by Siobhan O’Neill White

Valentine’s is a popular time for engagements and while weddings can be hugely expensive, with
some savvy shopping and careful planning, you need not go bankrupt! I was recently helped my sister plan her wedding. She shopped local as much as possible, but unfortunately still got scammed on a dodgy wedding website ‘claiming’ to be Irish. It had a .ie Irish domain and looked legit. She spent €200 but after a few days without updates, she discovered this company was fake. Thankfully, her bank was able to refund her the money but the best advice when ordering from a company you have not used before is to research them first. Check Trustpilot, Irish wedding chat boards or our wedding section on mams.ie. For wedding dresses, Alexander Bridal, Parnell St Dublin are wonderful. Tina is professional and experienced, and the dresses are bang on trend without hefty price tags. Our family has bought 3 wedding dresses, 2 bridesmaids dresses and 3 Communion dresses there over the years. Highly recommended for the fellas, Bestwear, Shop St. Drogheda is well known for stylish, affordable suits for men and boys. Excellent quality and superb value, like the one in our picture. Aisling and Kieron are very helpful and can arrange alterations if necessary. The difference in price between them and some shops we perused in Dublin is drastic. Well worth a visit and to get a further 10% off in store, use promo code Mams.ieBest23 WeddingCreations.ie make personalised products like Bridal Planner boxes, wedding invites and keepsake gifts. Caroline is so helpful and every month she runs a different discount offer. The wedding day personalised bridal robes, as pictured, are beautiful. Another wonderful Irish company is karenedellmillinery.ie for hair accessories and fascinators. We picked a beautiful Mother-of-the-bride fascinator from Karen for €79 and it’s very similar (but even nicer) than one we spotted in another store for €400!!! For wedding guest style, the website MyKindOfDress.com is fantastic. Get 20% off when you join their newsletter and check their sale section, its jammed with fabulous items at bargain prices, like wedding guest dresses from €10 and faux fur jackets from €25.Keep an eye on mams.ie and our socials for wedding related competitions including Tan Organic sets, iGlow nail & lash products, Carter Beauty make-up, Belleek Living Gifts and lots more!