Ailbhe Garrihy’s Wedding Preparation Tips

For those of you following Ailbhe on social media, there is no doubt that you were glued to her very popular #weddingwednesdays in the lead up to her big day. I loved her honesty and eagerness to chat about weddings.

Her wedding did not disappoint and I just love the story behind her big day. From chatting to Ailbhe, I learnt of her strong ties to Co. Clare and how important it was to return to her family’s home-place. When Ailbhe & Ruaidhri went venue hunting they immediately fell in love with Gregan’s Castle and booked it. It was only after that they realised that their full wedding party wouldn’t fit but this venue was a non-negotiable and it’s what they wanted. From that, they decided that they would have a day 2 in Hotel Doolin and keep day 1 for immediate family and closest friends. I love how they adapted to do what was right for them.

Ailbhe was stunning (and is always picture perfect to be fair!) on her wedding day. She opted for a very natural, boho look and what I loved is that she looked herself and not overly done. Her two piece wedding look was from Rachel in The White Gallery Boutique in Newry which is one of my favourite bridal boutiques. I actually styled a Boho shoot for Xpose using her gowns and you can see the details here.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ailbhe Garrihy twice before her wedding day. I interviewed her in Mount Wolseley 5 months before the big day and then interviewed again 8 days before her wedding in The Limerick Strand Hotel. I must say, Ailbhe remained cool, calm and collected on both occasions. I was expecting her to be stressed off her head.

At each interview, I always asked Ailbhe to share some of her tips while wedding planning and here are her wise wedding prep tips:

• Slowly Does It!

As many of us know, when the ring goes on the finger it’s very difficult not to get swept away with the madness of planning but she recommends not rushing in to anything. You don’t have to agree to anything straight away, gather the information, take it away, sleep on it and then see how you feel before committing.

• Your Day, Your way

As mentioned above, both Ailbhe and Ruaidhri fell in love with Gregan’s Castle and it was going to be part of their wedding day. The decided to have a day 2 event in a bigger venue. That’s what they wanted and what was going to be right for them. They didn’t get caught up in worrying about convention.

• Food & Music

Ailbhe was very keen to get Food & Music right and I, of course, agree. If you get either wrong it will be all the guests will talk about. Ailbhe recommended going to see the band before booking and tasting the food at the venue to be sure it is what you are expecting.

• Key Stressers

When I asked what aspect herself and Ruaidhri found most stressful, she explained that the very start was really stressful as firstly they didn’t know what to expect and what the end cost would be. There was a lot of work at the start getting in touch with suppliers to get costs and to match dates with their diaries etc. It was upfront stress and once everything was booked it was enjoyable.

• Me Time

With the above stress in mind, I asked Ailbhe how she copes with stress and the overwhelm of wedding planning. She recommends stepping back from the wedding planning and regrouping. She discovered her love for the gym in the lead up to her wedding and found that a great outlet for stress and feeling good.

• The Speech

Ailbhe teaches speech and drama in her local area of Castleknock and speaks in public quite regularly. I asked what tips she would give to brides or grooms who are intending on doing a speech and feeling nervous. She had a very simple tip – breath….yes it’s that simple. If you are calm in your breathing you will feel more relaxed and of course practise but don’t overthink it.

• Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

Ailbhe’s could have felt serious pressure as she is in the public eye and so many people would be tuning in to see what she was going to do with her wedding. She very simply said that both herself and Ruairdhi tried to keep focused on what was important and all of the little things didn’t matter, they were going to have a great wedding day regardless of all the small details and they couldn’t wait to be married and have a great party with their most favourite people in the world

Such simple and effective tips! A huge congratulations to Ailbhe & Ruaidhri and thank you both for sharing your wedding with us and of course to Ailbhe for brightening up our Wednesday’s last year!

Photo Credit: Mrs RedHead Wedding Art