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NEW! Rosie The Wedding Planner Magazine!

‘With love’s light wings did I o’er-perch these walls; For stony limits cannot hold love out.‘ - Romeo and Juliet

Follow in the footsteps of famous actors past and present with a wedding centre stage or take your wedding vows 100 feet high and enjoy the views from the iconic Tower.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has opened its doors for weddings and civil partnerships, offering couples the opportunity to take centre stage on their special day in the dramatic surroundings of the Company’s home in Stratford-upon-Avon. Fully licensed for marriage ceremonies and civil partnerships, couples can tie the knot while treading the boards in the impressive setting of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which has a capacity of over 1,000 or the more intimate Swan Theatre which holds just over 400 people.

Star-crossed lovers’ can also take their vows 100 feet high and enjoy the views from the top of the iconic theatre Tower, which offers a breathtaking panorama of Shakespeare’s town and the surrounding countryside. But for those looking for a special ceremony which is a little bit more down to earth there are eight other licensed spaces, ranging from rehearsal studios to reading rooms, located throughout the RSC’s building.

The RSC’s wedding and civil partnership service goes beyond simply providing a venue. The Company’s team of highly skilled voice and movement artists can offer their expertise to couples preparing for their special ‘performance’ on the big day.

As well as their two theatres, there are several rooms and spaces of various shapes and sizes available for hire, most notably the Ashcroft Room in the eaves of the theatre, which accommodates between 40 and 250 people. There also have four distinctive theatre bars where visitors can relax with a drink and the Rooftop Restaurant and Bar for your wedding reception.

For more info:

www.rsc.org.uk/hires

For Star Crossed Lovers

The Government is expected to agree today to back legislation giving humanists the same status as organised religions and civil registrars in conducting marriage ceremonies. This is great news for couples wanting to have a non religious wedding ceremony in Ireland, and want a ceremony that is more extended than the typical civil wedding ceremony. At the moment registrars are stretched to capacity for civil wedding bookings in Ireland. They only work from Monday to Friday and many are limited to the days they are available to conduct wedding ceremonies as they have other admin duties to perform.

The 2004 Act stipulates that, apart from Health Service Executive registrars, only a member of a ‘religious body’ may celebrate legal marriages. This is defined as ‘an organised group of people, members of which meet regularly for common religious worship’.

So as the law stands, a couple cannot have a legally binding, nonreligious marriage ceremony on a Saturday or Sunday.

The definition excludes members of the Humanist Association of Ireland, who currently conduct humanist wedding ceremonies. These are symbolic ceremonies which are not legally recognised, so couples must attend a registrar pre ceremony to legally register their union. Many couples would prefer not to do this as it takes away from the ceremony moment.

The Bill proposes to extend the right to conduct civil marriages to nonreligious groups such as the HAI.

The proportion of couples choosing a non-religious, civil wedding ceremony in Ireland has increased from 6 per cent in 1996 to more than 23 per cent in 2006, according to the Central Statistics Office and it was predicted by the CSO 3 years ago that civil ceremonies will outnumber church ceremonies by the end of 2012.

- Rosie The Wedding Planner 

Humanist Weddings to Get Legal Status

Not many people know this but one of my first ‘real’ jobs was Fundraising Events Manager for Oxfam Ireland, they are always ahead of the game with innovative ideas to support their great work abroad and here’s another brilliant idea!

Oxfam’s online wedding auction will run on eBay from the evening of Sunday 29th April to Wednesday 9th May 2012. The auction will feature over 100 items with a combined retail value of £70,000, including a package with an award-winning reportage photographer and celebrity hair-stylist worth £15,000, wedding gowns by top designers such as Jenny Packham, Sassi Holford and Tammam, and a flower girl dress by Nicki Macfarlane who made The Duchess of Cambridge’s bridesmaids’ dresses last year.

Sassi Holford, bridal designer says: “I’ve been a long term donor to Oxfam’s successful network of bridal shops, so I am thrilled to be able to donate a dress for this exciting online auction. There are some truly amazing items that have been donated and everyone has the opportunity to bid on any (or all!) of them!”

This unique auction, managed through eBay trader Stuff U Sell, also includes an exclusive consultation with Ian Stuart and choice of any of his Killer Queen dresses, free venue hire at Senate House, flowers from florists such as By Appointment Only and Philippa Craddock, and a luxury wedding tipi worth £5000. Couples who win items won’t just get something special for their big day; their money will go to supporting people to re-build their lives through Oxfam Unwrapped’s emergency work.

Since launch, Oxfam’s weddings range has raised over £1 million to help change the lives of vulnerable people living in poverty around the world. The Oxfam online wedding shop, which launched last year, offers a huge range of items needed for the big day including Oxfam Unwrapped wedding lists and favours. Brides can also visit one of Oxfam’s 11 bridal boutiques to buy dream designer and vintage dresses all for bargain prices. Their online shop also includes a special ethical 100% silver jewellery collection, including elegant bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

Lucy Tammam, ethical bridal designer adds: “I was delighted to design an exclusive dress for Oxfam. We have incorporated many traditional crafts done by our fair-trade producers in India to create this spectacular gown in various peace silks, organic and sustainable fabrics. We are sure the bride who wins this will be overjoyed.”

For more information on the fabulous items available and details of the auction go to: www.ebay.co.uk/oxfam

Online Wedding Auction This Week!

Saturday 26^th & Sunday 27^th May 2012

Set on its own 64 acre estate, The Dunloe overlooks the famous Gap of Dunloe, the River Laune and the ruins of the old 12^th century castle. The Dunloe, a 5 star venue, has been welcoming wedding celebrations for almost 40 years and offers a breathtaking location. Staff will be on hand at the wedding open days to introduce you to what the hotel can offer for your wedding celebration.

The Dunloe is hosting its Wedding Open days on Saturday 26^th & Sunday 27^th of May both days running from 9am – 9pm.

Book your wedding on either of these days and you’ll be entered into a draw for a romantic weekend – 2 nights in the Bridal Suite with dinner on one evening.

Worth a visit!

Wedding Fair in Dunloe

A Céilí was the traditional way to celebrate a wedding in Ireland. I had one at my wedding and everyone of every age was up on the dance floor from the first tune. It was a great alternative to a wedding band. Here’s an opportunity to get a flavour of what a Céilí is all about!

Bealtaine Céilí – TAC (Traditional Arts Collective)

Wow look at this wedding dress, and then look again… it is actually a wedding cake! I think you will agree that this wedding dress cake is a work of art! Even the manniquin is cake!  The bodice is perfectly smooth with just a few details while the skirt is covered in swirls, ridges, and calla lilies all made of icing.

I was trying to find the source of this image to credit the creator and to find out more and I was led back to a a Japanese site. If anyone knows who created please let me know.

(I dare any bride out there to bring this pic into you local cake maker and say ‘This is the cake I want’!)

Wedding Dress Cake!

Everyone wants to look their best on their wedding day, but with all the expense associated with the big day, you may wonder if a personal trainer is a service worth paying for. For people who feel that it is important for them to start married life in great physical shape, then hiring a personal trainer is the most effective way to get in shape for your wedding, tone up, achieve a healthy level of body fat and adopt lifelong healthy habits.

1: Motivation. The biggest and best reason that people use a PT, is that when you have the full, undivided atention of a fitness expert, you  feel ‘obliged’ to complete training sessions to the best of your ability. Also, people are universally more likely to fully use a service that they have paid for in order to get value for money. This means that you are very unlikely to skip an appointment with your PT, whereas skipping a jog around the park after a hard day at work can be easily done.

2: Quality of Exercises. A PT advises clients on the most effective and safest techniques to work various muscle groups and achieve a healthy level of body fat. By performing exercises badly, you will, at best, be wasting your time. At worst, you could injure yourself. At a gym, it is difficult for a fitness instructor to keep tabs on everyone there, so many mistakes go uncorrected.

A PT, on the other hand, is there to specifically help you and will check that you are doing all repetitions of exercises correctly.

3: Variety. A trained, experienced PT will be able to give you new, challenging, and fun workouts. Most people, when left to their own devices, make up their training sessions using a mix of half-remembered advice from their local gym and generic tips from magazines. A PT has a much larger ‘database’ of knowledge as well as experience in seeing what works. This means you get a constantly tweaked, personalized fitness programme that avoids boredom and stops your body from getting too accustomed to the same old routine.

4: Time-saving: When you use correct training techniques, it is not necessary to spend an hour and a half in the gym. For many people, it is possible to do an effective workout in as little as 30 minutes. Also, many PTs are able to design mini-workout sessions that clients can perform in a room in their own home, and so avoid the need to travel to and from a gym.

5: The End Result: Many people use a PT with the intention to just getting in shape for some big event (ie: your wedding!), but after building up a rapport with a PT who is passionate about fitness, they find that they develop an overall healthier lifestyle and an actual enjoyment of the healthier things in life. Once a person has reached their initial fitness goals, a PT will give them the tools to maintain their new shape on their own.

Mauro Sulcis is a former Italian Professional Kick-Boxing Champion (full contact). He is a fully-qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer with experience in delivering a wide range of programmes and classes to all levels of fitness. He has been working in Dublin since 2005 in both public and corporate gyms, and as a private personal trainer. Visit his website www.fitpowerdublin.com

5 Reasons Why You Should Use a Personal Trainer for Wedding Prep

For fans of the Titanic getting married this year, how about adding the Titanic’s specially commissioned dinner set to your wedding gift list?  The meals on the Titanic for the ‘high class’ passengers consisted of  9-11 courses so a large quantity of china was needed to accommodate service and extra ware for storage and possible breakage during the voyage. Thousands of pieces were ordered for all levels of Titanic but only 190 pieces of this particular pattern were commissioned. It’s luxurious appearance was the most regal of china patterns aboard, so we can guess that this would have been reserved for the Captains table.

A company in Texas called Happy Bailey now sell reproductions of this patterned china. However, at $62 for a dinner plate I can’t imagine too many people ordering a full set! Unless of course you have a few people buying a couple of pieces each – so if you are Titanic maniac and getting married this year, this may be just the thing to add to your wedding gift list!

For more information see: http://titanicchina.com/the-mystery/

Titanic China – Wedding Gift?

Clontarf Castle Hotel are holding a Wedding Afternoon on  Sunday 29^th April 2012,  1pm-5pm.

Join us for a royal afternoon and take the opportunity to discover what Clontarf Castle can offer you as a reception venue for your magical day.

Introducing better value than ever before in our popular Fairytale and Enchanted packages which will be launched at the Wedding Fair PLUS discounts when you book on the day! 

2012 Weddings 

15% discount off your chosen wedding package 

**2013 Weddings 

• a 10% discount when you book the Fairytale Package;
• a 5% when you book the Enchanted Package.

**2013 a maximum discount of €1,000 off Fairytale Package or €500 off Enchanted Package. Terms and conditions apply.

Castle Wedding Fair 29th April