Real Wedding – Jo and Katie

As self-proclaimed ‘last-minuters’ Jo and Katie successfully tied the knot during the hectic year of 2020 on August 13^th. Having to plan two weddings due to Covid-19 did not put a cloud over these brides’ heads as they successfully navigated their way through mourning the wedding that could have been and creating a beautiful and intimate occasion where the papers were signed in the Glenview hotel gardens before the ceremony took place in their friend’s AirBnB in Foxborough House.

The Engagement

This love story began in 2015 with Jo knowing she had found the one the moment she laid eyes on Katie. “Jo says she knew from the moment she laid eyes on Katie that she would be her wife and told Katie confidently that she’d check back in with her in 2 years and then they would start their life together”. Jo couldn’t have been more right about finding her perfect match as Katie proposed to Jo in the romantic setting of Thailand in 2019.

Planning

While at first, they began planning a wedding without the restrictions Covid-19 brought to many weddings during 2020. They had to rejig their plans and while they had many of their necessities already organised… venue, photographer, band, hair, they still had no outfits or finer details ready.

Budgeting, like for many, was a difficult area with both Jo and Katie losing their work due to Covid. However, where there’s a will there’s a way, but more importantly where there’s family there’s support. “We managed to save a bit and people were very kind, for example Katie’s Dad offered to buy drink for us for the wedding, our parents bought our outfits. So those things really helped us out.”

The hardest part for any couple when resizing a wedding is the uninviting of guests, in this case it was 145 people who received the letter breaking the bad news, however in a true gesture of what a wedding is all about Jo and Katie received overwhelming love and support in response from their guests.

The Big day

Starting off the day with a swim in Wicklow harbour in their new white bikinis, Jo then went onto the Today FM Breakfast Show ‘Kickstart’ segment where she introduced ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ by Whitney Houston and got the whole country dancing. They shared some precious moments together while getting ready in Glenview before everyone gathered. This wasn’t without a small hiccup where Jo luckily had her dog-sitter pick up her Russian hair extensions she had forgotten which she pet named ‘Syetlania’. Their first dance was to ‘My Girl’ which was choreographed by Shauna Finn of Dancing with the Stars, the guests all made a circle around them as they danced, with the kids joining them at the end. As a surprise for the guests, the girls organised for Shauna to come back and teach everyone a dance. This was so much fun and gave a great structure to the evening. It was real ‘all hands on-deck’ event from the week before where everybody played such an amazing part in helping behind the scenes and on the day. Jo’s Dad started building the arch months before the wedding in Tipperary before transporting it to Wicklow, while Katie’s mum was hand sowing bunting for the venue. Hazel Cullen at Foxborough House was so helpful, this venue was perfect for us and our family as we had the freedom to create our dream wedding.

Jo’s sister Katherine was a great support system before, during and after the wedding, her attempts to try and organise a hen being constantly crushed by covid regulations. She still managed to create something wonderful and both girls managed to have great separate events in the end.

Even though Jo and Katie didn’t get the wedding they had originally planned, they had the most magical day of their lives and wouldn’t change it for the world. They decorated the gorgeous gardens of Foxborough House with bunting and rented a marquee and created a fabulous area for their ceremony in the woods of the venue.

Parting Advice

“Try not to get sucked into what you people say ‘you should do’, write down your non-negotiables with your partner and stick to it. Do what you both want. This is your day, it’s so easy to get swept into what everybody else does, stick to your plan and everyone will have a great time once you are