Final Appreciation

I have listed below the names of suppliers that helped in making our day so special. Some I have mentioned that I would recommend them as they seemed to go the extra step in what they did on they day or in the run up to it.

Church:

St. Margaret's Chapel, St. Margaret's, Co. Dublin.
It was just the perfect setting and I couldn't have asked for more. Fr. O'Dowd celebrated mass for us.

Reception:

Roganstown Golf & Country Club, Swords, Co. Dublin
http://www.roganstown.com
I dealt with Lynda Reilly and Ciaran Fogarty. There were initial hiccups that I thought were massive at the time but turned out fine in the end. I would highly recommend this venue for future brides to be. Grounds were very picturesque and the hotel is smashing. Open since April 2004. I would recommend them because if they could deal with me going 'bridezilla' on them regarding the sleeping arrangements for our son, they could deal with anyone! Fair dues to you guys!!

Dress:

McElhinney's in Athboy. http://www.mcelhinneysofathboy.com
Designer - http://www.amandawyatt.com
I bought the Amanda Wyatt dress "Allison Joanne" which although I wasn't sure of up until the wedding day, am really pleased I went with. I also bought the chiffon scarf/wrap that the manufacturers suggested. I contacted them directly and then got McElhinney's to order one in for me. I'm really glad I did. Again, I would recommend them as they know what they are doing. They've been doing it for years and their professionalism shows.

Shoes:

Red shoes - Debut in Debenhams. White runners - Champion Sports. Both pairs of shoes were comfortable for their own reasons.

Make up:

Niamh Fallon - a consummate professional and a nice lady to boot! I would highly recommend that anyone who is looking for a cosmetics consultant check her out. You will not be disappointed.

Hair:

Joanne Phelan, L'Avenue, Westend Retail Park, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15
I was so disappointed with the service I received on the day that I've contacted them expressing my concerns. I will post up their reply, if I get one. Based on the lack of service, I feel I cannot recommend them to future brides.

Suits for the boys:

Hubby & Best Man - Bond Bros. in Goatstown. They were able to collect their suits up to a week before the wedding and I for one think the men looked really handsome in their outfits.
Son - Debenhams. I got his trousers, waistcoat & cravat and shirt in Debenhams. Some I got in the bridal section but the trousers I got in the children's department.

Flowers:

Dawn Bennett of Bunch Florists. Email her at [email protected]
I met Dawn briefly at one of the wedding shows and liked the arrangements she had there. She came up to the house one evening prior to the wedding to discuss what we wanted (I hadn't a clue what flower was which) and delivered exactly what I wanted on the day. She also did the arrangement we used behind the candles in the church and we transported it to the hotel for the top table.

Entertainment:

George Courtney - http://www.classacts.ie
Truly a class act. Even though his leg was in plaster he was able to spin the discs! I would recommend his services to any couple who want a DJ.

Cake:

Cakebox, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin http://www.cakebox.ie
We ordered a two tier cake. The bottom layer was chocolate biscuit and the top layer was chocolate sponge with a Baileys cream filling. Both were delicious.

Favours:

Sparklers - http://www.confetti.co.uk
Match books - http://www.cakesandfavours.com
Personalised ribbon - http://www.cakesandfavours.com
I tied the sparklers along with a few matchbooks together with ribbon that had our names and the date of the wedding on it and left a few of them on each table.

Invites:

We bought from an American website, http://www.rexcraft.com. They made a mistake when they sent the invites as it should have cost us more to get them shipped so I was more than happy with them. If you have any way to get them sent to an address in the US and then sent on, it would cost less than getting UPS to ship them. Regardless, I was very pleased with our choice and the ease at which I could personalise them.

Photos:

John O'Reilly. A friend of ours. John gave us the photos as a wedding present. Very nice present! If anyone would like his contact details, I can pass them on.

Video:

John Cook Videos http://www.covideo.com
Both Joseph and I were delighted with the end results. Again, I would recommend the services of this company to any couple. Very unobtrusive on the day and highly professional throughout. I'm so pleased that Barney was able to capture so many special moments for us to remember.

Car:

New Ireland Limousines http://www.dial-a-limo.com
Very helpful driver on the day and lovely car. It was just a pity we didn't think to take a spin in it before arriving at the hotel.

Lingerie:

MeMe Lingerie, Swords, Co. Dublin.
I got a pair of Spanx from this shop and while you can buy them off the web, I didn't want to have to wait. I totally agree with Gwyneth Paltrow about the way they really hold you in. I'd recommend them to anyone who is worried about disguising a bit of flab/love handles etc. as they were brilliant!

Honeymoon:

Booked through Merrion Travel. We went for 1 week to the Tivoli Ocean Park hotel in Funchal, Madeira. It was brilliant and a wonderful time was had by all! We booked our own flights to Gatwick and the first night's accommodation on line. For our first night we stayed in Le Meridian hotel, Gatwick and it's a lovely hotel. I'd recommend it to those travelling for business and for pleasure.

Lynne

Footnote:

Since I wrote the piece above some weeks ago now, I was awaiting a response from L'Avenue in Blanchardstown where I got my hair done. The response mentioned the following:

• One of the staff was off to attend a funeral so they were understaffed (and that is why my hairdresser had to attend to answering the phones etc).
• If anyone wanted to have one-to-one attention on their wedding day, it would have to be reflected in the price paid.
• My hairdresser began working on my bridesmaid first as she believes in not having the bride hanging around waiting for other members of the bridal party to be finished "keeping the best for last".

Included with the letter was a voucher for a luxury facial and a manicure by way of an apology for inconvenience caused."