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Photo Courtesy of Joe Conroy Photography Portlaoise at the wedding of the lovely James and Christine
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So... I moved to Scotland... For those of you who have had the pleasure of knowing/working with me prior to this Quarantine Creation of a Blog, would know that I would not have left my previous job in the Wonderful Midlands Park Hotel for anything but amazing. Ok, admittedly, Scotland may have been a slightly biased move on my behalf, as my someone special is Scottish and the long-distance thing was fun for a while, but who wants to do that for any longer than they have to! The dream job was in the beautiful, independently owned, Gleddoch Hotel, Golf and Spa Resort. The property which has been recently renovated, overlooking the River Clyde and surrounded by the most amazing views of Dumbarton Rock and beyond. The award-winning team, in the unfortunately short amount of time I got to spend with them, was a natural fit. It really did feel like a home away from home.
The very first wedding we attended together as a couple, in June 2019, was in this beautiful venue. So, at the beginning of 2020, when I was casually browsing through jobs in Scotland online, I saw Gleddoch advertising a position in Weddings and Events which just felt too much like faith to ignore. I applied and as you can tell from the opening line I got the job! Everything just fell into place for us and it was tremendously exciting, despite the whispers at the time, of something called Coronavirus.
Following some emotional goodbyes, I moved to Scotland the week before I was due to officially start. The day after I got off the boat in Cairnryan, I got a call to say that the position had been withdrawn as a result of the Coronavirus and Lockdown. Of course, even through the initial feelings of "what do I do now" wore off, I completely understood it is such an uncertain time for all business' and for an industry so close to my heart, hospitality. It will be an extremely harsh test, one that not all will survive. All we can do now is weather the storm, and when we are again able to, support our local business' and local communities. This, as unavoidable as it was, admittedly had me down in the dumps but following a few weeks of figuring things out and exploring alternatives here we are. I want to offer any and all advice on weddings and planning. Using my experience within the industry and passing it on to anyone who might need it during this uncertain time. As the weeks roll by, I constantly think of the weddings and couples I would have been looking after this summer prior to my move and my heart goes out to the Brides, Grooms and wedding couples of 2020. Please remember, this isn't forever. Before we know it, we will be polishing our shoes and struggling to tie a standard Windsor knot, while our elders continue to usefully point out “tying a tie is a basic life skill”. We will be smiling and posing for photos with family and friends until our jaws are sore and abs tired from sucking in our post-quarantine tummys. Sitting through speeches, ready for our dinner, betting on how many “Thank you’s” will be given out. We will be dancing the night away in Flip Flops, so kindly provided by the Bride who has literally been in our heels and understands our pain. Weddings will happen again and we will celebrate bigger and better with all those whom we so achingly miss during this lockdown. Your Day will Come! Bríona x
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To be honest when I finally sat down to start writing a wedding blog, I had no idea where to start. (and I’m not quite sure I do now, but stick with me and find out…) The Last time I wrote something someone wanted to read, it was the Leaving Cert English Paper 1, and that is over a decade ago now. In preparation I read every wedding magazine the shelves of Eason’s had to offer. I made lists upon lists of popular phrases and “Buzz” words, for example, Opulent, Intricate, detailed and Intricately Detailed Opulence. I was trying to wrap my head around exactly what the people (that’s you!) want to hear from Wedding Blogger.
You can probably guess where my next pitstop along this journey was, yes that’s right, the mother of all Wedding Bloggers, Ms. Sara Kennedy. I made it to the “About us page” on her Irish Wedding Blog website before slowly closing my laptop and going to grab this cup of tea. What an incredible woman and journey! In fact, leave my blog right now and go read her back story. Her Journey started selling engagement and wedding rings, and I sold Sunglasses in Sunglass Hut. Hers is a much more romantic journey with weddings than mine. To be perfectly frank before I organised the over 200 weddings, I have had the honour and pleasure of Coordinating, I had never attended a wedding before. (Bar Auntie Orla’s, at which 4-year-old me got my head stuck between the railings of the church and refused to take my flower crown off in order to fit back through said railings. Similar to a Situation I found myself in earlier this year at Electric Picnic). Anyway, the point is Sara Kennedy is amazing. Despite my lack of Romantic backstory, I live Weddings every day. I am one of the lucky few people in this world that can say I love my job. In fact, I love what I do so much that I wanted this extra outlet. This will be a blog with the aim to help guide Brides and Grooms from Engagement to Honeymoon, hopefully with a few laughs along the way. So stick with me. How did I do? |
