in the hotel to battle it out for the coveted prize of the wedding of their dreams - courtesy of the Claregalway Hotel!

Next up on our Real Life Proposal Stories is a wedding that is close to my own heart as I am a bridesmaid!  The wedding is in 5 weeks and the countdown is on for everyone as it is our first wedding in our family.

Photo Credit: Mark Capilitan

Couples Names: Elaine & Gearoid
Proposal Date: 23rd April 2008
Wedding Date: 12th June 2009
Wedding Location: Cathedral, Ballina, Co. Mayo & Diamond Coast Hotel, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo

Proposal Story:

Gearoid and I started going out when I was doing my Leaving Cert and he was in college.  We continued going out through him studying in college in Galway and me in Dublin.  It was tough at times but we got to see each other at weekends when we were both back at home in Ballina.

Once we finished college, we both started working and were finally living in the same place! We have been living together for the past year or so and have really enjoyed having our own space.  So, it was a natural choice for the proposal in our own home!  I came home from work one evening the night before my birthday in April and Gearoid had a lovely dinner made with flowers, candles the works!!

He asked me to marry him and I didn’t have to think twice!  He then produced the bottle of champagne that was hidden in the garden!!  I was so excited I called and texted all my family and friends straight away!  We went home and bought a gorgeous ring from a local jeweller. Now all I have to do is plan the wedding!!

This week, I came across an innovative new idea from Flowers Made Easy - they are launching their own Flower School, a workshop to teach aspiring amateur florists and brides-to-be how to make their own wedding bouquets.  The next workshop is on Saturday 13th June and they are accepting bookings now.  You can sign up through their facebook page.  And become a fan while you’re at it - they’re running a competition at the moment; if you become a fan you will be entered into the draw to get the one day course for free!

Browsing around Etsy the other day, I caught sight of these tiny origami stars and thought they’d look gorgeous scattered across tables as decoration:

They are absolutely charming, and did I mention they’re cheap? You can pick up 100 of them from Sparkly Creations for $4.50, and she’ll ship internationally for peanuts. These obviously are done with traditional Japanese papers, but you can also get them in solid colours at the bargain price of $15 for 500.

I am partial to origami - we had a Far East themed wedding and used a lot of Japanese papers for table menus, seating tags and ceremony booklets. We did not, however, use as much origami paper as our friend Tara, who folded us 1,000 paper cranes for good luck as a really thoughtful, personal wedding present.

They were beautiful on all of the tables (and everywhere else you looked), and we’re still hitched, so I can recommend paper cranes for a happy marriage.

Next up on our Real Life Proposal Story series is my very own Mum and Dad who have been happily married for 28 years now (and counting!) They were childhood sweethearts and their story is not as dramatic as last weeks’ but no less touching….

Couples Names: Lorraine Quinn & Conal Crossan
Proposal Date: 12th April 1979
Wedding Date: 28th February 1981
Wedding Location: Church of the Assumption, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo & reception in Downhill Hotel, Ballina, Co. Mayo

Proposal Story:

I always knew I was eventually going to get engaged to the man I had been going out with since I was 12 years of age!  It was just a matter of when??  When “my man” went to work in England, decisions had to be made……his job was going well but he made it known that if a job in the same firm came up in Ireland then he would be very interested in moving back.

He came home for the Easter holidays in April 1979 and went to a jeweller in Dublin (Applebys) to purchase a ring.  I presume he liked it and thought I would too!  I was working in a Medical Supply Firm on Dame Street in Dublin (small office….just me and the two bosses) and “my man” called for me at lunch time.  Over my very old fashioned Olympus typewriter he produced the ring and asked me did I like it?!

We went off up Grafton Street to celebrate with a sandwich and cup of coffee in a nearby coffee shop!  We travelled down to Ballina for the weekend to show our parents the diamonds but we didn’t start talking about dates or venues or anything at that stage.  We just enjoyed being engaged and I enjoyed showing of my three stone diamond ring!  Of course, years later, I did get bigger diamonds!!

Ahem, “What’s that?!” I hear you exclaim!  Calm down ladies, I’m not offering up Colin Farrell on a plate here…. But recently I was lucky enough to stay in the Whelyn Lodges in Castletownbere where Mr Farrell himself and the cast of his new film ONDINE stayed while filming in West Cork this year.  I had quite a nice night tucked up in the bed thinking that the last person to sleep on that very same pillow was the infamous lothario himself!

The Whelyn Lodges & Events Centre, is a brand new resort tucked away in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, West Cork.  There is a fully equiped events centre where they host civil ceremonies and wedding receptions and all of the guests can stay on-site in the lodges.  It really is beyond words how tranquil and relaxing this place is and I can only imagine how intimate a wedding you could have here, having the run of the place to yourselves, with all of your guests in a mini-village relaxing and having fun.  It really would be a wedding out-of-the-ordinary as the place has a really relaxed, holiday vibe to it.  The lodges are all brand new, fully furnished to the top standards and the setting certainly has the wow-factor being right on the water. The place event boasts its own heli-pad and pier!

ANYWAY - This month one of you could be snuggling down in the Whelyn Lodges (with your very own, Colin Farrell!) as we are offering a fabulous weekend in one of the beautiful lodges in Castletownbere as our monthly prize.  We kicked off our Real Life Proposal Section of the blog this month, but we need more input from you guys!!  So, all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this fab weekend away in stunning West Cork, is tell us your Real Life Proposal Story!

In our wedding budget survey last November many of you told us that due to the R-word, you are cutting back on the ‘optional extras’ of the wedding day such as wedding favours.  Now, while I am all in favour of cutting costs and not going over-the-top in terms of your wedding budget, I have to say I am a sucker for wedding favours.  And, the good news is - they don’t have to cost the earth!

For our Launch Party in February, I handmade our wedding favours and the results were fantastic!  You can buy very plain DIY favour boxes from an Irish Seller on eBay.ie costing approx €50.00 for 200.  Ribbon should match in with your colour scheme and can be bought from any haberdashary shop, or again online there are great deals available.

I adore the concept of personalising your favours, it is your big day after all - you should put as much of your own stamp on it as you can! (It’s those little things that people remember)  For the launch I tied one of my business cards to each box with the ribbon, but for your wedding how about a small card with a photo of you both on it and your names, the wedding date, and maybe “Thank You For Coming” on it?  Try moo cards for high quality, cards that you can design yourself online with mimimal fuss.  Then simply punch a hole in each card and tie using the ribbon…easy peasy!

What to fill the boxes with?  Well, that’s entirely up to you! Another great way to use your imagination and get creative!  I filled half mine with a combo of mints and pink bon bons and the other half with Haribo Friendship rings and Gummi Bears.  Have fun with it!  The traditional Sugared Almonds can be bought easily online too.  Check out this Irish retailer that has a great online shop where you can get DIY favour materials.  What a great way to spend time bonding with your hubby-to-be or indeed your bridesmaids or your Mom.  It does take time, but worth the effort in my opinion.