It is with great pleasure to introduce the first of many vendor spotlights showcasing people that I know, have worked with and want to share with the outside world. Oh, what do you guys think to the logo, funky hey?? A special thanks must go to Allan Cavanagh of Caricatures Ireland for the drawing which is incorporated within the logo.

For the first interview, we are going to be talking to Annie Byrne of Aislinn Events down in Dingle. Annie is a wedding co-ordinator who specialises in helping brides who are looking to have their special day here in Ireland. So make sure you are sitting down, have a cup of your favourite to hand and we shall begin…

1)      What made you decide that being a wedding planner was for you??

There was never really an ‘aha’ moment, it was always just there in my mind. When I was younger I used to throw great parties and always loved to create a theme for them so being a wedding planner was a natural progression from that I suppose. I love weddings because they are about love, bringing family and friends together, good food and drink, fun and all things beautiful. It was an easy decision.

2)      Why locate to Ireland??

I came to Ireland in 1995 when I took 2 months off of work in Los Angeles to backpack around Europe. My travels brought me to Dingle and I fell in love with the place. It’s a stunningly beautiful place and the people were fantastic to me so I came back the next year to work and have been here ever since.

3)      How did you decide on the company/business name, what was the inspiration behind it? Great question??

I wanted a name for my business that had Irish connotations and meant something relevant to weddings and events but with practicalities like being easy to pronounce for my American couples and beginning with an A so I would get top listing in directories {one has to think about those things!}. I also had a nickname for the group of my favourite suppliers whom I called ‘The Dream Team’. Aislinn is taken from the word {and girls name} Aisling which means dream or inspired vision. It was perfect.

4)      Have you come across any misconceptions associated with hiring a wedding planner??

So many! The main one I think is that having a wedding planner is pretentious. It’s not. Having a wedding planner is so practical it’s ridiculous. Also that we will either take over the wedding or cost a fortune. We will not and do not. We are there to advise and guide and do the little bits that you either don’t want to do or don’t have time for. The cost of a planner (especially for a full planning) should be built into your budget so that whether you are spending (the national average) of €20,000 for your wedding you will get a planner and still spend the €20,000. She will negotiate for you and source items to fit within your budget.

5)      What makes you different against all the other wedding planners in Ireland??

I don’t want to speak for other planners but I know that I care, I’m personal and conscientious and will do everything I can for them. Also being American myself and specializing in Ireland as a destination,  I know what (especially) Americans expect and are used to in a wedding which is quite different than a typical Irish wedding and do keep a close eye on what is happing in America with new ideas, trends  and coming up with my own new ideas to personalize the day.

6)      What’s a favourite wedding planning moment??

In general, when the couple leaves me. That sounds bad! But what I mean is hearing how happy they were with everything and knowing their experience was a life moment and that I was a part of it. Also planning little surprises for people like one of my grooms who asked me to organize a gospel choir for his bride and she had no idea. Imagine trying to sneak a gospel choir into a church!

7)      What do you enjoy about your job??

Mainly the creativity of it but I also know that I am a service person so being able to simply help people, advise with something they have never done before is really rewarding.

8)      What is your most unusual or regular request you get from couple when they come to Ireland to get married?

I don’t know if you would call it unusual, but organizing full travel itineraries for a wedding party is something that normally wouldn’t be in my job description but of course I’ll do it to help! Regular requests are not only organizing the wedding day but pre and post wedding parties that are ‘typically Irish’. They want pubs, traditional music and to meet the ole characters that they imagine when they think of Ireland. That is fun as long as I can attend too!

9)      What would your dream event be if you had 100% control of everything??

A wedding definitely. With a bride that wasn’t afraid to throw out all the “wedding rules” and just do what she wanted. A smallish wedding of 35 to 50 people and hire out a private manor house or castle for 3 days. Have all of the food for the weekend organized by a chef with nice picnic type items for lounging around the day before and dining family style on the first evening. Then the wedding day, have the ceremony outside with the event fully catered for in the castle or manor. In the evening, great food and drink with great friends and some music. The next morning a late brunch together and relaxing in the gardens all day. – I’m a simple girl!

10)   How can people get in touch with you??

That an easy one. Here are all the details you need:

Telephone:      +353 (0)87-676 1900
Email:             annie@aislinnevents.com
Web site:        http://aislinnevents.com
Blog:              http://aislinnevents.com/blog