WeddingDates.ie

When the ever wonderful Sabrina Dent (who designed this fair website) rang me on Tuesday when I was at home with the flu to let me know that weddingdates.ie had made the shortlist for the Golden Spider Awards, the most prestigious Internet Awards in Ireland; I promptly burst into tears.

Lucky I got the blubbering out of the way,  coz there probably won’t be much chance of me doing it at the awards (á la Halle Berry’s infamous Oscar sob-fest) up against such stiff competition, but as they say in the biz… ” I was just delighted to be nominated ! ”  And with ticket prices of €300 per person, if Elton John himself wasn’t going to sing my name from the stage, not sure if I can justify the jaunt to Dublin for the occasion!

You may have heard on the media of late that Denny - Irelands leading Sausage and Rasher people are running a new campaign where they are asking the people of Ireland what Home Means to them.

As part of the new campaign called ‘Home Is‘ Denny want to find out what home means to the people of Ireland by filming real people at real events and will be running TV ads based on these events – first day of school, GAA All Ireland Day etc.

They now want see a REAL Irish wedding, and so they have contacted us here on weddingdates.ie to get you guys involved!

“We’re thinking it would be nice to capture a bride at a REAL Irish wedding… So we are inviting the brides to be on your website to get involved.” For every ad that Denny films, they are going to donate €10,000 to The Simon Community so it’s all for a great cause!”

Would you like to feature in a TV ad?  Give an incredible gift to charity in the process?  On your wedding day? Hey – at least you know you would be looking your best! To invite Denny Film Crew into your home on your big day, or for more information please contact the Denny researchers on 1850 887 000 (ROI) or 0844 544 3545 (NI).

After the stress of planning and coordinating their wedding, many couples want to begin their married life with a romantic honeymoon. Whether you crave an exotic retreat, extreme luxury, thrilling adventure, or something a bit off the beaten path, you are certain to find a honeymoon that will suit your style and budget.

Exotic

• Mauritius - Mauritius, an island in the South Pacific near the coast of Africa, offers an unforgettable honeymoon experience. Couples can enjoy the multicultural atmosphere of the island with its traces of African, Asian, and French cultures as well as the exotic white sand beaches.
• Bali - As a popular destination for many honeymooners, Bali offers stunning scenery and beautiful white beaches. Couples who desire a more authentic honeymoon experience can find a number of remote resorts that offer private villas and beaches in exotic jungle settings.

Indulgent and Luxurious

• Venice – Book a suite at the legendary Hotel Cipriani and luxuriate in the huge, plush bed and ornate marble bathrooms. Take a romantic gondola ride, sip on fine wines, and enjoy all of the art and atmosphere of one of the most romantic cities in the world.
• Seychelles – Fly by helicopter to a private island where you will enjoy your own luxurious private villa as well as indulgent couples’ spa treatments. The Fregate Island Resort, North Island, and the Desroches Island Resort are some of the options available for couples who want a relaxing and indulgent honeymoon experience.

Adventurous

• African Safari – A safari to South Africa is sure to be an experience couples will remember for a lifetime. Luxury lodges provide top-notch honeymoon experiences while couples enjoy personalized wildlife encounters and the stunning natural African scenery.
• Galapagos Islands – Active and curious couples will enjoy communing with exotic wildlife on an eco-tour of the Galapagos Islands. Many tours include a naturalist guide and a private yacht that will take you through the pristine archipelago. Couples can enjoy interaction with different wildlife species as well as opportunities to swim, kayak, mountain bike, and hike.

Unusual

• Cave hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey – Listed as one of the most romantic honeymoon destinations in many wedding magazines, this restored 18 room cave hotel provides a unique setting for your honeymoon. The hotel boasts modern amenities and activities such as Turkish cuisine tasting classes and yoga.

• Drive the USA Pacific Coast Highway – This coastal route through California and along the Pacific Ocean is one of the most popular American road trips. The dramatic cliff scenery along with views of the pounding surf, the quaint lighthouses, and the beautiful cities make this a memorable honeymoon destination. Book a room with ocean views in cities such as San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Barbara, and Carmel to enjoy amazing scenery and luxurious pampering.

Five MORE Thrifty Tips to Save Wodges of Wedding Cash!!

Here’s the second part of my Confetti Blog Series - Top 10 Tips on how to save money on your wedding.  It’s essential reading, ladies.

Last week we covered the first five of our Top 10 Tips to save money on your wedding. Hope you found some good suggestions and tips on saving money on your big day.

Here’s tips five to 10 on our Wedding Budget series:

5. Wedding Favours & Table Centrepieces  ~  If you are creative and have plenty of time on your hands, why not make your favours or centrepieces yourself? You can buy supplies in bulk from hardware stores, garden centres, or even online and save a fortune going the DIY route. You can spend the weeks in the run up to the wedding making them, but just remember – you have to store them somewhere before the day itself!

6. Renting Seat Covers ~ Don’t let the hotel fool you into thinking that you HAVE to use their seat covers. These are often charged at a ridiculous rate and this is only because prospective brides don’t know that they have other options. Seat covers can be rented much cheaper for the day, the only drawback is that someone has to physically go to the hotel or venue and put them on all the chairs themselves. Really think about whether or not you even need chair covers, many hotels have now upgraded their furniture to more neutral colours and so you won’t need them.

For Tips 7 - 10, you can read the full post here

The Oriel House Hotel in Ballincollig, lies just 10 minutes outside Cork City and offers fantastic 4 star service for your wedding.  Take a look for yourself on our 2 minute video walkthrough…

Remember - You can check availability here for your perfect Wedding in Cork!

This day, 1 year ago www.weddingdates.ie went live!  I can barely believe it has been a year already, but we have grown from strength to strength in the year.  We started with 30 venues (mostly in the Cork and Kerry area) and now have over 90 venues nationwide on the site.  Our first hits were from family and friends, and now we are getting 6,500 visitors each month to search for their perfect wedding venue.

Image: pinkcakebox.com

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has been involved in this startup enterprise, all the people who have encouraged and supported me and of course all my happy-helpers at all my PR events!  You all know who you are!

It’s our first birthday and I think I can safely say some bubbles will be popped this evening to celebrate!

Gougane Barra is famous as one of the most romantic churches in Ireland to get married in, and the Castle Hotel in Macroom is only 35 minutes drive from this idyllic location.

View our video walkthrough to get an idea of what the Castle Hotel looks like for your wedding in Macroom, Co. Cork.

You can check availability for this Romantic Wedding Venue in West Cork here!

As you know, I am now a guest blogger for Confetti.ie and this last week was installment #1 on my Top 10 Tips on Saving Money on your wedding:

With the country constantly talking about the CEC (Current Economic Climate), we are all thinking about ways to conserve our spending and there are things you can do even on your wedding day to cut-costs or at least be sensible with the budget.  There are going to be certain parts of any couples big day that they won’t want to scrimp on, so decide what your top few priorities are and be prepared to be flexible on the other things.

Here are five of our Top 10 Tips on how to save money on your wedding:

1. Email out invitations ~ Not only will this save you on Stationary costs, it’s also ‘Eco-Friendly’.  Plus you can guests to RSVP by return email or via a webpage, so you can track guest acceptance instantly instead of waiting on snail mail.  On pingg.com you can design really great and colourful invitations that will still make it feel wedding-y and special.
2. The Dress ~ For affordable options in Ireland, consider buying your dress second hand from one of the charity shops.  More and more people are opting to recycle their dresses after their big day and you can get some beautiful gowns second hand nowadays.  Check out Oxfam’s Bridal Department website [www.oxfamireland.org/oxfambridal/about.htm].  If you’re handy with a sewing machine or have a reliable dressmaker you could alter the dress and make it into something very unique.  Alternatively, you could consider heading State-side to buy your dress and get the bridesmaids dresses over there as well. You can choose the dress from bridal catalogues, call the shops in the States in advance and then pop over to collect of the dress of your dreams.  Simple!

The prizes just keep getting better and better here at WeddingDates.ie!  And boy, oh boy you aren’t gonna want to miss this!!

This month, enter our competition and you could relax and indulge yourself at the prestigious Mount Juliet in Kilkenny with an overnight stay for two people, B&B with a complimentary dinner at one of the estate’s award winning restaurant’s.  But that’s not all!  Your prize also includes an activity of choice from Angling to Equestrian, Golf, Archery, Clay Shooting or for those of you who prefer a more modest pace why not check out the myriad of treatments available at the Spa where trained therapists will be delighted to advise you on all aspects of health and beauty care.  The Mount Juliet Leisure and Health Centre, which is fully equipped with swimming pool,sauna, steam room and gym is complimentary to all guests.

All you have to do to be in with a chance to win this super-fantastic prize is watch the video walkthrough of the Mount Juliet Wedding Venue below and send the answer the simple question to competitions@weddingdates.ie

Question:  What is the name of Mount Juliet’s famous Golf Course?

Send your name, address and answer to competitions@weddingdates.ie!

Clontarf Castle Hotel are hosting their third wedding fair on Sunday 1^st November 2009 from 1pm – 5pm. The  Hotel will be all decked out as it would be for a wedding and staff will be on hand to answer questions and do show-arounds.  They will walk all potential guests through the different range of bedrooms paying particular attention to the magnificent bridal suite with four poster bed, 42” plasma screen, free standing Victorian bath, living room and remote control black out blinds.  I have seen this room myself and have to say it is lovely - the 4 poster bed is especially fab!

Clontarf Castle Hotel are also exclusively offering all guests who attend the Wedding Fair a special promotion on the day - if you book your wedding on the day & pay deposit within 5 days, they will throw in a complimentary buffet for your guests (worth over €1000.00) *T&C apply.

So why not check out the availability for your all-important wedding date for your Castle Wedding in Dublin