The Fota Island Resort is a renowned stunning Wedding Hotel in Cork that offers soon-to-be weds the picture perfect venue for their special day and is perfectly complimented by our magnificent dedicated Wedding Coordinator, Susan Lavelle.
Susan, who herself is a newlywed, having only married 9 months ago has help to coordinate hundreds of weddings over the years and has been delighted to have been involved in so many, and although she had a general idea of how she wanted things to be for her own special day, she happily stepped aside for the planning side and let her coordinator look after things!
Always perfectly calm and in control, we put our wonderful Wedding Coordinator Susan Lavelle under pressure with some quick fire questions:
- When does your day start and end (on both a normal day and on a wedding day)?
A normal office day starts at 10 am and ends at 6.30 pm but of course a wedding day is different. I start preparing everything early in the morning and finish when the couple is seated for the meal and the C&B staff takes over.
- How did you get into Wedding Coordinating?
I passed through the typical hotel progress – started at the Front Desk and went through different departments until I settled down in the wedding department.
- What is the best part of your job?
The best part is meeting all those new couples and hearing their engagement stories. They are so excited about everything and it’s great being part of one of the most memorable days of their lives.
- What’s the most romantic moment you have witnessed?
The most romantic moment probably was when the groom sang a lovesong written by himself for his newly-married wife. He brought so much emotion into it – it was a marvellous moment.
- If you weren’t a Wedding Coordinator, what do you think you would do?
That’s a very difficult question to answer. I think I might have studied law if I weren’t a Wedding Coordinator.
- Have you ever been asked / or had to plan friend’s wedding? Did this differ from coordinating someone you don’t know?
Yes, I’ve planned weddings for several friends of mind and I can tell that it’s much more difficult to deal with someone you know than with someone you don’t. You have to be so much more gentle with their wishes and sometimes you just have to cut back your own professional opinion about something to make them happy.
- Have you any tips for anyone looking to get into Wedding Coordinating?
Be passionate. That’s the most important thing you need for being a professional and successful wedding planner. Always be organised and friendly – you never know where you might get your next client from.
- What are your top 5 tips / pieces of advice to Brides and Grooms?
Get organised – I would suggest having a centralised wedding email address, separate from your work and personal accounts, to have all information in one place.
Start early – Protect yourself from getting under time pressure. Start with the planning approx. 18 months before the big day.
Delegate – Often brides think they have to organise everything on their own. Trust your fiancé and your bridesmaids and delegate tasks to them.
Be yourself – Make sure the wedding is especially customized to your wishes and that you see yourself in it.
Be a guest on your own wedding – Even though you have been planning all of this over the last few months, don’t analyse everything that happens on the day. Just be present and enjoy the celebrations – it’s your big day!
To take a tour of Fota Island Resort Hotel Cork as the potential wedding venue for your special day or to discuss your wedding plans with Susan, contact here on + 353 (0)21 467 3453 or by email SLavelle@fotaisland.ie
