Welcome to our “Day in the Life” series! We feature wedding and event planners from around the world with many different levels of experience. If you would like to be featured, download our questionnaire here and email your responses and photos to info@plannerslounge.com. We are excited to feature Ireland wedding and event planner Michelle McDermott today!

Name: Michelle McDermott 

Business Name & Location: Dream Irish Wedding, Ireland

Years Working in the Event Industry: 25+ 

Years Owning Your Event Planning Business: 20 years

Website: www.dreamirishwedding.com

Business Facebook Page: Dream Irish Wedding

Instagram:  @dreamirishwedd

What is your typical day like?

My day begins at 6:30am with a visit to the gym and I am usually in the office by 8am. I catch up on all the overnight correspondence from our clients in the USA and Australia before reviewing my to-do list for the day – then the real work begins!

I like to meet business colleagues or friends a few times a week for lunch. Otherwise, there is a danger of always eating lunch at my desk! I like to finish my workday around 6pm, but due to time differences and as our business is predominantly destination clients coming to Ireland from USA and UK, I can have calls with clients late into the evening.

My founding and parent company is McEvents & Weddings, but having identified the destination wedding market appeal of Ireland, I established the Dream Irish Wedding brand to target and appeal to potential overseas clients.

We are affiliated with some of Ireland’s finest and most luxurious wedding venues including Adare Manor, Dromoland Castle, and Ashford Castle & Luttrellstown Castle, but we are equally happy to host a client’s intimate elopement on the Cliffs of Moher. We also work at many other locations throughout Ireland including manor houses, coastal retreats, and boutique venues. We plan all sizes of events from small intimate weddings to events with 600+ guests!

As soon as the legislation in Ireland changed to permit gay weddings, we embraced this market and to date have done a number of fabulous bride & bride and groom & groom weddings!

I am a founding member and Vice President of the WIPA Ireland Chapter (2021) which we started in Ireland earlier this year. It is the first chapter outside of the USA. When we look back on the first four months of this year, all of our time was taken up with lobbying the government for clarification and reopening guidelines for events.

I am also a Failte Ireland (tourist board) Brand Ambassador along with only two other planners in Ireland for the luxury destination wedding market.

How did you get started in the industry? 

I have a degree in Hotel Management and Business. I reached the position of Hotel General Manager and finally Events Manager of a large leading world hotel. At this point, I decided to start up my own wedding and event planning business.

I did a “Start Your Own Business Course” with a local enterprise board which set me up nicely, but my background in hotel management and business degree were enormous advantages too. My hotel management experience included event and conference planning.

I am always learning with new training opportunities and adding skills such as receiving a wedding and event styling accreditation, completing a marketing and public relations course, and recently completed a Smart Choice Leadership Program. 

Pre-Covid, I would regularly visit the USA to learn and explore the latest wedding trends, fashion and event styles, new furnishings and decor, latest linen styles, and entertainment options.

Originally I did a lot of advertising in the bridal magazines and in fact, my first couple found me in an Irish bridal magazine and those same clients brought me seven weddings through word of mouth friends, family, and even one stranger they met on a flight! The power of referrals is priceless in this industry.

Through my background in hotels, I had connections to lots of venues which gave me the advantage to get on their preferred lists!

It was the early days of websites when I started, but I invested in SEO which paid off with business coming my way, particularly from the overseas market. I also attended wedding shows in Ireland, the USA, and the UK. However, I didn’t find the return particularly on the USA one to merit the outlay!

Tourism Ireland, the tourist board which promotes Ireland overseas has supported me with funding and opportunities to be featured at events in the USA and UK.

What challenges did you face when you started your own business? 

In the early years, getting my name and brand out was a huge challenge. Finding good vendors was difficult in Ireland in the early days as weddings were a lot more low-key and lacked creativity. Although some vendors I worked with back then I would still rate well today! 

My psychology and sociology experience certainly helped me understand and handle all of the family dynamics involved in a wedding from the couples, to the parents, to the wedding party!

At one point, I overstretched myself by taking on a luxury linen franchise that already covered all of Ireland and there really wasn’t a market large enough outside of the country to merit a second branch. But it was still a good experience that I learned a lot from.

What other advice do you have to share?

Hotel management is a great stepping stone for wedding planning and gives you a great grounding and understanding of everything from food and beverage to table and room setups, administration including the banquet event order, and executing a wedding on the day.

Test the market before becoming a wedding planner to ensure there is a strong level of business available to you to generate a successful and sustainable wedding planning business.

Decide early on if you are going to remain the main planner or expand so that you structure and plan accordingly from the start.

Aside from wedding and event planning, how do you spend your time?

I am originally from the East of Ireland, but now live with my wonderful husband in the West of Ireland on a fabulous golf course in Co. Limerick. I have two stepsons and a grandchild living in the UK. We are very close to all of our extended families throughout Ireland, UK, and Luxembourg.

My husband and I love to travel. We have a keen interest in visiting other countries to experience their culture, heritage, and food. We like to travel overseas 7-8 times per year. Most years, we visit the USA. Our favorite USA locations include Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Palm Springs, and Florida. Outside of the USA, we have enjoyed Taj Mahal, Wall of China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Rome, and Istanbul. I like to keep fit, play golf, walk, do photography, read, and experience new hotels and restaurants.

Michelle, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story and a day in your life. If you are an event planner and would like to be featured, download our questionnaire today and email it to us along with a photo. If you aren’t sure about being featured, take a few minutes to read how it can help your business. 

*Photography Credits: Evelyn Woodard, Claire Brown Studio, Dream Irish Weddings

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