“WHEN Plan A doesn’t work, remember there are 25 other letters in the alphabet! For us, it was Plan E but we got there.”

So says Aisling Glavin, from Saleen, who was due to get wed to Liam Daly, from Ballinlough, on May 31, 2020. However, like many others they had to postpone, due to Covid-19. They rescheduled to October 25, but decided to bring the wedding forward again so the new date became October 10.

They were due to celebrate with 50 guests at the Rivercourt Hotel in Kilkenny. But then everything changed again...

“With just four days to go, our country were moved to Level 3 which meant we were not to leave our county (Cork),” said Aisling.

“A few hours of panic ensued and the search was on to find a venue that would accommodate our wedding the following Saturday. Midleton Park Hotel stepped in and from that minute, everything just fell into place for us and I realised that Plan E was our meant to be!"

Their original number of guests had been 170 — but they ended up with 25 of their nearest and dearest. “Our celebrant said to us during the summer that all we need for our wedding day is each other, anyone or anything after that is a bonus and I have to agree with her,” said Aisling.

 “It made us more determined to go through with our wedding this year no matter what. Covid-19 was not going to beat us!”

The couple are very grateful to the venue and suppliers who all did an amazing job.

The bride sourced her dress in Vows and the suits were from Suit Distributors. Alterations were by M&A Alterations. The bridesmaid dresses were from Everpretty. Hair and makeup was by Rebecca. Flowers were by Mary Murphy. Music was by Connor O’Brien.

The cake was by Cherub Couture Cakes. Entertainment was by James O’Donovoan Caricatures. The celebrant was Nicola Hayes from Spiritual Ceremonies Ireland.

“On the backs of my shoes, I had little charms attached. My dad John passed away in August, 2015, and I really wanted to remember him in a special way on my big day. I ordered these charms from Liz in Bedazzled (online) and they meant the world to me. One had a photo of dad on my sister’s wedding day a few years before he died and the other said ‘Dad, walk with me today and always’,” said Aisling.

There were some changes to the wedding party, due to Covid and restrictions, which were hard for the couple, but they hope to have a big party sometime in the future, with everyone there.

“Despite every obstacle that was thrown our way, we had a really special day,” said Aisling.