Planning your dream wedding day is not an easy task. It is all too easy to get caught up in the excitement surrounding the event, which is when some brides and grooms momentarily forget what is really important, their marriage. Hiring a wedding planner does not mean you have to hand over full responsibility of planning your wedding. It can simply be a helping hand allowing you to efficiently organise the details while enjoying every moment of the experience.
1. Hi Linda, I understand Perfect Irish Weddings is Ireland’s only ‘eco – chic wedding planning company’ do explain?
I have always been passionate about environmental issues and try to do what I can in my personal life and at home to reduce my impact on the environment. A few years ago I met a fantastic Environmental and Sustainable Consultant ‘Andrea Carroll’ who incidentally turned into my business partner on another venture “One of a Kind Weddings” and she suggested that I turn my company green. I went a step farther and turned my services green also. With Andrea’s help I was able to turn Perfect Irish Weddings in to Ireland first Green Wedding Planning Company.
I started to research just now how much damage to the environment can be done by your average wedding. Now it’s an imperfect science, but the figures I found out there where quite high. Based on weddings in the UK (Not Ireland) of about 150 people this costs about 63 tons of CO2, the average wedding produces a carbon footprint larger than the average UK families yearly footprint, which gets quite large when you multiply that by an average of 20,000 weddings in Ireland a year. These days are there many carbon calculators out there that will calculate your wedding carbon footprint for you.
With this information in mind, I give couples advice and idea’s on not only how to plan an amazing wedding but also how to make it kinder to our environment. This also usually makes it a much cheaper wedding so it’s a win-win situation. If every couple just made one small part of their wedding that little bit greener then this would make a big difference.
2. How did your career come about?
I have been organising all sorts of events for family and friends for many years before setting up PIW so it was a natural progression to move into this as a career. Back in 2008 I set up Perfect Irish Weddings, it turned into a green company in 2009 and these days it is not only weddings that get the attention of my coordination skills. I also organise and style photo-shoots, wedding fairs and all manners of bespoke events, large and small, it’s a real passion of mine, I love what I do.
3. What is your one favourite thing about a wedding day?
I love everything about a special day like a wedding day, but I always “well up” and shed a tear when the vows are said, those special moments between a couple. There is something very emotional about bearing your soul for the one you love in front of a room/church full of people, so I think this would probably be it! It is what a wedding is all about in the end. I do love to see everyone letting their hair down and having a good time afterwards too!
4. Elegant fairytale castle wedding or a beach wedding in the Bahamas, which would you choose?
I’m an old fashioned romantic kinda gal so for me it would be the Castle Wedding.
5. have you met many bridezillas in your time?
The brides I meet are so lovely, some are just anxious about a very important day in their lives and sometimes that can over shadow the reason for the day in the first place. My job is to reassure them that there is no need for worry and stress. It is very important that the couple trust those wedding suppliers & vendors (including myself) that will be working with them on their wedding. When they are reassured, then the majority of couples do relax and enjoy the planning stage and more importantly the day itself.
6. Seeing as we jsut celebrated the festive season, how would you add a festive element to a winter wedding? Seeing as a white Christmas is unlikely…
Fairy lights are my favourite! So pretty for any wedding but I think for Christmas weddings they are a must! They create a romantic and magical atmosphere. The new LED lights are very affordable, low in energy usage and you reuse them for years to come!
I also love to decorate with holly, pine cones and bare branches, sparkling with icy white and a shimmer of sliver spray these will decorate your tables with elegance and sophistication for a winter wedding. Another favourite is up lighters on bare branches sprayed white! This can look striking and beautiful.
An old favourite is also to offer a warm drink like mulled wine for your guests when they first arrive at your venue. I am a lover of mulled wine but not everyone likes it, but do offer something hot in the winter months just to warm the soul again when they come in from the cold.
7. If you could give a bride one piece of advice while planning her dream wedding it would be…
Well I have two vital pieces of advice and they both go hand in hand. First of all DON’T leave everything until the last couple of weeks, you will put yourself under immense pressure as there always seems to be other things that have not been thought about in those weeks. Brides you need your beauty sleep in these vital few last week’s so be organised! Aim to have most things wrapped up with 3 – 4 weeks to go, things will always run over but let this be your aim!
DON’T worry about anything on the day, just enjoy every minute!! Remember that it really doesn’t matter where or how you get married, you are both there to marry the love of your life the party is just an incidental! It’s the marriage that is important, so if the marquee falls down or the priest is late or the flower girl falls into a big puddle of mud! Don’t worry, just laugh at it! It’s those moments that make the day too!
8. Mince pies or Christmas cake?
Oh Both!!! Yum! Especially if they are homemade! I love Christmas!
9. To chill out you like to…
Well in the winter months I love to curl up on the couch with a good film and a glass of wine. But wrapped up warm, I still love a good walk on the beach with the dog. In the summer months I could be up to anything! I love trying new things so anything from surfing to white water rafting.
Linda McAllorum has been planning and managing weddings and events since 2008. She also organises and styles photoshoots. Linda’s company Perfect Irish Weddings is Ireland’s only eco-chic wedding planning company. And One of a Kind Weddings is Ireland first alternative and Eco focused Wedding events company. You can contact Linda via her website.
{Image by Johannes Photography}
