I live in the UK so in order for this wedding to work it had to be simple, not complicated and so the people I used needed to know their job and do it well....... and well they did it!.
I arrived home a week before the wedding to finalise most of the arrangements.
First was a quick call to Charlotte at Lotties Cakes and Slices to add a last minute extra biscuit cake to the order – my chief bridesmaid was not happy there would not be enough left over after the reception! I had spoken to Charlotte a few months in advance and seen a magnificent cake (“Rose & Daisy” wedding cake) by Maisie Fantaisie which she said she could make for me. It is two tiers combined in one so I asked for Maltesers biscuit cake in one layer and and chocolate orange mud cake in another completed with ganache filling and ivory icing. (I'm a chocoholic!) I also asked her for an iced fruit cake and this combined with the extra biscuit cake was used for the reception. We kept the actual wedding cake for a family gathering on the Sunday.
Then had an appointment for my final dress fitting at Tracy Bridal – got to try on the dress, veil and shoes; Mum's eyes began to well up as she saw how I would look and she was then shown how to put on the dress and ensure it stayed in place – very important to time this so you have time on the day – mine took half an hour on the day to get strapped into! On the way home picked up the bridesmaid dresses which had been altered...it was all beginning to feel very real.
I then started my week with a trip to Claddagh Heart Beauty Salon in Gort for some pampering. On Wednesday I had a light tan applied and on Friday I had a French manicure and pedicure. Louise at Claddagh Heart was amazing and listened to exactly what I wanted from the point of view of tan, make-up and nails. She knew as the week went on I was getting more nervous and so offered to do all the make-up at my house on the morning of the wedding.
Thursday evening we had a rehearsal which was probably one of the best things we did. Both my husband and I were the first in both families to get married and the first of our friends to get married so this was a refresher of what the ceremony involved. It was good from the point of view of getting both families reacquainted, all the bridal party comfortable with what they were doing and knowing when to sit or stand, what to say when and moving of chairs/kneelers etc. We finished the evening with a few drinks in my local which started off the celebrations nicely and even better... we still had Friday to relax before the big day on Saturday.
On Friday I went to see my flowers which had arrived. I had picked cream/white flowers, mainly roses, calla lilies and delphiniums to compliment my light ivory dress and the bridesmaids ivory and navy dresses. The florist (Ann Feeney) had set up the church which was beautiful. Later she confirmed with me what my bouquet would be like and had a run through of the flowers for the other members of the bridal party. She arranged to drop them to my house ~ 11am and to be at the church at 12 noon to give the guys their buttonholes. I was delighted with her recommendations and suggestions to compliment my dress and theme - the church was stunning and one of my guests was so impressed she took a photo of every floral display! The videographer also included the church and floral displays as he was so impressed and it was a lovely intro on the DVD to the arrival of the guests and groom.
We had also looked into a minibus which we provided from the hotel to the ceremony and back to the hotel. This was a great idea for our UK and USA guests who were not familiar with Irish roads and where they were going. It also meant that they got to know each other on the way to the ceremony and were well acquainted by the time of the drinks reception and dinner! None of them got lost or missed the ceremony either!
On Saturday morning I started the day with 8am hair appointments at Hair HQ in Gort, - Lorna did my and my chief bridesmaid's hair and Hilary did my other bridesmaids and mother's hair. I had had one hair trial with Lorna previously and she was quick to pick up what I wanted and was very helpful with complimenting my hair with my dress along with advising on how the bridesmaids hair should compliment mine. I was delighted with the finished product and she placed my veil also advising my bridesmaids how to remove it later in the day.
I arrived home to have a quick bite to eat and get my make-up done. Louise did all the make-up beautifully and when things got stressful even helped my bridesmaids get ready including applying false nails! The photographer who was a family friend arrived also at this stage and did some practice shots, getting photos of the make-up being applied and everyone getting ready. The flowers also arrived and were beautiful, my bouquet being of cream roses and special mini calla lilies (from a plant my Mum had bought in Lidl and grown especially for my big day!). My bridesmaids had two large calla lilies in an upright position with a rose between them and my flower girls had very cute rose wands which they were delighted with! The Mothers and Grandmothers had Orchids, the men rose buttonholes and my husband-to-be had two mini calla lilies.
My videographer (Andrew Davey) arrived and came to video me putting on the dress and coming down the stairs. He then headed off to get my husband-to-be arriving. Andrew was amazing throughout the day, occasionally advising on shots and poses but most of the time I was unaware he was there! I was unsure about getting a video for the day as I had seen samples online where the videographer seemed very intrusive on the couple being at everything with the couple including the photo-shoot and my husband was very keen not to feel like he was being watched. We decided on a shorter package which finished when we got to the hotel. This was a great idea as everyone relaxed into the evening and didn't feel like they had a video guy and bright light over their shoulder! I found afterwards that so many of my relatives had used their own cameras to video the first dance that I actually didn't miss out on anything. We received the DVD recently and it is a lovely summary of our special day - wouldn't be without it now.
I arrived down the stairs and had some photos outside the house with family. Awaiting me was a vintage car (maroon and white – what else for a Galway girl!) which was a present from my brother. My dad and I set off at 1pm and I entered the church at 1.20pm – the clock in the church is great in the photos of me walking up the aisle!
Our wedding ceremony was probably the nicest part of the day. It was very relaxed and had a huge family involvement with my Dad singing the Psalm in Irish, my sisters-in-law playing before the ceremony and during communion and my father in law singing “The Voyage” when we signed the Register. I had my local choir who sang beautifully and the volume was amazing from them. So many people commented on the choir and music.. it was a very emotional part of the day and created a beautiful atmosphere.
We were blessed with a beautiful day and the sun shone as we came out of the church. We went to the grounds of Lough Cutra Castle for our photos – the wonderful background of lake and woods was amazing in my photos. We brought the bridal party and the immediate family for the photo-shoot. Our best man had an Audi A4 (which he had hired to bring my husband to the church) and out of it he took champagne and champagne flutes! Amazing!
While we were having our photo-shoot we had arranged for our guests to pop into McCarthy's pub next door to the church where they sampled a good pint of Guinness or a good cup of Irish tea. This was a highlight for those that had travelled a distance that morning and it broke their fast but again relations got to catch up with each other. It was a point of great excitement for my UK friends as they experienced a traditional Irish pub and its great hospitality.
The one thing I'd suggest is that someone bring a sandwich/snack or two for the bridal party– with nerves you tend not to eat much before the ceremony, then get very hungry in the middle of the photos and by the time you get to the drinks reception you're starving but you don't have time to eat as you want to speak to your guests before dinner!
We headed off to Galway and of course hit Saturday afternoon traffic but our amazing driver took the bus lane and then along Lough Atalia road, through the train station, around Eyre Square, out by the docks, through the Claddagh and out the Coast Road. We waved at tourists who looked confused but thankfully the odd Irish person gave us a good wave back! So much fun!
We arrived at the Galway Bay Hotel much later than I'd anticipated (too many photos) – a note to those planning their wedding, remember to allocate someone to update the hotel on progress so they know when to gauge dinner! The hotel were amazing. We were greeted at the main entrance by Diarmuid and John with champagne and a red carpet. I was panicking as I felt we were so late (a vintage car that only does 35mph max didn't help!!
) but the guys were lovely and told me not to worry. We had a drinks and canapé reception for our guests in the lounge and we mingled with them for a while before being called in for dinner. This was lovely as all our guests were kept together and there was such a relaxed atmosphere.We were called in to dinner and were allocated Bridie as our main host at the top table and she was a gem. The waiting staff were so friendly, helpful and professional. The food was delicious and to make up some time there was minimal delay between courses which suited my hungry guests perfectly! I had had difficulty choosing the menu as everything was so nice but eventually I opted for a medley of starters and medley of desserts! They went down a treat. We cut the cake before dessert and the format of the evening was discussed with us throughout. We had the speeches with the tea and coffee and a slide show put together by the bridesmaids.
We were thrilled with the hotel and their professionalism - from Victoria and William who helped in the initial stages of planning, where we were asked what WE WANTED (only hotel to do so) and they went to no-end to provide it; to Diamuid, John and Bridie who were brilliant leading up to and on the day - it turned out to be the classy affair I'd hoped for.
Then they quickly cleared the tables and the band set up. We had “The Elastic Band” and they also provided the DJ. We had our first dance “Give a little bit” by Supertramp which they played at my request via iTunes. Then the band took over and they were fantastic! They really got the crowd going and there are many videos from the night showing everyone on the dance-floor and no-one sitting down! I was told by some of my husband's friends that they had never danced at a wedding but the band were so good they danced at ours! The band really made the night and everyone is still talking about them! They played as late as they could before the DJ started.
We eventually went to bed at 5am after a delightful day. We joined our guests the next morning for breakfast where the hotel had a section of the restaurant reserved for us. We were able to say our goodbyes to those who had travelled a distance. We spent the afternoon relaxing in the hotel with family. As it was a glorious day my husband and I walked the prom and got an ice-cream. It was idyllic and a perfect end to a perfect weekend.
When we set out to plan this wedding we had two important major components we wanted to get right – the hotel/food and the band. They went beyond our expectations and definitely know how to do their job well! We would highly recommend all those whose services we used and they made our day happen and go so smoothly. We had no hitches on our wedding day, which I put down to making things as simple as possible along with working with best professionals.
Hope your day is as wonderful as mine was!
