Houses, Castles & Gardens of Ireland - Sprucing up the Tea Rooms

Guest Blog from Sara Waldburg of Houses, Castles and Gardens.

All around this island grand houses and castles that open to the public are drawing back the shutters, sprucing up the tea rooms and memorising histories both fact and legend from long, long ago!   It’s all about being ready for the first visitors of the season.   They are in for a treat this year because property owners and managers have been planning their events schedule for months now and finally the websites are starting to fill with an array of activities that makes you dizzy with anticipation … I want to go to them all but here are just a few to entice us from hibernation.

Powerscourt Gardens.

Powerscourt Gardens at Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow is an ideal site to start.  Powerscourt has a range of events stretching as far as June.   Gardeners could be there once a week to learn about growing vegetables and flowers, taking photographs or joining a guided tour of the magnificent trees on the estate in the company of tree expert, Michael Carey. 
Not to be missed either is Carol Bone’s demonstration of Spring Flowers taking place in the Pavilion Garden Centre near the car park.   Carol is the Chairperson of the Association of Irish Floral Artists and her arrangements are extraordinarily creative, yet, she is able to impart that ‘have a go’ feel as soon as the demo is over!   I discovered some lovely gardens to visit on the AOIFA website which presumably specialise in plants suitable for all kinds of flower arrangements.  

Mount Stewart

Our Motorways in Ireland are so good now that day outings and short weekend breaks are a perfectly feasible way to get to know parts of this island once considered too much trouble to be worth the effort.  Now some of the most handsome examples of architecture and landscaped gardens are to be seen in Northern Ireland. In early May there will be the Tulip Festival at Glenarm Castle on the Co. Antrim coast and at Mount Stewart we have already missed an event called ‘Rise & Shine’ when the doors were opened on the visitor season with demonstrations and handy hints for spring cleaning in your own home.   I can smell that beeswax polish from here!

Kilruddery House & Gardens

So where can you get an overview of what is taking place in these glorious properties throughout this island?   Houses, Castles & Gardens of Ireland has recently redeveloped its website to reflect the wonderfully diverse range of activities taking place at properties such as Lismore Castle, Brigit’s Garden, the Victorian Walled Garden at Kylemore Abbey and Killruddery House & Gardens to name a few.  

Lismore Castle

Of course, these are the better know ones but other jewels in our crown are the delightful Deepwell, Coolcarrigan and Primrose Hill which are as much pleasure gardens of today as was the original intention when garden design took off in the sixteenth century.  

Deepwell

See the Houses, Castles and Gardens website for more lovely ideas for days out this Summer. 

For the Maid of Honour...

For the bride and groom their big day is finally here. Everyone is excited; all the planning is done and everything is arranged.

For you, the maid of honour, the night before is time to do the final check to ensure that, no matter what the wedding throws at you, you have your super hero head on and are ready to swoop in and avoid any impending disasters.

We asked Blue Book houses & hotels wedding co-ordinators:

Gretchen Ridgeway of Barberstown Castle, Co. Kildare, Marie Laffan of Castle Durrow, Co. Laois, Mary Powell  of Cromleach Lodge, Co Sligo and Catherine Lawlor of Rathsallagh House, Co Wicklow for advice on what the maid of honour should keep in her bag on the big day.

The Bride and her Bridesmaids at Rathsallagh House

So for the maids of honor to be here it is:

 The Top 10 List of Maid of Honour tools to avoid wedding calamity!

1. Phone Numbers of groom, groomsmen, bridesmaids, and the parents on both sides.  

If there is a delay, longer than what is traditional, in getting the bride to the ceremony call ahead to the one of the wedding party.  The groom is going to be nervous enough as it is!!

2. Tissues.

It is going to be a very emotional day and to avoid "mascara mishaps" ensure you have at least one packet of tissues at the ready. 

Longeuville House Reception

3. Hairpins. 

They don’t take up much room and are essential. If the photos are outdoors a few extra clips might be required to avoid the "windswept look" and keep the brides veil in place.

4. Plasters.

A wedding day is a "new shoe day".  The bridal party will all want to dance the night away at the reception so keep those plasters handy.

5. Mints.

There will be lots of hugs and kisses on the big day. The bride and groom will want to be fresh all day long!

6. Rescue remedy.

That moment when the bride pulls up to the wedding venue can be a daunting one. A few drops or a pastille can help calm and soothe her nerves.

Cromleach Lodge 

 7. Sewing kit.

Just in case! If the dress has a train it is more prone to getting pulled or snagged. A little kit with thread the same colour as the brides dress and also the bridesmaids dresses can save the day! Also, having a few pins at the ready for the groomsmen's flowers is always a good idea.

8. Make up.

Keep just the basics in your bag,  blotting papers to avoid shine and the lippy are enough to have on you.

9. Deodorant/perfume.

A little spritz through the day will keep the bride happy!

10. Your speech.

If you are feeling a little nervous about it, write it down and have it in your bag.

That’s it ladies! A little bit of preparation goes a long way. It’s such a wonderful honour to stand as a bridesmaid with a wonderful friend on her big day. Relax, enjoy it and you will have memories to last a lifetime.

Beautiful Barberstown Castle Bride

Looking for the ideal venue for your forthcoming party or wedding? A number of the Blue Book Country Houses and Castles and Hotels are available for exclusive use for private house parties and stylish weddings. Romantic views in idyllic places of profound beauty will provide a wonderful location for your special day.

Blue Book gift vouchers, which can be used at any Blue Book property, make the perfect wedding gift.