Brides of Limerick Issue 14

ISSUE 14 SPRING 2017 3.95

PLUS

LIMERICK BRIDES AND THEIR DADS

TAKES ON DOWNTON ABBEY SPRING HAS SPRUNG

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Photo courtesy of Black Diamond Photography

PLAN A WEDDING IN 3 MONTHS

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Brides of Limerick

Keep the romance alive

By Niamh Bartley

Planning a wedding can be very stressful, but it’s important not to let your relationship take a backseat

while you’re doing it. We have put together some great date ideas for newlywed couples to keep the romance alive after the big day is over.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW Nothing brings two people closer than a joint hobby, especially one that they learned together. Take a cookery class or pick up a musical instrument together.

It can be fun seeing what strengths you both have that you didn’t know about and it can bring about some healthy competition for the competitive couple.

Try different cuisines This is also about broadening your horizons, but it’s a lot less expensive than taking a trip. If you always have Chinese on takeaway night, why not switch it up and try something a bit more exciting. Having new experiences together will bring you closer as a couple and you can have a bit of fun finding your new favourite takeaway over a couple of months.

READ YOUR GUESTBOOK This one is pretty simple, have a quiet evening in together, maybe play some romantic music, crack open a bottle of wine and set yourselves down on the couch to go through your guestbook page by page. You’ll get a good laugh out of all the funny remarks and comments left by your guests and you might even pick up one or two pieces of advice from those married longer than you have been.

This is a great way to connect and reminisce with your new husband about everyone who came, all the craic that was had and basically everything that happened on the day of your wedding.

Bring it all back Where did it all begin? Bring your love back to the scene of the crime, where you first met or where you had your first date, depending on which is more romantic. Recreating your first date is a great way to reminisce about everything that’s happened in the time that’s gone by and to remember how googly eyed you were for each other way back when.

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Brides of Limerick

Wedding Open Days over Easter – savour the atmosphere of the hotel in a relaxed manner, see our rooms decorated for a wedding, and chat informally to our wedding team over complimentary tea & scones!

falls hotel & spa ennistymon, co. clare tel: 065 707 1004 email: weddings@fallshotel.ie web: www.fallshotel.ie

Why have a

spring wedding?

Spring is probably the most versatile time of year to get married, you have the pick of the crop when it comes to flowers and you can utilise your surroundings when it comes to almost every aspect of your wedding.

It’s symbolic

Spring symbolises brightness and rebirth, which makes it a lovely time to begin a new chapter in your life. It’s when the flowers are blooming and everything is new and fresh that you will be united with your love.

New year, new you

You have the perfect opportunity to go on a health-kick before your wedding and you have the ideal excuse to stick to it. You’ll be looking and feeling fit as a fiddle which is definitely a great start to married life. It also means you can over-indulge a bit on your day without feeling too bad after.

The weather

Ireland may not be the best place for a scorcher outdoor wedding, but Spring is probably your best bet for having an outdoor or semi-outdoor celebration simply due to the fact that you won’t be expecting major heat. If you had an outdoor wedding in July you and your guests would be sickened if the day ended up being overcast, but in April or May you almost anticipate that to be the case and you’re able to prepare for other eventualities.

Everything is fresh

Most crops are harvested in mid or late spring which means that you can make use of the freshest ingredients at this time of year for your wedding menu. You could speak to the chef at your venue or your caterers and see if they can come up with an excellent menu utilising fresh and local food which will in turn support your local produce supplier. The food will taste exquisite and your guests will definitely appreciate this. This also applies to flowers, you can work with your florist to use the freshest and most vibrant flowers possible for your big day.

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Limerick Brides of Kerry

Colour Schemes

Fresh, bright colours are always in style in spring. Step away from your cold, light winter colours and warm up your wedding with a pop of colour (or two). Your bridesmaids can wear some gorgeous bright colours or even some pastels would look fab if you want a toned down colour. Pastel mint, yellow or a dusty pink would be definite winners for your bridesmaids’ dresses.

Save some money

Most venues continue their winter off-peak discounts into March or even early April so you can use this to your advantage and get great deals for a great price. The cheaper

dates will probably be booked early so if you have your heart set in a venue, lock it down as soon as you can.

You won’t regret getting married a couple of weeks early in the long run, you can always put the money you save aside for a rainy day.

Something to look forward to This goes for both you and your guests, although it’s a given that you’ll look forward to it anyway.

Everyone will have gotten over ‘dry January’ and they’ll be warming up for summer in a celebratory mood. People won’t be as cash-strapped as they would be in summer or winter so they can let loose a bit and it will give them something to get excited about after a couple of months of staying in and saving money.

THE ABSOLUTE HOTEL BOUTIQUE WEDDING VENUE OF THE YEAR ‘16 PACKAGES FROM €39pp At the award winning Absolute Hotel all packages include: Cocktail & beer drinks reception with canapés, 5 course gourmet meal, choice of table centrepiece, table plan, choice of chair or chair cover & sash, wedding tasting, personalized menus, complimentary wedding suite for the bride & groom and discount bedroom rates for guests.

T’s & C’s apply & subject to availability

Absolute Hotel, Sir Harry’s Mall, Limerick +353 61 463610 events@absolutehotel.com www.absolutehotel.com

ELIZABETH KELLY PÁDRAIC NICHOLAS

The Details

FLOWERS The Flower Gallery CAKE The bride’s sister CEREMONY MUSIC Trevor Sexton & Sabrina Hurley INVITES Frank McNamara & Ralph McMahon THEME Rustic vintage & soft floral romance

“I designed the decorative jam jars myself and my sister brought flowers from her neighbour’s garden to use as decorations not only at the pew ends but also to decorate the dinner tables. We used the same marriage coins as my parents used when they were getting married in 1975 and we also got married on the same day my grandparents were married!”

“My dad handmade the wedding signs, candy cart and the old school postbox from scratch! We used a pallet with fairy lights and photos of us as a reception decoration! My aunt hand sewed the ring pillow using antique Irish lace.”

Elizabeth Kelly married Pádraic Nicholas on September 30, 2016 in a beautiful ceremony at the Church of the Visitation, Monagea followed by a reception at The Dunraven Arms Hotel, Adare.

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Great National Abbey Court Hotel, Lodges & Trinity Leisure Spa | Dublin Rd | Nenagh | Co.Tipperary T: 067 42151 E: weddings@abbeycourt.ie W: www.abbeycourt.ie

Spring

wedding favours

Spring is a time for creativity and new ideas, there are so many options when it comes to favours and it’s definitely a time for unleashing your creative and inventive side. Here are some of our top picks for your spring wedding favours.

Seedlings This would be

perfect for a rustic or outdoor type celebration. It’s an adorable way for your guests to remember your day with a plant growing in their garden and it’s symbolic of your growing love so it’s nice to share that symbol with the people you love. It’s also a great way to share a hobby of yours with your guests if you’re particularly into gardening.

Jam or preserve

This can be super cute and more importantly super cheap if you don’t want to spend a fortune on favours.

You could whip up a few batches of your granny’s famous jam or even come up with flavours of your own using in season berries and fruit if you want to go down the homemade route. Alternatively, there are loads of artisan food companies who would be willing to make delicious jam for you and your guests. You can have your printers make labels for little pots or jars and you’ll have an adorable favour at little expense.

Tea

Some lovely fruity tea would be a gorgeous gift to give your guests to mark the beginning of the brighter months. You could get some lovely fragrant flavours for your guests and you could even put out a selection of different types so that your guests can swap if they so wish.

A donation to charity

This will definitely make your guests feel better about being a part of your big day and they will be very impressed with your charitable side.

This is a huge trend and with great reason, if you don’t want to spend a fortune on some small bits and pieces that won’t mean much in the future you can make a generous donation to any charity of your choice and make a big difference to the lives of others. The charity might provide you with cards to display on tables or you can have some printed yourself to show your guests that you proudly donated some of your budget to a charity.

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Brides of Kerry Limerick

Flowers Everywhere!

The very essence of spring is flowers. They are the first thing that pops into most of our minds when spring is mentioned, especially when it comes to weddings. It is definitely the time of year to play around with floral arrangements and make them a huge part of your day, take some inspiration from these fab ideas.

Stationery Have your favourite flowers adorn your wedding invitations and all of your wedding stationery, you could make it a running theme throughout the day.

Some delicate flower watermarks or bright floral embellishments would certainly make your invites stand out, especially if your guests see the type of flowers you chose to use on them as part of your arrangements on the day itself.

Flower backdrop You could get some gorgeous candid shots of you and your hubby in front of a wall adorned with beautiful flowers, nothing says romance like a wall of flowers if you ask me. This can look especially cool if you’re getting married in an urban venue, the contrast between the venue and delicate flowers in that situation would look fab.

The cake Speak to your cake designer and see what they can do in the way of edible flowers for the ultimate spring wedding cake. Alternatively have your cake decorated with real flowers, just make sure you leave instructions for the person who ends up cutting the cake or your guests might be in for a shock.

Use the petals Decorate your tables with some classically romantic rose petals to add a pop of colour around your centrepieces. You could also do this on the cake table to make it even more gorgeous, it’s an unexpected use of flowers and it won’t overpower the room on top of any other floral arrangements.

Entrance flower arch A flower arch may not be the perfect fit at the top of the aisle for every couple, but you could place one at the entrance of the ceremony so your guests will have to go under it to get in and out.

It would look gorgeous and can be as under or overstated as you wish. Lots of greenery will look amazing winding around the fabulous flowers on this arch.

April Wedding Showcase Friday 14th & Saturday 15th April

View the hotel as it would be for your wedding day Meet our award winning team & view our new wedding day options View our beautiful Civil Ceremony set up Friday 14th April from 5pm-8pm & Saturday 15th April from 11am-1pm Call Barbara on 063 33703 or email weddings@charlevilleparkhotel.com for more information or to book an appointment

EVELYN LAWLESS KEVIN MURPHY

The Details

FLOWERS Lawless Flowers CAKE Confetti Cakes BAND Trees Fall Down CARS Michael O’Flaherty at www.bentleywedding.com WEDDING THEME Midsummer-ish

Photographs courtesy of Pawel Bebenca Photography

Kevin’s family did the music for the church. The bride and her friends modified the dress design to include detailing on the left shoulder (originally from headpiece) and an open back. Evelyn’s family did the flowers. Michael who drove the bride to the church blasted out a few tunes on the harmonica to soothe the nerves!

Evelyn’s favourite memory is her first dance to Nina Simone’s ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ “We didn’t go out of our way to be different. In simple terms, it was a great party with family and friends. A traditional wedding with all the trimmings.”

Evelyn Lawless and Kevin Murphy tied the knot on June 17, 2016 in a fabulous ceremony which took place at St. John’s Church, Cratloe swiftly followed by a lavish reception at the wonderful Dunraven Arms Hotel, Adare.

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Brides of Limerick

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By Niamh Bartley

So much thought goes into your wedding day as a whole, but one of the first things you need to do is determine your colour scheme. There are so many out there, but what will suit your day and make it personal? Think about some of these questions and you should have a clearer idea of what theme is for you.

WHERE ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED? This is obviously something to factor into your colour choice. Have a think about your venue, what colours will suit it best? Ask the wedding co-ordinator what they’ve seen in the past and what has worked well in the room and then go from there. If it’s a dark room, choose deep colours or else you could end up spending a lot more on décor than you think trying to brighten up the room to fit with a lighter scheme.

YOUR DRESS What does your dress look like? What colour is it? – White, off white, does it have gold or pink undertones? You want your wedding to look photogenic and fabulous so if you coordinate your wedding colours with your dress it’s sure to be fabulous. The style of dress should also be a factor in your choice, an ethereal or princess-like dress would look fabulous in a sparkly fairytale wedding, and a tee length dress would be gorgeous for an outdoor light and bright wedding.

SEASONAL TRENDS While picking your favourite colours is important, thinking seasonally can push your wedding over the edge and make it stunning. Try to incorporate nature and fit your season into your décor, think blue in winter, green in spring etc. You can use what grows naturally at the time of year of your wedding in your décor to make it even more seasonal and fab.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR? Choosing colours you actually like and want to include in your wedding day is so important, people will know if you’re uncomfortable with the colour scheme and if the colours don’t suit you or what you normally like. Don’t choose your colours based on ‘normal’ wedding colours, you want your guests to see how your day reflects you and your fiancé and see that you had fun planning it.

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Brides of Limerick

Wedding Guests Mother of the Bride Mother of the Groom Casuals Occasions Accessories

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A beach proposal LED TO THE WEDDING OF THEIR DREAMS

September 9, 2016 - Shanaglish Church & The Inn at Dromoland

ELIZABETH SHEEHAN & ERIC REES

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Brides of Limerick

Photographs courtesy of Paul Corey Photography

ELIZABETH SHEEHAN & ERIC REES Elizabeth Sheehan, a hotel receptionist from Gort in Galway, met her now husband Eric, a truck-driver from Kilnaboy in Clare, while they were both out celebrating St. Stephen’s Night in 2008. Eric’s romantic proposal came about on a beach in Connemara in August 2015 and of course Elizabeth said yes!

The happy couple chose to celebrate their wedding on September 9, 2016 with a ceremony at Shanaglish Church followed by a lavish reception at The Inn at Dromoland with 250 guests.

THE HEN PARTY The bride enjoyed an ultra-relaxing spa day in Limerick at The Radisson Blu Hotel with her girlfriends. The day was topped off with an amazing dinner and some drinks at The George Boutique Hotel.

THE WEDDING PARTY Elizabeth was led up the aisle by the gorgeous Elaine Boyce, Denise Fitzgibbon and Elaine Rees while Eric was accompanied by his dapper groomsmen Brendan Rees, John Rees and

Michael Geaghan. Sophie Boyce, Kayla Boyce and Mia Fitzgibbon, Elizabeth’s nieces, were adorable as flowergirls on the big day.

THE WEDDING TEAM The bride chose her stunning Mori Lee wedding gown in Virginia’s Bridal, Limerick and a veil also bought there.

The bride’s sister made the scrumptious wedding cake and the Inn at Dromoland provided a sweet cart at the reception.

A family friend took care of the wedding flowers while Tailor Made Office Supplies, Ennis designed and created the wonderful invitations.

Mary in Chez Lee, Gort looked after the bride’s beauty before the big day including her nails and false tan. Denise Keane and Louise Byrne took care of all things hair on the morning of the wedding and did an excellent job while Linda Carey of Radiance Beauty Clinic, Quin, did the girls’ makeup on the big day.

Irish Diamond Limousines provided transport for the couple and the bridal party. Paul Corey Photography caught the newlyweds special moments on camera while videographer Paschal Brooks filmed the whole day so Elizabeth and Eric wouldn’t miss a thing.

Brides of Limerick

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TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AT THE INN AT DROMOLAND? “The Inn at Dromoland was amazing!

We could not have been happier with our choice of venue. The wedding coordinator, Claire was an absolute pleasure to deal with and made the planning process so easy for us. She was always at hand with helpful suggestions and recommendations of suppliers. Everything went perfectly for us. From the moment we arrived at the hotel we were made to feel so welcome.

The Banqueting room looking absolutely magical. The décor and attention to detail by the hotel was outstanding. All of our guests were so impressed with the scrumptious food and the fantastic service they received, they were served without delay and there was plenty of everything. The staff at The Inn at Dromoland really outdid themselves, they were all so courteous and friendly and nothing was too much trouble.” www.magnificentmoments.net

SPECIAL TOUCHES Louise from Grace Events prepared and looked after hotel décor for the wedding day keeping with the country theme the bride and groom wanted. These included silver lanterns lining the hallway to the function room, a fairy light archway and the out of this world centrepieces.

They also had chalkboard table numbers, chair covers with ivory sashes and there were fairy lights on the windows in the dining room and floral teacups adorned the tables in the lobby, the place looked stunning for the reception.

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The guests were greeted on arrival in the hotel lobby with drinks, tea and coffee served in china tea sets, canapes and finger sandwiches. Elizabeth booked John Frawley ‘The Singing Chef’ as a surprise for Eric and the guests, “John was fantastic, he had all of our guests up singing and clapping along to his songs and he certainly got everyone in the mood for partying,” she remembers.

THE HONEYMOON The newlyweds jetted off to Dubai for a week on their honeymoon and they booked everything themselves.

Something Old

SOMETHING NEW, BORROWED & BLUE

By Niamh Bartley

There are thousands of ways to interpret this rhyming couplet when it comes to your wedding, but where did it all start? When did superstition become tradition, and why? We’ve done a bit of research and come up with some answers and some possible ways to include these ‘crucial’ elements in your big day!

SOMETHING OLD There is definitely a sentimentality when it comes to carrying something old with you on your big day, no matter what the tradition is. Supposedly, a bride would carry something old to protect any children she and her husband may have in the future, but for a lot of brides it can be seen as a representation of continuity. Usually the ‘something old’ would have been in you or your husband’s family, like your granny’s wedding jewellery or your mom’s veil.

How to include it: You could double up the tradition and use the same item as your ‘something old’ and ‘something borrowed’ by borrowing your granny’s favourite earrings from her. A lot of brides use items with sentimental value, and your ‘something old’ doesn’t have to be worn, you could use the same cake knife or topper as your parents did, for example.

SOMETHING NEW This bit is fairly straightforward, ‘something new’ represents optimism and is symbolic of the new chapter in your life you and your husband are entering into. Many times this comes in the form of a gift from someone close to you, maybe even the groom, or else the bride buys herself something. It can be anything to do with your day that’s new, maybe even your new husband, but why pass up the opportunity to buy yourself something, right?

How to include it: The options are endless, new jewellery, new perfume, even your wedding dress is probably new. Jewellery is probably the most popular of all when it comes to your ‘something new’, but don’t be held back by norms, go with what you like.

Something Borrowed

In olden times, a bride’s ‘something borrowed’ symbolised borrowed happiness, a bride would borrow something from another happily married lady in her life, like a mother, friend or sister. This happiness would then come upon her marriage. While this is a lovely sentiment, if you want to borrow something from a friend who’s not yet married, go for it. It’s not going to set you up for a life of disaster.

How to include it: Borrow anything at all. That advice is a bit empty-handed, but if your friend, sister, aunt, uncle or pet has something you would like to borrow and include in your big day, then ask them for a loan. They’ll probably be delighted you thought of them. Many brides borrow veils from family members which is an adorable idea, and, as I mentioned above, you could always integrate borrowed & old to make it a little less cumbersome and a lot more meaningful a tradition.

SOMETHING BLUE This stems from a tradition of women wearing whatever colour they wanted to on their wedding day, and blue was the top pick. Wearing white has only become popular in recent times (about 200 years ago), and blue meant purity and fidelity so was an obvious choice for brides back then. Brides still incorporate it today because it represents love and purity which is a lovely sentiment to carry around on your wedding day.

How to include it: A very popular thing to do is have something, like your wedding date, embroidered on the inside of your wedding dress in blue thread. You could also opt for some lovely blue flowers in your bouquet or some blue jewellery.

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Brides of Limerick

Diamonds from Antwerp at Antwerp prices

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private appointment : 061348451 sharonsstones@e-jewels.ie www.facebook.com/ejewels Engagement rings range from 2500 euros upwards - Wedding rings range from 750 euros upwards

NOREEN O’BRIEN & ROSS PHIBBS

The Details

SUITS Esquire Limerick

HAIR Hair Design Newport MAKE UP Lesley Ryan, Cerise Beauty Newport FLOWERS Ring O’Roses VIDEOGRAPHER PVP Digital BAND Escapade

Photographs courtesy of Baker Photography

Noreen’s favourite memories and special moments are, “Being blessed with the glorious sunshine on our wedding day, it was a scorcher! The beauty of Murroe church with the doors opened, the flowers and red carpet were stunning and further adding to it was the amazing performance and music from the Limerick Gospel Choir. We were further blessed with obtaining permission to have our photos taken on the spectacular grounds of Glenstal Abbey where I have wonderful childhood memories.”

“At the venue, we had an outdoor drinks reception with the bubbles and beers in the scorching sun, with the talented David from Limerick Gospel Choir further performing for us. We had a world map table plan depicting our world travelling adventure, a caricature of us in Dublin and Limerick colours, and our amazing wedding cake further dictated our sporting theme and our ten year love story. Our favours were something very close to our hearts; a donation to Pieta House in memory of our brother in law.”

Noreen O’Brien married her best friend and true love, Ross Phibbs, on August 26, 2016 at Murroe church followed by a lavish reception at the stunning Woodlands Hotel Adare shared with 200 of their closest friends and family.

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The Bridal Emporium is a bride’s one-stop-shop. A magnificent selection of bridal dresses of all styles and bridesmaid dresses in lots of styles and colours makes it the perfect venue for your wedding shopping experience. We also stock bridal accessories. As of 2017 we now have an extensive bridal range in stock for the fuller figure.

The Bridal Emporium also realises that there are not only different shapes and sizes, but also different ideas of your perfect dress, and most importantly, different budgets.

Another new development for 2017 is our new “Timeless Treasures Bridal Suite”Here you will find amazing value on over 100 designer bridal gowns, veils, shoes and much more. All stock are as new samples that can be purchased at minimum of half price.

Deposits are also taken on sale dresses and payments can be made in installments if needed. Dresses can be kept in storage by the shop until the big day and a complete alteration service is available.

The Bridal Emporium is taking care of bridal needs from all around the country for 12 years. Located in the quaint town of Miltown Malbay, this Clare bridal shop has just been awarded Brides of Limerick’s “Wedding Dress Supplier of the Year 2016” as well as winning “Wedding Business of the Year 2015” and 2017 brings the winning of the Irish Wedding Diary Awards for Best Bridal Boutique nationwide, while also making it to top five bridal shops in Ireland at the Weddings Online Awards the last five years in a row, Mrs2be awards and the Wedding Journal awards. We are also frequently showcased on TV3 Ireland AM with Celia Holman Lee.

Keep your guests happy

By Niamh Bartley

This may seem like an obvious thing to do, but you’d be surprised how a few small changes or disruptions can annoy your guests during your special day. They might not mention it to you, but if they’re not having a good time you’ll feel it which is certainly not what you want.

There are a few things you can do to ensure your guests will have a great time all day long, it might be wise to implement some of these.

PLAN AHEAD Give your guests plenty of notice before your big day, especially if it’s an out of town wedding. As well as that, plan for the worst case scenario in some wedding situations, just to be prepared. You won’t want to think about anything going wrong on your special day, but it doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan if the band goes to the wrong venue, or the cake your aunt made you looks like something out of a horror story. By doing all of this planning, your guests will probably never even notice what, to you, was a major mess up.

SHORT AND SWEET SPEECHES We all love wedding speeches, they are funny, emotional and really touching. On the other hand, speeches that drag on are sure to annoy your guests which you definitely don’t want.

You could get caught up in the speeches and never want them to end, they are one of the best parts of the day, just be careful that they aren’t going to run for hours and that your guests will stay interested throughout.

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TRANSPORT IS KEY This does go without saying, but if your ceremony is being held a distance from your venue you should organise a safe and reliable way to get your guests between the two. There are plenty of cheap and great bus companies that can help with this and you can relax on the day knowing all will make it to the reception. Another vital thing to do is provide taxi numbers for your guests for the end of the night.

If you’re having a hotel reception, the night manager might be able to call your guests a cab, but making taxi numbers readily available would be a good move to make, and you can rest assured that all of your guests got home or to their accommodation safe and sound.

RUN ON TIME It can be cute when the bride is ‘fashionably late’, it’s expected that you’ll arrive a few minutes after everyone else, but when the bride comes in half an hour later it’s not as fun for guests as you might think. Keep a schedule and try not to go too far over that, obviously, there will be one or two times throughout the day when you’ll be busy and the schedule will go out the window, just try your best to stick to it. The best thing to do would be give yourself extra time for each part of the day, and (hopefully) by the meal you’ll be ahead of your plan and you’ll have extra time to boogie.

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Specialising in weddings, portraits Specialising in weddings, portraits and special occasions and special occasions Wedding Photographer of the Year

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The Studio, Main Street, Killaloe, Co. Clare The Studio, Main Street, Killaloe, Co. Clare www.horsfallphotography.com www.horsfallphotography.com 086Killaloe, 728 8885 The Studio, Main Street, Co. Clare Specialising in weddings, portraits 086 728 8885 and special occasions www.horsfallphotography.com 086 728 8885

Wedding Image of the Year 2016

A local love story FOR TINA AND EDMOND

November 4, 2016 - Ballyroe Heights Hotel

TINA BUCKLEY & EDMOND O’BRIEN

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Photographs courtesy of Feehan’s Fotos

TINA BUCKLEY & EDMOND O’BRIEN Veterinary nurse Tina Buckley won Edmond O’Brien over in a game of 45 in the local pub. They both hail from Liscarroll so it was only a matter of time before these two lovebirds began their journey together.

Ever the romantic, Edmond planned the perfect Christmas morning proposal in 2014 and delightedly Tina said yes. She was watching an episode of Mr. Bean, one where his girlfriend wanted an engagement ring but he didn’t get the hint, and Edmond was in the kitchen making tea when he asked her to call their dog, Indie. Indie wasn’t a happy pup with a jewellery bag hanging off her collar, but that made the moment all the funnier and Tina didn’t suspect it could be an engagement ring at all “I just thought it was Edmond being Edmond, trying to be romantic with a pair of earrings or something”, Tina added.

It was a magical moment and one they will never forget.

The couple celebrated their wedding at St. Joseph’s Church, Liscarroll followed by a reception in Ballyroe Heights Hotel, Tralee with their 147 guests.

THE HEN PARTY The bride was whisked away to Galway City for a stay in Flannery’s Hotel. While they were there they visited Coyotes Bar in the city centre and went crazy. The girls also had a scavenger hunt, “although we’re still not sure who won,” Tina laughed.

The bride’s sister made up some gorgeous goodie bags for everyone and she made a memory book for Tina with all the girls having put in a photo and a comment, “my sister was like Frances Brennan going around with her folder all day,” she added.

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THE WEDDING PARTY The beautiful bride was accompanied by her gorgeous bridesmaids, Angela Buckley Breen and Colette O’Sullivan, while the handsome groom was flanked by his dapper brothers, Emmet and Donal O’Brien. Edmond’s goddaughter Tara O’Brien and Tina’s godson Elliott Breen were the super adorable flowergirl and pageboy.

THE WEDDING TEAM Tina bought her gorgeous Mori Lee bridal gown in Wedding World, Galway after trying on five different dresses. The bride accessorised the dress with her cousin’s veil and a pair of Alessia Ivory by Rainbow Couture shoes which she bought online from John Lewis. Esquire provided the suits for the gentlemen on the day.

O’Carrolls Cakes provided the stunning and delicious cupcakes for the wedding day as well as the top tier of chocolate biscuit cake. The couple used Munster Photobooth which was excellent. “everyone loved and used it,” Tina said. The bride and groom had a Ferrero Rocher stand at the

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reception along with a post box for the guests to leave the wedding cards, these were both gotten from the Wedding Prop Shop in Templeglantine, Limerick. A close friend of the bride who is also a retired florist gifted her florist services to the couple. Tailor Made Wedding Stationary, Ennis created and designed the couple’s invites. “Everyone says our invites were very different and funny because they were myself and Edmond and they also included our dog, Indie,” the bride added.

Marie’s Beauty Salon took care of the bride’s pre-wedding beauty preparations, Marie Fitzgerald did Tina and her bridesmaid’s makeup on the day and Donna Fisher of Stylz hair salon gave the girls enviable locks.

The phenomenal Kerry Jane Hurley sang throughout the ceremony. Wallstreet band got everyone in the party mood by performing at the beginning of the night, followed by the amazing DJ Mossie Richardson. A family friend drove the bride to the church in his Mercedes and had personalised number plates made for the day. Eileen Feehan of Feehan’s Fotos, Newmarket, captured their day beautifully.

SPECIAL TOUCHES Tina and Edmond decided to switch up the tradition of giving their mothers flowers during the speeches by having pictures printed and framed on the day to give to them instead. “Instead of giving flowers to the mothers during the speeches we had a friend of ours take a picture of myself, Edmond and our dog on the day and they got them printed out and put them into glass frames that we had bought beforehand.

So they officially had the first wedding picture of us and they loved them,� Tina recalled.

THE NEXT DAY The next day Tina and Edmond relaxed in wedded bliss at home with Indie, their beloved dog, and then they celebrated with a party in their local pub, The Old Walls, before heading off on their honeymoon.

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First holiday together? Tenerife Fav TV show to watch together? ‘Top Gear’ Funniest moment during the wedding? The groom and best man broke the safe in the bridal suite twice trying to lock it.

Which guest(s) travelled the farthest for the wedding? My two uncles Donie and Pat and my aunt Katie from the UK. Whom did you tell you were engaged first? Our parents One thing you would change about your day? Not a thing.

Which part was the biggest blur? Walking down the aisle.

What is the one song you can remember dancing to with your friends on the floor? “Oh Lisdoonvarna”

by Christy Moore. I will never forget it. On my hen party we went to Galway and the festival was on in Lisdoonvarna and my friend Martha kept singing it going up and coming home on the bus. She would ring our rooms and just start singing the song down the phone. Once the DJ played the song all the women on the hen party ran onto the dance floor.

Any hiccups: Not that anyone told me.

Song you walked up the aisle to? ‘This I promise you’

by Ronan Keating Song you walked down the aisle to? ‘Over the Rainbow’- Glee version.

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THE HONEYMOON The newlyweds jetted off to sunny Australia for four weeks which they booked through ACE Travel in Newcastle West.

ADVICE Tina has given some bride-to-bride advice for all you lucky brides-to-be, “have an open mind when it comes to trying on dresses, you will be surprised what suits you.”

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AT BALLYROE HEIGHTS HOTEL “Ballyroe Heights Hotel. There is one word I can use is “exceptional”. The staff and management at this hotel are amazing; Patrick, Mike and Jonathan could not do enough for us leading up to and on our big day. From start to finish, they were so professional and kept us so at ease. Our wedding guests were in high praise about the hotel from the location, staff, atmosphere, food, accommodation even down to the beverages being spot on. I could not recommend this hotel enough they made our day a ten out of ten and it says a lot when everyone is still talking about it to this day.” www.ballyroe.com

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TYPES OF GUESTS

to expect at your wedding

By Niamh Bartley

No matter what type of wedding you have, you’ll definitely encounter some of these on your wedding day. Don’t fret though, they can all be dealt with in their own way and (hopefully) not by you personally.

THE PARTY ANIMAL The life and soul of the party, sure to be the first on the dancefloor and the last off it. They’ll be grabbing your guests left right and centre to have a dance so try to throw your bridesmaids in first before you go for a dance with your gals or else you’ll be grabbed more than once for a quick jig. This guest is great craic but a little bit overzealous so try to steer clear for a while and hope they calm down before the end of the night.

THE NEWLY SINGLE ONE Chances are, this guest will be in tears before the end of the night.

They were planning on coming to your wedding with their boyfriend/girlfriend but their relationship came to an end shortly before the big day and so they had to go solo. Introduce them to the emotional one and they can comfort each other with no help from you or your husband.

THE HAPPY-SAD ONE

THE RANDOM You, your husband, your bridesmaids and most of your guests have no idea who this person is. They could be the other half of a work colleague, or a randomer in off the street. Either way, just give them a generic ‘thanks for coming’ if you are in an awkward situation and hope that they know somebody there.

This guest will ball his/her eyes out at the ceremony and during the speeches and they’ll be heard saying things like ‘it’s just so beautiful’ and ‘good for them’, but throughout the day their emotions may get the better of them and they’ll be wondering why they’re not married or they’ll get jealous and sad that this isn’t their wedding day. Take no heed of their tears and assign a bridesmaid to find out why they are upset. It’s probably nothing to do with you or your husband, so don’t take it personally.

THE DRUNK We all know this guest, the lady who’s boyfriend keeps buying her drinks or the gent who seems to have a bottomless wallet. They’ll be drunk by the time the main course arrives but hopefully they can sober up somewhere between then and the band coming on. If you think you know who this is likely to be, sit them near light drinkers and hope that they rub off on this guest. Nobody wants to be the only drunk one at a table.

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THE BABYSITTER All of your junior guests will adore this person, be it your best man, bridesmaid, or best friend, they are amazing with kids and they love keeping them entertained. This guest will save you a lot of trouble trying to figure out what to do with the kids and they’ll be the life of the mini party. They’ll also allow the parents to relax and know there is someone keeping the kids happy throughout the evening.

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Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Basically, you’ll want to decide what your budget is and pick your date this week. Also, you should have a look at venues and try to nail one down, depending on the time of year you might have trouble getting a weekend date but midweek weddings are fab and sometimes cheaper.

Another thing to do this week (if you haven’t already) is to register your marriage with the state, this needs to be done at least three months before your wedding date so make sure you do it now.

This is a big one so it’s important to get as many of your vendors (florist, photographer, band etc.) locked in as early in the planning process as possible, you may have your eye on a photographer or band so try to set up meetings with them and see if they can do your date. Also, try to enlist as many friends and family as possible to help DIY your day up a bit.

It’s important to ask your best guys and gals whether or not they want to be in your wedding early on, just in case someone doesn’t.

Try to find out the style of bridesmaids dresses your girls will want as well just to save time later on and give them and you a little bit of time to think about it.

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Send out your invites and set a date for RSVPs so you can start putting together your guest list and table plan and notify your venue of how many guests you are expecting.

Have a girly night in with your bridesmaids and close friends and set up a DIY craft station for the night. Crack open a few bottles of wine and have a bit of fun making fun decorations or putting together bits and pieces for your special day..

Trying out your hair and makeup at this stage still gives you about a month to get everything right so you can look great on your big day. You should also be weary of changing anything else in your beauty routine from now until the big day, just in case you have a bad reaction to a product and don’t have time to recover.

The nitty gritty bits

Invite your guests

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Vendors

Do it yourself

Assemble the wedding party

Hair and makeup trials

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

If you’re having a church ceremony try to find out what local church is free to celebrate your wedding on your date and if you’re not having your ceremony in a church, there are plenty of companies that will provide you with a qualified officiant.

This is obviously a very important detail when planning your big day, you might have an exact idea of what you want or you might not have a clue. Either way, make some appointments with bridal shops and try to have your dress chosen by the end of this week as if alterations are needed, they can take a few weeks or even months.

Also, make sure your groom has his suit chosen as well as those for his groomsmen. You’ll possibly need to buy a sample dress so please remember that when trying on dresses.

At this stage, you should have your colour scheme chosen so have a few cake tastings and design meetings to see what your cake will look like on the day.

Meet up with your florist and go through exactly what you’re looking for with them as well.

Check in with all other vendors that will be providing goods on your day that everything is on track with them.

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

This mainly applies to your stationery i.e. menus, ceremony programmes and anything else you’re having printed for the day.

Also, double check that your DJ has your playlist and your band knows every song you want them to play. Talk to the manager at your venue and find out what information they will need coming up to the wedding.

Put together your guest list and contact anybody who hasn’t RSVP’d yet and find out where they stand. Make out your table plan based on the guest list, this could take a couple of days (depending on numbers) so clear your schedule as much as possible. Give your table plan and final numbers to your venue so they can set up for the day.

Ok, this might be a bit unrealistic for some brides, but you shouldn’t be stressed the week coming up to your wedding. Enjoy your final week of unwedded bliss and have a killer hen night to celebrate with your gals. Also, spend some time with your fiancé so you can relax together after an insane few weeks of planning and soak up the excitement of this week.

Find your officiant

Finalise everything

The dress

Guest list and table plan

The cake and flowers

Take a breath

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Noel’s Menswear Limerick celebrating 40 years in business

By Niamh Bartley Noel’s Menswear Limerick has been in the business of providing men’s

So is buying your suit going to cost you an arm and a leg? On the

wedding attire for 40 years. Having opened under the stewardship of

contrary, their three-piece suits, available in a range of colours, starts

Noel Long in 1977, the family-run business has now expanded to three

at an amazing low cost of €199. This price includes a suit, and

extremely successful stores, two in Limerick city, one on Bedford Row

also a shirt and tie. On average, each groom would spend anywhere

and their flagship store on Wickham Street as well as one store in

between €250 and €300 on his wedding suit, according to Garry,

Newcastle West. The aim of this business is to provide high quality

Noel’s son who has worked in the family business for many years.

menswear while maintaining the exceptional customer service they are known for and this aim has most certainly been met by the

No request is too small for the attentive team at Noel’s Menswear,

dedicated team at Noel’s.

they even have two styles of suit available that range from tots to adult sizes, not to mention tonnes of other choices for the smallies

More recently Noel’s Menswear has become extremely popular in

in your wedding party.

wedding circles. Grooms are beginning to purchase their wedding attire more and more and Noel’s has a range of quality suits to suit

ADVICE

all wedding styles.

Garry suggests that “the bride and groom come in together to have a look at some choices and colours and to choose some options that

The selection of suits at Noel’s Menswear is second to none with

could suit the groomsmen. As well as this, it’s good to see what

a wide variety of brands available. This is coupled with the fact that

different suit combinations will suit the groom best, he could wear

they have their own skilled tailor available in house for alteration

a different colour waistcoat to his jacket, for example.”

services and fittings which makes the whole process much easier on the customer.

The Bedford Row store is open every day of the week, Monday to Saturday from 9.30am until 6pm and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm

Although their high quality suits are available in all three stores,

and you don’t have to have an appointment for your first visit but of

their newest location on Bedford Row, has a whole top floor dedicated

course they will also take appointments as requested. The team at

to the purchasing of suits. And their private dressing rooms on this

Noel’s will make sure everyone is completely happy with style, fit

floor makes for a seamless shopping experience for any groom.

and the overall look before you leave with the suits.

42/43 Wickham Street, Limerick T: 061 410040 48

Brides of Limerick

Bedford Row, Limerick T: 061 418 934 Newcastle West, Co. Limerick T: 069 62445

www.noels.ie

M E N S W E A R

3PCE SUIT, SHIRT & TIE €199 WHEN YOU BUY 2 OR MORE SUITS

Suit, Shirt

42/43 Wickham Street, Limerick T: 061 410040

Bedford Row, Limerick T: 061 418 934

Newcastle West, Co. Limerick T: 069 62445

weddings@noels.ie www.noels.ie

Love at first sight FOR CIARA AND EOIN

June 10, 2016 – Woodlands Hotel, Adare

CIARA PENNY & EOIN MCCARTHY

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Photographs courtesy of Magnificent Moments Photography

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AT THE WOODLANDS HOUSE HOTEL? “Our wedding venue was the Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel in Adare, it was the only venue that Eoin and myself agreed on! Everything about the hotel is fabulous and we dealt with David, whenever we needed him he was always there to answer any questions we had and all the staff are so nice.” www.woodlands-hotel.ie

CIARA PENNY & EOIN MCCARTHY Cappamore native Eoin McCarthy met the love of his life, crèche and childcare assistant Ciara Penny when they were just 16 years old. It was love at first sight for the pair who met in 2002. They now live together in Murroe with their five year old son, Cillian. The lovebirds got engaged in October 2014 and chose Ciara’s engagement ring in Matthew Stephen’s Jewellers, Limerick.

The happy couple set the wedding date as June 10, 2016 and celebrated their wedding at Murroe Church followed by a fabulous reception at Fitzgeralds Woodlands Hotel Adare with 143 of their closest friends and family.

THE HEN PARTY The bride, her mother-in-law and her bridesmaids went to Galway for a night of pampering, starting with makeovers which were followed by dinner along with a few little surprises for the hen herself, the most memorable of which was the Blacktie magician that was hired for the girls. Ciara then had a separate hen night in Limerick with her work friends, close friends and family members.

THE WEDDING TEAM The bride stunned in a gown from The Bridal Emporium, Miltown Malbay, which she chose after trying on around ten dresses in the boutique. She accessorised the dress with her sister in law’s veil, Ciara’s ‘something borrowed’, and she wore shoes she had bought for her 30th birthday so she would be comfortable for the full day.

Patricia Irwin of Ring O’Roses designed and put together the floral arrangements and Orla of Limelight Wedding Stationery designed and created the fabulous invites for the couple. Ciara bought the candles in Parkway Shopping Centre instead of having them made, which saved her a lot of money. The bride had her beauty needs taken care of by Cerise Beauty Newport, she had her nails and tan done before the big day and Leslie came out from the salon to Ciara’s house to beautify her and the bridesmaids on the morning of the wedding. HC2 in Annacotty took care of the girls’ hair.

Debbie Carroll performed at the church, Ciara and Eoin had heard her at their friend’s wedding and were blown away by her talent so they booked her straight away, she even performed some new songs which she became familiar with on short notice.

The band Traffic had everybody up on the dancefloor well into the night and the guests loved them. The bride and groom were transported on the day in a friend’s BMW 640 Grand Coupe.

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HOW WAS WORKING WITH MAGNIFICENT MOMENTS PHOTOGRAPHY? “Diarmuid and David were brilliant to work with from start to finish, we couldn’t have asked for more amazing photographers on the day, so happy with every picture taken. We were so at ease all day long from start to finish.

We had different photos in mind so they went out of their way to accommodate our wishes.

Two very down to earth men and we couldn’t have picked anyone else for the job! They provided us with amazing photographs.” www.magnificentmoments.net

SPECIAL MOMENTS The newlyweds shared their first dance as a married couple to a slow version of Oceanlab’s dance hit ‘Satellite’ as they are both big fans of dance music.

Orla from Limelight Designs who made the couple’s invites also made a ‘Groom Survival Kit’ card for Eoin, Ciara filled up the kit with a snickers bar, vodka, socks, 7up, a pocket-watch and some mints.

The bride had colouring books and crayons on the kid’s table and they had Tayto Sandwiches available for after the DJ finished up. As wedding favours, they put a coin and a €1 scratchcard on each setting.

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THE NEXT DAY Ciara and Eoin took it easy the next day by inviting a few guests over to their house for a Chinese Buffet and drinks, “everyone was so tired from the wedding it was a good thing we didn’t have anything big,” Ciara remembered.

ADVICE “Don’t take too much input from people; it’s your wedding no one elses. Do what you think is right, you can’t please everyone. Don’t cut back on things, it’s the little things that people will remember at the end of the day! The day goes way too fast so take five minutes to sit and just look at everyone and think that this is your special day and enjoy every minute of it.”

By Niamh Bartley A wedding in the spring sounds like it could be amazing, so why not make the dream a reality? There are so many ways you can make this season your own and add a flourish to your wedding like no other! I’ve put together my top picks for throwing the best and most unique spring wedding you can imagine.

Garden tea party This can be a fabulous way of having part of your day outdoors, if your venue has nice gardens you could have your drinks reception on the lawn and it would look fabulous.

Another great benefit to this is that they probably have an indoor area where you could be moved if the weather doesn’t go along with your plan.

Light cocktails In spring we’re just coming out of a mulled wine coma, so you might as well make a refreshing light cocktail part of your day. Do you have a favourite cocktail as a couple?

Or perhaps you can concoct a signature cocktail for your big day.

Décor Go mad with flowers and pastels in every part of your décor. We love the use of fresh flowers and colourful bunting all around your venue, it will transform it into a spring paradise. You could also put the pastels to use when it comes to bridal party wear and your nearest and dearest will look stunning beside you.

Eggs This can work especially well if your wedding is close to Easter, provide chocolate eggs as favours or fill a vase with dyed eggs and flowers for centrepieces. It might sound odd but it does look fab, plus eggs are a symbol of new life which is a great thing to have as part of your day when you’re starting a new chapter of your life with the person you love.

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That precious

FATHER-DAUGHTER MOMENT For many brides, choosing who will walk you down the aisle is a hugely important decision and, while tradition has evolved in recent times, fathers are still a prominent choice for a lot of lucky ladies.The tradition of a father walking his daughter down the aisle dates back to the less glamorous time of arranged marriages and fathers literally giving their daughters away. Today, the bride’s father walking her down the aisle symbolises his support of the marriage and that he has a great relationship with both his daughter and his future son-in-law. The bride can also use it as an opportunity to appreciate her dad for all he has done over the years and to thank him. Some modern couples choose to have both parents walk the bride down the aisle, or someone who has always been there for them in the case of their father’s absence. Brides of Limerick recently carried out a poll and 87% of brides are still walked down the aisle by their dad. 6% by their brothers and 7% by others (sons, friends, cousins, uncles).

We asked some of our readers to submit what their father-daughter wedding moments meant to them.

Sarah Doyle

Sarah Doyle married Damian Daly in Cratloe Church, Clare and she was walked down the aisle by her dad, John Doyle, “It was such a special moment, I fought back the tears. I still get goosebumps every time I look at this photo and I know how lucky I am to have had my dad walk me up the aisle.

Love you dad!”

Amy Shelton

Amy Shelton married Phil Ryan on June 22, 2013 in St. Senan’s Church, Clonlara. Her father shared some emotional moments with her while on the journey down the aisle, “Having my dad walk me down the aisle on my special day meant the absolute world to me; the very first man in my life giving me away to the most special and loving man in the world. Thank you dad!”

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Orlaith McGrath Orlaith McGrath and her husband David O’Doherty celebrated their wedding on June 11, 2016 at St. Joseph’s Church, Clarina.

The bride chose to break tradition slightly by having both of her parents, Maria and Gerry McGrath, walk her down the aisle, “My dad walked me half way , then my mom joined us and both gave me away. It’s just as hard for the mom to give her little girl away and sometimes I feel the focus is taken from the moms. It meant the world to me to have the honour of both my mom and dad give me away and it’s something I will treasure for the rest of my life.”

Tonya Meagher Tonya Meagher and John Hayes celebrated their wedding at Lakeside Hotel, Killaloe on June 26, 2015 and the bride was walked down the aisle by her grandfather, David Meagher, whom she considers a father. “My real dad wasn’t a part of my life and my granddad took over that role when I was born. He has always been the dad I needed throughout my life in every stage so to have the pleasure of him walking me down the aisle was magic, as in my eyes he has always been my dad and I wouldn’t have anyone else do this.”

Marianne Lawlor Marianne Lawlor married her husband Leon on December 8, 2016 at the Castletroy Park Hotel and she was lucky enough to have her father, Thomas Lawlor walk her down the aisle. “My mother passed away 14 years ago and ever since then my father and I have become close. To have him walk me down the aisle on my wedding day meant so much to me as I felt like she was also walking beside me. It’s a memory I will treasure for the rest of my life.”

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Laura Zeimyte

Laura Zeimyte married her husband Tadas Alekne on June 13, 2014 in a ceremony at Castleconnell church. Laura was walked down the aisle by her doting father, Gintaras Zeimys, “I’ve been very lucky to have my dad who walked me up the aisle. He’s the best father in the world, I’ve never ever seen him so worried as he was on the wedding day. To hold each other’s hands and to start walking through an aisle was just priceless.”

Angela Keogh

Angela Keogh married Charlie Ward at Ballykisteen Hotel & Golf Resort on October 28, 2016. Angela’s father Martin Keogh gave her away. “It meant the world to both of us. He was full sure he would never see the day that he would get to walk his youngest up the aisle.”

Stacey O’Donnell

Stacey O’Donnell married Ronan Kiely on August 27, 2016 at The Strand Hotel, Limerick. Her dad, Anthony O’Donnell, walked her down the aisle on her special day, “My father is my hero, he’s been there for me no matter what. He was my wedding planner for our wedding and it was amazing to see his face when I came down the stairs even though he had picked out my dress with me.”

Tara Cremin

Tara Cremin married Jason O’Carroll on June 3, 2016 at Ballygarry House Hotel, Tralee and was walked down the aisle by her dad, Michael Cremin, “of all the walks we have taken, this is my favourite.”

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I AM A WEDDING STORYTELLER Award Winning Photographer with a passion for capturing the day as it happens, minute by minute, hour by hour, from hugs to kisses and tears to smiles, its my passion to capture all of the magic moments that make your wedding day a day you’ll cherish forever. I enjoy working in the background and capturing the raw, natural emotion of a wedding day. Really, I take an informal, relaxed but realistic approach to a wedding, allowing the couple to remember it, exactly how it was.

087 6645996 | info@thetiltedtripod.net www.thetiltedtripod.net @tiltedtripodpics

By Niamh Bartley

There is no bond like a father-daughter bond for those who are lucky enough to share one. Our dads are our first loves, they’re the ones who have been around from the beginning to protect us, love us, support us and fight for us when we need it most. When we were in junior infants the teacher asked, ‘who is your hero?’ and when we got older it became ‘who inspires you?’, I don’t know about you, but my answer is and always has been ‘my daddy’ and a lot of people would have answered the same, even though in juniors I might’ve confidently scribbled ‘Barney the Dinosaur’ to the best of my ability.

Anyone with a father or father-figure like that will definitely want him to be part of their wedding day if it’s even remotely possible and there are so many different things he can help with from planning to being there on the day itself. Everyone knows the role of the father of the bride on the big day, and there are different traditions in every culture that incorporate the bride’s dad, the most common being the walk down the aisle. This is still a huge tradition in a lot of countries and cultures across the globe.

If your father walks you down the aisle it symbolises the strength of your relationship with each other, as well as the love and support he has for you and your other half in one of the biggest moments of your life.

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Another big part he’ll play in most weddings is making a speech or toast. Let’s face it, he’ll tell embarrassing stories, make silly jokes and basically take the mick out of you if he’s an Irish dad, but he’ll also bring up some wonderful memories you have shared and tell you how he supports and loves you in this chapter of your life. There almost certainly will be tears and hugs all round but it might even bring you guys closer when he says this all out loud in front of all of your guests.

Basically, your dad’s role on your wedding day is a reflection of what his role has been in your life thus far, he’ll be there to support you, make sure you’re happy and dry a few tears along the way. He’ll make you laugh, make you cry and make you sad that you’re no longer his ‘little girl’, but don’t fret about that because to him you’ll always be his baby. Your wedding day is not just about starting a new chapter with a new man, it is also a ceremonious way of saying goodbye to the man who has been there for you since day one. Whether you moved away from him twenty years ago or twenty months ago, it’s a big deal, so try to make the most of it and include him as much as you can on this momentous occasion.

The The Square, Listowel, Co.Kerry

Open Venue Viewing

Fri, 21st April from 6pm Family run Boutique wedding venue for receptions from 30 to 350 guests

068 21500

A twenty year wait MADE FOR THE WEDDING OF THEIR DREAMS

DIANE DUGGAN & DENIS CORBETT August 12, 2016 - Monagea Church & The Listowel Arms Hotel

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Photographs courtesy of ATL Photography

Diane Duggan and Denis Corbett waited twenty years before tying the knot surrounded by their friends and family, including their daughter Katie and son Sean, in the fabulous Monagea Church. Their lavish reception was held in the stunning Listowel Arms Hotel on August 12, 2016.

Diane’s beautiful bridesmaids were Anna Duggan, Martina O’Donnell and Mary Ita Hough. Ger Corbett, Noel Corbett and Ger Corkery were Denis’ handsome groomsmen.

The bride wore a fabulous Tamem Michael Creation, she had her makeup done by the talented Niamh O’Dwyer and her hair taken care of by the wonderful Alley Cuts.

The happy couple had Celina’s Cakes provide the delicious wedding cake and were transported on the day by Horan’s Cars Tralee. ATL Photography caught the day on camera while Kevin Daly Videography was in the background filming

everything so the bride and groom missed nothing.

They also had an LED love sign and a photobooth at the venue to make it a wedding day to remember for all of their guests.

Diane and Denis shared their first dance as a married couple to Shania Twain’s ‘You’re Still The One’, which they chose because it signified the big step they were taking after their 20 year engagement.

The couple’s joint favourite memories are ‘having our daughter Katie and son Sean as part of our big day and our first dance with all our family and friends dancing with us,’ they echoed.

For their honeymoon, the newlyweds took a well-deserved Mediterranean Cruise after the madness of the big day had settled down.

HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH THE LISTOWEL ARMS HOTEL? “From our first meeting with Patrice and on seeing the venue it was clear that The Listowel Arms was the place we wanted to celebrate our big day. Patrice’s professionalism and attention to detail was second to none. She went above and beyond to make our day perfect and nothing was too much trouble. The team were amazing on the night and the food as always was exceptional. The reception room looked beautiful with candelabras and flowers and was decorated exactly how we had hoped for. Family and friends commented on the venue, food, staff and overall atmosphere in the Listowel Arms being one of the best weddings they had attended.” www.listowelarms.com

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Family meant everything ON REBECCA AND RICHARD’S BIG DAY

REBECCA GREENSMITH & RICHARD CHAMNEY November 18, 2016 - Charleville Park Hotel, Co. Cork

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Photographs courtesy of Ingrid Colvin

The Details SUITS Esquire, Limerick MAKEUP Mandy O’Loughlin, Limerick FLOWERS Bride’s mother made heirloom bouquets PHOTOGRAPHER Ingrid Colvin (Groom’s Cousin) CAKE Irenaie Markham BAND The Panoramics

“It was very special to us that so many members of our extended family were able to help with the big day. My sister was the maid of honour, and it was her mother-in-law Irene that made our fantastic wedding cake. The photographer was Ingrid Colvin, Richard’s cousin and that helped us to relax. She was very easy going and did a great job. My mother made all three heirloom bouquets with help from my father. They were perfect and showed up so well in all the pictures.”

The bride’s favourite memory, “For me, it was getting a dozen yellow roses sent to me from Edward (our son) to the hotel just before the ceremony. It was so thoughtful; my favourite colour from my favourite little man. For Richard, it was the three of us walking/dancing into the reception together! There’s a great photo of that moment, you can see how delighted we were.”

“We had decided to have the ceremony in the hotel, and the atmosphere in the ceremony room was lovely and relaxed, it was filled with candles. Also by doing this, we could appoint Edward our son as ‘bestman’. He loved being a big part of the day and felt very important, and that was exactly what we wanted.”

Rebecca Greensmith married the love of her life, Richard Chamney on November 18, 2016 in a fabulous ceremony and beautiful reception, both at Charleville Park Hotel.

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ABSOLUTE HOTEL

BOUTIQUE WEDDING VENUE OF THE YEAR 2016

Bridal Speeching!

By Niamh Bartley

Once you’ve said your ‘I do’, you can relax and enjoy what ‘we do’ in the heart of Limerick city. From start to finish the friendly and helpful staff at the Absolute Hotel will be there for you to make your special day memorable. No job is too big, no request too small - if it’s your heart’s desire, it will be done with our pleasure.

Overlooking the meandering Abbey River, the Absolute is just minutes’ walk from iconic Limerick landmarks like King John’s Castle, St Mary’s Cathedral and Thomond Park.

A lot of modern brides are opting to make a speech on their wedding day. It can be a great addition to the wedding day, but we’ve put together a pro and con list to help you decide whether or not this modern trend could be for you. We love the idea but there are arguments both for and against so have a read and see what you think.

For

It can be touching Obviously, it’s lovely to hear from a bride when you go to their wedding, they have spent so long putting together this day and it’s nice for them to reach every guest at once.

Our Abbey Suite is an intimate chic space where you and yours will get the attention you deserve. Floor to ceiling windows and textured walls provide the perfect backdrop for your special day.

Included in all packages at our award-winning hotel is an arrival drinks reception with Cosmopolitan cocktails and a selection of long neck beers - depending on your taste – along with two canapé options.

You can choose from on-trend mini burgers, tempura prawns and chicken satay.

Our COSMOpolitan package includes Chiavari chairs or chair cover and sash, choice of centre piece, table plan, wedding menu tasting, personalised menus, complimentary wedding suite for the bride and groom and a five course menu.

The menu consists of one starter, one soup, a choice between two main courses, one dessert with tea and coffee.

The METROpolitan package offers all of that plus a glass of wine and top up for all the guests on the day with a late night snack selection of gourmet sandwiches with tea and coffee.

For the full bells and whistles, our URBANchic package includes all of the above along with half a bottle of wine per person on the big day and two options of late night snack like Asian honey & chilli chicken wings, beef burgers on brioche buns or - the most popular - glazed cocktail sausages with finger sandwiches.

For now, relish the planning, enjoy the engagement and remember the reason you are here is for love after all.

T: +353 61 463 610 E: events@absolutehotel.com W: www.absolutehotel.com

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It saves time Some of your guests may feel scorned if you don’t talk to them personally, but if you have a wedding of 200 people it is impossible to have a lengthy conversation (or even share a few words) with every single person you invite. You’ll have great intentions of doing so, but you’ll be dragged away for photos and drinks and so many different things that you simply won’t have the time. Making a speech will make your guests and you feel better and it means you won’t have to worry as much about running around to everybody and you can enjoy your day that much more.

Against

Additional speech time Wedding speeches are lovely and touching, but sometimes they do tend to drag on a bit long. If you’re making your speeches before the meal you’re in for a starving crowd of guests so be careful not to make your part too long. Additionally, if your speeches are after dinner your guests will want to go dancing and to the bar, not sit at the table for an extra hour than they need to.

Danger of repetition Unless you have a way with words, your speech will probably consist of lots of ‘thank you’ and ‘we’re glad you could make it’, but your husband might have similar ideas and you could end up saying the same thing as each other, at least in part. This will most definitely bore your guests so try to coordinate your speech with his, without giving too much away, or else you could be in a bit of bother.

www.escapade.ie Contact: Eugene 087 290 5984

A subtle proposal WAS ALL SARAH MCMULLAN NEEDED TO SAY YES TO THE LOVE OF HER LIFE

October 28, 2016 - St. John’s Church Tralee & The Earl of Desmond Hotel

SARAH MCMULLAN & SEAN BALFE

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Photographs courtesy of Baker Photography

SARAH MCMULLAN & SEAN BALFE Shanagolden native Sean Balfe fell in love with Kerry woman Sarah McMullan when he went for a job interview back in 2009, Sarah was the interviewer and they both felt a connection instantly. A few months later they went out for a drink for the first time and have been together ever since. The happy couple now live in Newcastle West with their adored son Liam.

Sean’s subtle proposal went right over Sarah’s head. On the morning of St. Stephen’s Day, their four-year anniversary, they were casually talking and Sean slipped in the words “will we get married?” Of course Sarah said yes, but she was under the impression that he was joking around until he went downstairs and told Sarah’s mom about the proposal. She then realised what had happened and was over the moon with the news. The lovebirds went to New York for Sarah’s 30th birthday which is where they picked out her engagement ring.

They settled on a fabulous and unusual ring with three stones, symbolising their family, as Sarah was pregnant with their son Liam at the time.

Sarah and Sean celebrated their wedding day with a magical ceremony at St. John’s Church, Tralee which was followed by a lavish reception at The Earl of Desmond Hotel with 165 of their closest family and friends.

THE WEDDING PARTY The bride was led down the aisle by the beautiful Ruth O’Keeffe, Claire Greene and Rachel Foran while James Balfe, Donal Balfe and Padraig Balfe were the dapper groomsmen on the day.

There was a serious injection of cuteness from the bride and groom’s son, Liam, who was their pageboy and the adorable Niamh O’Keeffe was flowergirl.

TELL US ABOUT YOU EXPERIENCE AT THE EARL OF DESMOND HOTEL? “Fantastic, Norella the hotel’s wedding coordinator is brilliant at her job, her attention to detail and the day ran so smooth the meal was amazing everyone was full and thought it was fantastic and the hotel looked stunning. Norella would email and ring us with advice and when we needed to do things she was a great help with the wedding planning.” www.earlofdesmond.com

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HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH BAKER PHOTOGRAPHY? “Rose was very helpful from our first meeting, very professional and she made us feel at ease the whole way through our wedding planning and even gave us suggestions on suppliers when we were unsure.” www.bakerphotography.ie

THE WEDDING TEAM Sarah found the perfect dress in Sefton House Bridal, Limerick.

While she tried on around 12 dresses altogether between a few shops, Sefton House was one of her first stops so she went back to Mary and chose a dress she had loved the first time. The bride accessorised the fabulous gown with her ‘something borrowed’, the veil her cousin Ruth had worn on her big day. Sarah also wore champagne coloured peep-toe shoes in the same style she had chosen for her bridesmaids.

The bridesmaids wore Navy dresses from the Dessy New York collection at Kate’s Kloset, Askeaton. Kate was wonderful in helping the girls choose their dresses and the bride was delighted with them. All of the men were kitted out by Connolly Menswear, Limerick.

Grace Moore designed and made the fabulous wedding cake and The Earl of Desmond Hotel provided a candy cart and a chocolate fountain. The bride also bought a personalised Ferrero Rocher stand and the guests devoured them. Sarah bought an Instax camera, as well as props to go with their guestbook so guests could leave a photo and a message for the newlyweds.

Every Occasion Florist, Tralee provided the amazing floral arrangements and bouquets for the special day. Maeve Keavey Creations made all of the couple’s wedding stationary including their gorgeous invitations and their candles for the wedding.

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Catherine and Rachel from Catherine Hickey Makeup and Hair Studio travelled to the bride’s home to beautify her and the bridesmaids, “they were so amazing I had never had my makeup done so well, it lasted all day and looked amazing,” Sarah recalls.

Leanne and Ger Quilligan from Newcastle West sang beautifully at the church for the wedding ceremony and after the meal in the evening Crystal Swing performed, followed by the brilliant DJ Martin Howard who had the guests up on their feet all night long. The bride and groom were transported on the day by PJ O’Riordan from Ardfert.

Rose Baker of Baker Photography captured the couple’s special moments on camera.

THE HONEYMOON The lovebirds waited until February to jet off to Dubai for one week on their honeymoon. They both work in retail and decided that a week in February would be the best time to relax after a hectic few months.

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CATHERINE HICKEY MAKE-UP & HAIR

BRIDAL SPECIALIST

061 224857

Catherine Hickey Make-up & Hair Studio Unit 1, St. Nessans Road, Dooradoyle, Limerick

Award Winning Bridal Make-Up Artist of the Year catherinehickey53@ymail.com Make-up and Hair by CH CH Make-up and Hair

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Delicious Cakes with that “home-baked taste” using only the best ingredients and finished with the wow factor!

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Make your wedding A G A M E R ’ S PA R A D I S E

By Niamh Bartley

GARDEN GAMES This would be perfect for an outdoor drinks reception.

You could set up a huge checkers board or Jenga and your guests will be acting like children before they know it.

These are great for making your day a bit goofy and fun, as opposed to following a strict schedule. Plus, you’ll get some great snapshots of your guests and you guys having fun in the sun (cliché, but great craic).

Party games

I’m not suggesting you play ‘pin the tail on the donkey’ with 200 guests, but think back to the fun games you played as a child and recreate them as adults. Think along the lines of ‘musical chairs’ or even ‘pass the parcel’. The latter would be great for your guests to get to know each other as you would do it table by table and at least one person on the table gets a gift. These types of games are great for breaking the ice before everyone hits the dancefloor.

MAD LIBS ‘My name is ____, I’ve known the couple for ___ years …’

This is a great one for getting guests at the table to bond as they ask each other questions and get to know each other better. This is also fun for those tables of old friends who haven’t seen each other in a while to get a laugh and reminisce about those times in school/college/work they shared with you or your hubby.

Have guests come up and spin a large wheel covered in dares, then have them do what they land on. These should be very innocent, like dance with someone you don’t know or give your date a kiss, it’s a bit of fun and it will keep the atmosphere light-hearted. It’s also sure to stop people taking themselves too seriously on a day where fun is supposed to be paramount.

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FLOWERS FOR EVERY OCCASION

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Kitture Weddings TA K E S O N D O W N T O N A B B E Y

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edding stylist extraordinaire Catriona Shelton of Kitture Weddings tapped into

her inner love for all things grandeur and styled an amazing photoshoot based on the ever so popular Downton Abbey theme. Catriona, who has been asked by clients to use this theme as an inspiration to style their own weddings, got right down to work. She joined forces with some of Limerick’s finest wedding vendors and together they pulled off a beautiful shoot at the Castle Oaks House Hotel in Limerick.

Downton Abbey follows the storyline of the Earl of Grantham, his wife and three daughters; as well as the servants who work in their beautiful castle. “The goal of this shoot was to reflect old world elegance in a clean, classic, and timeless way and we found the perfect location in the stunning Georgian Manor, that is the Castle Oaks House Hotel, which is set on beautiful grounds on the banks of the River Shannon and who’s décor has a unique charm, combining contemporary and period styles,” share Catriona. While also staying on trend with the 2017 greenery theme, Catriona and her team used an abundance of luscious leaves and cream accents to keep it simple yet elegant, just like what you would see on screen at Downton Abbey.

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Celina from Celina’s Cakes was the mastermind behind the stunning cake and the greenery trend was also captured in the design. Gold accents were an additional important hue to introduce to the day and this was very evident from beginning to end. Orla of Limelight Wedding Stationery also created gold lettering for the invites which brought it all together.

“We felt that this detail brought a rich, vintage touch to the scenes.”

The dress from The Little White Dress and suit from Scanlon’s Menswear were a beautiful reflection of the 1920’s style which was photographed by the talented and creative Kaspars from Black Diamond Photography and captured on video by Ben O Sullivan Video.

Real life couple (and not just models) Rachael and Kevin were looked after very well

by Dearbhaile of Obsessed Hair and Make Up. Irish Diamond Limousine supplied the vintage car to take the shoot on the road and Brides of Limerick were on hand to see it all come together.

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The Team

Venue: Castle Oaks House hotel Photography: Black Diamond Photography Video: Ben O Sullivan Video Styling & Flowers: Kitture Weddings Cake: Celina’s Cakes Dress: The Little White Dress Suit: Scanlon’s Menswear NCW Car: Irish Diamond Limousines Make Up: Rachael O Connor Hair: Obsessed Hair Salon Stationery: Limelight Wedding Stationery Models: Rachael O Connor & Kevin MC Mahon

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Hair by Sarah 3 Reasons to visit Finesse

Beauty by Nicola

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Only 1 hours drive from Limerick City Expert advise after 17 years in Business Renowned Customer service

No Bridesmaids?

No Problem!

By Niamh Bartley

There are plenty of reasons to steer clear of a bridal party, whether you can’t choose between your besties or there’s no one you could imagine sharing top table with apart from your future husband. Regardless of why your bridesmaid-less, we have some great advice on how to pull it off with style.

Ask for help Many of you considering having no bridal party are probably freaking out that you’ll have no help when it comes to planning your wedding. A simple solution to this is to ask for help, ask whoever you can to lend a hand here and there. Having bridesmaids doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll help you anyway, the people you choose could be busy or unwilling to help out so you’re better off having a girl’s night of invitation assembling with your besties than picking and choosing who you want there.

Less drama Friendships can be complicated, especially female ones, so cut out the drama by skipping the bridal party. You’ll save so much time and your friendships will escape unscathed from the wedding planning process. Make sure you let your close friends know that you’re not having a bridal party or it might make them feel like you are but not including them, yikes. There could still be a few sour sisters sad that you’re not including them, but there are other ways to involve family than in the bridal party.

Save some money In the long run, having a bridal party is going to cost a fair bit of money.

It’s common courtesy to pay for their dresses, and for the sake of the pictures you’ll want them dressed well. On top of that you’ll have to pay for extra bouquets, jewellery, cars and so much more.

Having no bridal party could relieve some financial pressure that can come with a wedding and you can relax on your big day that much more.

No pressure This one comes from the potential bridesmaid’s perspective, being asked to be someone’s bridesmaid is a huge honour and one that a lot of people couldn’t say no to. This can cause a problem for someone who has a huge workload or a lot going on their own lives. They’ll have to dedicate some of their time to you and your wedding which could put some strain on them and you certainly don’t want someone involved in your wedding who can’t put their heart in it.

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Limerick’s leading wedding hire and sales specialists for men

Suit Supplier of the Year 2015 & 2016

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Weddings at

Photo courtesy of K Photography

BALLYROE HEIGHTS HOTEL TRALEE, CO. KERRY Located in a picturesque setting overlooking stunning views of Tralee Bay and the Sliabh Mish Mountains, Ballyroe Heights Hotel provides a superlative venue for your wedding reception. We specialise in making truly special celebrations and you can count on our experience to make sure every detail of your wedding reception is unforgettable.

We cater for large celebrations of up to 400 guests in our stunning Ballroom which boasts elegant high ceilings with a modern twist. If you desire a more intimate wedding reception we also offer a choice of smaller rooms.

Ballyroe Heights Hotel has also become an increasingly popular venue for Civil Ceremonies. Our beautiful location and newly refurbished Gallery Suite have been tastefully decorated to make the perfect setting for taking your vows.

Bridal Hair and Make-up Packages Bespoke Wedding Flowers Award Winning Hen Parties Coming soon to the

Killaloe Hotel and Spa

We offer a choice of two indoor drinks reception areas and our outdoor patio area. Canapés, sangria and music on our grand piano are all included in our packages. Our stunning choice of floral centre pieces, unique silver candelabras, white linen napkins and exquisite linen chair covers will enhance your reception. The Ballroom has its own private heated beer garden for the comfort of your guests. Your evening buffet will be served at a time suitable to you and your guests.

Our all inclusive wedding packages comprise of everything from drinks reception to evening buffet or we are happy to customise our packages and work closely with wedding couples to create an experience unique to you.

The hotel’s 69 bedrooms are finished to an impeccable standard for your guest’s comfort and wedding couples can enjoy the end to a perfect day in the style and serenity of our Bridal Suite. Its elegant French themed décor also makes the perfect setting for romantic photos.

Whether you wish for an intimate blessing ceremony or a lavish reception for hundreds, our elegant setting and highly professional staff will ensure a memorable day. We have a strict one wedding per day policy.

Blossoms 28 years in the business

We have availability for 2017 with some very special offers on selected dates.

Please contact us to book your wedding consultation T: 066 7126796 E: info@ballyroe.com W: www.ballyroe.com

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DJ JONATHAN PRESENTS

Wedding Entertainment Packages tailored to suit any budget

Including Wedding Bands, Candy Carts Wedding Post Box, Video DJ Themed, Photo Booth Acoustic Acts & much more …

Let us help you discover the perfect wedding entertainment

085 1280092 • irelandpartydj@gmail.com • Facebook DJ Jonathan O’Neill

PhotoBooth365.ie

PhotoBooth365.ie specialise in the hiring of their photo booths within a 100 mile radius of their location here in Limerick.

They also have additional offerings for hire such as their 5ft light up led LOVE and MR & MRS letters, 5.5ft post box, Sam Maguire & Liam MacCarthy full scale replica cups and they are releasing their new English Premier League full scale replica cup from the 1st of January 2018 next.

To secure your booking for any future date contact Diarmuid 061-337712​or 086-8142855 info@PhotoBooth365.ie www.facebook.com/PhotoBooth365.ie

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www.PhotoBooth365.ie Brides of Limerick

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A musical wedding celebration FOR MICHELLE & GAVIN

October 2, 2016 – Micho Russell Music Hall and Hotel Doolin, Co. Clare

MICHELLE O’MAHONY & GAVIN MOORE

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Photographs courtesy of Mrs Red Head Photography

MICHELLE O’MAHONY & GAVIN MOORE Although Gavin Moore is a musical man, he doesn’t always get the timing right. He and his cousins were out in a local nightclub when Michelle O’Mahony first caught his eye.

After a while he plucked up the courage to make a move, his signature move in fact, and flipped Michelle 180 degrees, which is where his timing (or lack thereof) came in. He dropped poor Michelle on her head, but it seems that he made a lasting first impression which he skilfully followed up with funny and romantic letters. Michelle finally gave in to his charm after a few weeks and the rest, as they say, is history.

The couple are the proprietors of the famous Monk’s Lane restaurant in Cork.

Gavin, the nephew of national treasure Christy Moore, took Michelle to Ballyvolane House in Castlelyons for a romantic getaway and one evening before dinner the lovebirds decided to go for a stroll in the walled garden on the hotel’s grounds.

“All the staff were in on it as it was the first proposal in the House. He opened the gate and we walked through the garden full of manicured hedgerows, flowers, trees and sweet peas.

We came to a table and two chairs in the garden set up with Champagne and candles at sunset. I walked straight past and said jeez that looks lovely somebody must be eating outside tonight, he called me back and got on one knee. I had no idea, it was terribly romantic,” Michelle remembers.

Shortly after that a date was set for October 2, 2016 and the couple celebrated their wedding at Micho Russell Music Hall followed by a reception at Hotel Doolin, Co. Clare.

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THE WEDDING TEAM Michelle got her wedding dress from Folkster Kilkenny and the groom was kitted out by the fabulous Sean Murray’s in Skibbereen. The beautiful bridesmaids wore dresses from ASOS while the groomsmen also got their suit’s from Sean Murray’s. The bride’s shoes were bought in New Look and her accessories in Azure, Cork. The wedding rings were a bespoke design from Aoife O’Mahony in Skibbereen.

Mrs Read Head Photography and her sidekick Alex captured the couple’s day beautifully and Ambiguous Fiddle Media caught the day on film so the bride and groom didn’t miss a thing. Bridget Carlin was the couple’s humanist celebrant, “She did a fantastic job in making the ceremony fun and relaxed and had great suggestions for us beforehand as well.”

Vintage Cut Flowers took care of all of the couple’s floral needs for the big day and also collaborated with Caitlin Ruth of Deasys Restaurant, Clonakilty in decorating the wedding cake. The couple’s wedding stationery was made by Mika and Hotel Doolin. Donna O’Neill from Pin Up Hair took care of Michelle’s hair and the bride’s sister Siobhan did her makeup on the day.

The couple included loads of fantastic friends and family members by way of music for the day and The Choons, Blackie

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O’Connell and Hotel Doolin’s Jazz Quartet all provided entertainment throughout the festivities.

LOOK & VIBE OF THE DAY The bride describes the day as relaxed, joyous and musical and the look as rustic, countryside and casual with bursts of colour from the flowers and décor. “Great food, great wines and great people, a magical few days,” Michelle recalls, wishing it could’ve lasted longer.

PERSONAL TOUCHES A huge amount of personality went into making this wedding a success. Michelle’s sister’s boyfriend made the bride and groom a beautiful personalised wine box which was made from Gavin’s grandfather’s wine merchant boxes. The wedding guests each placed a note into the box and Michelle and Gavin will open it in five years to reminisce about their big day. Gavin’s uncle Luka Bloom wrote a song for the ceremony.

The newlyweds are also delighted to have had so many of their friends and family involved in the day, from the hair to the music and everything in between the people they love were involved and it made the day much more personal.

The happy couple also recreated Gavin’s ‘signature move’ from the first time they met, although this time the ending was much more successful.

ADVICE Michelle has some wisdom to impart on all you brides-to-be in the midst of your wedding planning, “Don’t get stressed. Trust that the venue know what they are doing. Most of all enjoy the day, you spend 12 months building up to it and it barely lasts the blink of an eye.”

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH MRS RED HEAD? “Mrs Red Head was fantastic from start to finish. She popped into us the day before so we could sit down and have a chat about the way we wanted the day to go. We explained that we didn’t want a lot of formal photos and she really took our wish on board. She arrived on the morning of the wedding with Alex and they really felt like part of the wedding.

Very relaxed vibe. Alex went with the boys and got some really good shots of them swimming and getting ready.

It was lovely to look back on these as I missed that part of the day. It was a lovely surprise seeing them. I would definitely recommend Mrs Red Head.

I hope our paths will cross again.” www.mrsredhead-foto.com

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SAVE UP FOR YOUR SPECIAL DAY!

By Niamh Bartley Weddings are always going to be expensive affairs, but there certainly are ways to cut down the cost. Pair that with some handy tips for saving up your money before the wedding and you should save yourself a lot of hassle and debt when all is said and done.

Take your time Unless you’re desperate to be married to your fiancé before the year is out, take your engagement slow and you’ll have so much time to research vendors without compromising on quality by leaving it too late. You could also get early-bird deals on some of the more expensive parts of the wedding day, even the venue could provide you with a deal if you book far in advance and there’s also no chance of last minute booking fees being added on.

Off-season Get married at a unique time of year and save yourselves a couple of grand. If you go right on either end of peak-season you’ll still benefit from the weather and the spring or autumnal vibes, but at a much lower price. You also won’t have to worry about the hotel being overbooked or lack of accommodation for out of town guests, as a lot of hotels won’t be at capacity in off-peak times.

Pick and choose your vendors wisely Obviously, it’s great if your vendors recommend others they have worked with before to you, just make sure these other vendors are coming in under or at your budget. Don’t feel pressured into choosing a florist that comes in at a higher price than you had planned, just because your venue have recommended them. Another option would be to try and get a package deal, so if you choose the florist that was recommended you could get 10% off or something like that. Always chance a bargain.

Fake the cake If you want an extravagant cake but you don’t like the price tag, use a dummy cake made from styrofoam and have it decorated for a fraction of the cost of a real cake. Display the dummy cake throughout the reception and have it brought away afterwards.

You could then buy (or bake) some sheet cake for the guests to eat and everybody will be none the wiser. This will save you a couple of hundred euro and you won’t have to watch your guests eat the fabulous creation that was your wedding cake.

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WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY “Declan was our videographer for our wedding this past June at The Village at Lyons Co. Kildare.

We were so incredibly impressed with his work and could not have asked for a better person to capture our special day!”

Discuss your wedding film requirements with Susan or Declan 086 1623644 | 069 61974 info@sesdigital.ie Visit or website for samples and package options

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ed Who will be crown Prom Queen?

Who will win best dressed?

Will you win the ”? oose dance-off to “Footl

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THE MUNSTER WEDDING EXTRAVAGANZA Sunday September 3rd, 2017 Great National Southcourt Hotel, Limerick An action packed day for all you brides and grooms. Meet your suppliers face to face, see what trends are in store for 2018 weddings, be in with a chance to win a WEEKEND TO PARIS, meet some of Ireland’s best bloggers and overall have a fantastic day planning your special day.

All under the one roof, this promises to be the best wedding fair you’ve ever attended.

WIN A WEEKEND TO PARIS

Bridal Pod

ALSO UP FOR GRABS

A front page spread in Brides of Limerick and lots of other prizes

Join is in the Bridal Pod where you can hear from experts in their fields on all things weddings and see the latest fashion trends when it comes to weddings.

(includes autumn copy of Brides of Limerick) Available to purchase at www.DrewMedia.ie - Events

April@BridesofLimerick.ie

April@BridesofKerry.ie

061 633 686

Image Orchard Photography Seasoned professionalism, understated excellence.

With you every minute from the very start to the very finish of your big day.

See us on line at www.imageorchardphotography.com www.facebook.com/imageorchard

Tel: 087 2496128

PVP DIGITAL MEDIA Award Winning Wedding Videography

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Videographer: Michael Phelan PVP Digital Limerick

Mobile: 087 6300324

Email: info@pvpdigital.com

WWW.PVPDIGITAL.COM

Kerry Jane Hurley WEDDING CEREMONY MUSIC

Wedding Ceremony Musician of the year 2016 Wedding Ceremony Musician of the year 2015 Brides of Limerick Wedding Industry Awards 98

Brides of Limerick

087 411 2471 www.kerryjanehurley.com

Full Page FITTING advert FINAL.pdf

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Full Page FITTING advert FINAL.pdf

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