I wont go into all the details coz ill only waffle but ill mention the main suppliers & events of the day!
Flowers- Josephines Flowers, Monesterevin
I met this lady at a wedding fair & loved her ideas. She is gifted. I wanted bright flowers & she was eager to work with the colours i wanted- hot pink, yellow & orange. i just love those colours together. My bridesmaid dresses were green so i was nervous there would be too much goin on but i took the risk and the result was amazing. My bouquet was mixed colours, each bridesmaid had a different colour bouquet. Numerous people commented on the flowers & how fab they were.
Church & Reception Music - Celtic Breeze, http://www.celticbreeze.com
This group made the ceremony so special, their music & vocals would give you shivers its thats good. I wanted a traditional Irish theme as its what my parents love & i spent my childhood listening to trad music at home. the group went to the hotel to entertain guests at the drink reception- so many people commented on how good they were, some spontaneous dancing broke out in the hotel lobby at 1 point because people couldnt resist! the created a brilliant atmosphere!
Photographer - Gibbons Photography, http://www.gibbonsphotography.ie
I cannot wait to see the professional photos- Jer & Anita work together to photograph the day, Anita came to my house & Jer to my Hubbies that morning to get some snaps. I am really bad at smiling directly into the camera or on command & Anita was just brilliant with guidance & encouragment. I am so grateful to her. The made sure to get all the photos i wanted, without being intrusive & were brilliant to deal with.
DVD- Martin Devaney, http://www.wedding-dvd.ie
This man has to be the most genuine, decent supplier youll ever meet. we booked him almost 2 years ago but when i contacted him before the wedding he told us his prices had gone down due to the recession, we were delighted. He text me wishing me well the night before, he text me when he got to the church to let me kno all was grand there & even mentioned that the musicians were settin up & the church looked well- it was nice to hear!
He stayed late into the night but you wouldnt even know he was around he is that discreet. He is definately the supplier that stands out for us on the day.
Decor- Finesse Weddings
We didnt add much additional decor to the function room, a fairy light backdrop, some uplighters etc. but this supplier was very efficient & did exactly what i asked them to do. they worked with the hotel & it looked fab.
Hotel - Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone
Amazing! Something drew me to this hotel when we were looking at venues even though there are many more popular wedding hotels in the area. I am so so glad we booked this hotel. We were engaged 2 years & i contacted the hotel on and off about different things, there was never a problem & they always accomodated me. The staff are so friendly and very efficient. The room was set up exactly as i wanted & looked amazing. The reception food was gorgeous- we had sandwiches for guests on arrival & i know this prob will sound mad but even the quality of the sandwiches was brilliant. The meal was outstanding- hot & served up quickly, so many of our guests commented on the quality of the meal. The staff were on the ball & did a brilliant job.
Chocolate Fountain- Fiona, http://www.chocolatefountainhire.ie
This lady was lovely & has a lovely way with people. The fountain was really impressive, with a variety of things to dip. Fiona served every1 individually to ensure there was no mess & she had a great chat with every1.
Band - The Whiskey River Band
Brilliant band, they played a mix of everything & had the dancefloor full. Really nice people to deal with too.
DJ - Paul Fox
He was brilliant, i gave him some guidelines as to what kinda music we enjoyed & he blew us away. he played a bit for every1 & the dancefloor was full to the end, even a bit after that!
There is so much more detail i could give but ive gone on long enough. We were so pleased with the way our day went and with all the suppliers we used.
If i was to offer any advice i would say with the planning, do things your way & if you add your personality into your day youl be happy with it- for example i took a risk with the flowers & i loved them, our 1st dance wasnt traditional but we loved it, i had red nails even though my mam wudnt like that (i just didnt tell her) and i loved them, we had traditional music here & there throughout the day which i know isnt every1s cup of tea but it created the atmosphere i was hoping for.
Heres a link to our 1st dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP-LtSWK934
If this link doesnt work just put in "Shirley and James first dance" into youtube and it should work!
Now for some photos:
Thanks for reading! x
