A PERFECT MARRIAGE OF BEAUTY AND SIMPLICITY
I LOVE WEDDINGS – who doesn’t look forward to a good Irish shindig? The warm, infectious energy, the dressing up, the merry-go-round of canapes and champagne on trays. The simple pleasures of waking up to a hotel breakfast and an excuse to tuck into a bloody Mary at midday. I love all the sentimental touches. The emotional walk down the aisle, the embarrassing speeches, those precious caught-off-guard moments where the mother of the bride pats at the inevitable tears and the dancefloor debauchery at the end of the night. If you haven’t done the Macarena at 2am in some function room in Ireland, have you even lived?
Most of all, I love the style – the silky ornate dresses, the dainty shoes and the big hair. I love watching the grandmothers nod and smile at each other when they catch a glimpse of ‘the dress’. I love being the one at the back with a wide-eyed view of the whole day.
Naturally you’d think that with such a special grá for weddings, I would be happy, elated and joyous at the thought of planning my own big day – not occasionally nauseated and overwhelmed. I got engaged in New York in
December and since then, there have been moments of complete and utter joy, of course, followed by moments of absolute bewilderment. Who in their right mind can afford to spend
€17,000 on their reception? Then there’s the all-important timeline.
I have idyllic notions of getting married in August but this is peak season, I’m told – why did someone not tell me to start looking at venues in 2014?
Being engaged is kind like sitting in front of an egg timer. You slide the ring on your finger and the tirade of questions begin to fall. Have you set a date? Are the invitations in the post? Did you remember to put your great auntie on the list?
I work in fashion so immediately there’s a lavish notion applied to the wedding dress, not forgetting the styling of the venue, complete with fresh flowers hung from ceilings and towering candelabras or even a vivid forest scene. ‘I can imagine you getting married on a beach,’ someone else said to me. In Ireland?
At this rate I’ll rounding up friends to rig up a marquee in my back garden and headed to charity shops to deck out my bridal party. Wedding trends? Sure, I’ve waxed lyrical about them in the past but I’m more concerned about being able to walk, move freely, hopefully dance in and avoid getting mascara stains on my chosen dress, thank you.
If I’m to take any advice, it’s that less is more. If the day flies by as quickly as everyone says it will, do I really need to worry about the scent of the candles or the size of the bouquets? As the old saying goes, there is beauty in simplicity.
“I HAVE IDYLLIC NOTIONS OF GETTING MARRIED IN AUGUST BUT IT’S PEAK SEASON I’M TOLD”