Bear with me as I’m trying to find the balance between giddy and gushing.
As I sit back and reflect on my time in Ireland with The Business of Weddings Ireland last week, I can’t help but feel grateful- for the experience, for the people, for the ability to share my countless hours of research and work with an enthusiastic and captive crowd. To add icing to the proverbial wedding cake, I woke up Wednesday morning to this amazing review by Ireland’s very own wedding marketing authority Keith Malone.
My cup runneth over.
In short, Annie and I initially connected over Social Media (you see- I said shaking my finger- it does work!), and she had been impressed with the Wedding Marketing education here in the States. We instantly felt we were on the same page and when Annie asked if I’d like to come to Ireland, I believe I said yes before she finished asking. Several months, a few attempts at Skype (I’m an admitted newbie) and one 11 hour layover at JFK, and I had arrived to present The Business of Weddings Ireland.
My initial concerns about keeping an audience captive over five 90 minute presentations and finding people as interactive as the Richmond Bridal Association, were immediately put the rest as soon as I met the group. Ready to learn and take the next big leap in their respective fields, the Conference attendees were an absolute delight. They grilled me and I grilled them- from standard business practices to relationships among wedding pros and how in the world they survive Irish weddings, which often last until dawn.
I was also thrilled at the opportunity to meet some of Ireland’s finest wedding professionals, including the amazing confections of Cloudberry Bakery who provided us several “sweet breaks” to keep us going. Pictures are below and if you aren’t a fan already, be sure to become one on Facebook.
As many may have heard, my husband and I also renewed our vows while in Dingle. It was an unforgettable day and rather fun to be a bride in jeans celebrating with what seemed to be an entire village. I’ll be sharing more soon on that.
Once again, I’d like to offer my sincerest thanks to Annie Byrne of Aislinn Events for taking a leap of faith and flying me to Ireland to share my wedding marketing strategies with such a memorable audience. I will not soon forget it.
As you’ll see, I’m rather overenthusiastic about sharing every single image I can below- but I essentially wanted all of my loyal Blog readers to “meet” all of my new friends. 🙂
Special Thanks to Mike Patterson of Mike Patterson Photography for sharing these wonderful images with me.
Meghan Ely is the owner of wedding marketing and wedding pr firm OFD Consulting. She is the exclusive wedding pr columnist to wedding marketing journal WedLock magazine and is a highly sought after speaker in the wedding industry. She loves ruffle table runners and Royal Wedding Tchotchkes. To learn how OFD Consulting can assist you with your wedding marketing and wedding pr, please contact us today.
