Join us for the first part in our new series as we follow Wedding Planner, Caitriona Foley, of True Romance Weddings, as she blogs about her own journey organising her special day. We can’t wait to hear this expert bride-to-be’s story and get some insider advice & tips. From navigating around obstacles, including both partners’ personalities in the wedding planning process and lots of inspiration, here’s The Wedding Planner’s Wedding Part I…
Himself and I met very late one night in Cork, back in 2009. I wasn’t on the lookout for anyone; a day out with friends had turned into a warm June evening enjoying drinks in a beer garden, and ended up in – where else – Havana Browns.
Though I’m not a smoker, it was one of those nights that was spent out in the smoking room, chatting with old friends and making new ones. Mid-conversation, my friend said, “do you know that fella that’s been staring at you for the last half hour?” I discreetly turned my head and, sure enough, there he was.
Tall, dark and handsome, he was chatting with a friend of a friend. We were finally introduced at almost 2:00 am, started talking and eventually were told by the bouncers that they were closing up. We walked down the street together, neither of us wanting the night to end. I gave him my number, he gave me a hug.
His arms tightly wrapped around me. I asked: “are you going to let me go?”
“Never,” he replied.
Almost seven years later, life has changed quite drastically for us. We moved in after just five months together, deciding that we might as well ‘give it a go’ and see if we were able to stand each other under the same roof. Of course we were! Our life together has involved a couple of moves up and down the West of Ireland, health issues, several job changes and then, last November, a precious gift in the form of our son, Henry.
I knew a very long time ago that I only ever wanted to be with this man; that he was truly the love of my life. So when we went for a mini-break to Westport in February, and I turned around in our hotel room to find him on bended knee with a beautiful Claddagh ring engraved with the words ‘love, loyalty, friendship’ – my life was made.
There’s a small catch, you see. Well, two catches really. Firstly, I’m a professional wedding planner. For years I’ve been helping other couples to plan their perfect day, spending hours researching trends, venues and dresses for other people. That has also meant dealing with endless questions from family and friends – when would we be giving them a day out? And now, it means an awful lot of pressure to plan a very unique and memorable celebration.
The second catch is that my other half is not quite as much of a social butterfly as I am.
He would rather stay out of the limelight, and the idea of standing up in front of a crowd of people or being the focus of attention for a whole day is terrifying to him. So how do you plan a wedding between a girl who dreams of a really amazing wedding day, and a guy who would rather elope and do everything in private? That’s the challenge that’s ahead for my love and I.
Friends and family are shocked that it has been almost two months and I have no plans set in stone – they thought I would have everything done already. Over the next few months I’m going to share my wedding planning journey with you, and I’m truly looking forward to it. Next time, I’ll be talking about our venue search, an alternative ceremony and trying to fit a wedding date around communions and confirmations.
Check out Caitriona’s Wedding Planning Services and blog at www.trueromanceweddings.com
