It was all about Liam Lawton songs, milking cows, science experiments, flower arranging classes, and school reunions on this week’s episode of Don’t Tell The Bride.
Nick and Gillian "officially" met when Gillian was fourteen and Nick was eighteen, while they were both in the Castlecomer Community School in Kilkenny. A few years on and the lovebirds met again while they were studying in the University of Limerick. Gillian was studying voice and dance, while Nick was studying to be a science teacher.
The pair could not deny the chemistry that existed between them, and a few days after their beautiful daughter Lily was born, Nick popped the question (Hurrah).
I was devastated when Gillian arrived at her local Community School where she teaches and also attended, only to discover that she would be exchanging vows in the school's oratory(Oh Dear!). It was uncomfortable to watch as her eyes welled up, and I feared that she was going to hop back into the Range Rover and take off at high speed.
I can see how the groom thought it was going to be romantic and a sweet gesture, but the location was far from impressive. To make matters worse, Nick really slacked when it came to decorating the school. He could have at least compensated for the location by sprucing the place up with more than a few balloons!
Luckily for the anxious groom, he managed to save the day by having his wife’s favourite musician Liam Lawton perform a stunning psalm during the ceremony. Nick also seemed to score some major brownie points when it came to organising the hen. The daytime activities consisting of milking cows (he grew up on a farm) and science experiments, which seemed to go down a treat with Gillian.
It didn’t take long for Nick to realise that he had undervalued his budget, and his €10,000 began to dwindle quickly. The Discovery Park in Castlecomer seemed like a fun location, but when the chef joked about making bacon butties for the guests, I began to get a little worried. Although it was €2,000 over his venue budget (which was initially €3,000), I was delighted when Nick decided to go with Uppercourt Manor Stud (phew).
When it came to buying the school uniform, I mean wedding dress, Nick ticked all of the right boxes. He chose a beautiful Grecian style dress from the Bridal Studio in Co. Laois, and even managed to get the shoes and veil all thrown in for €1,000. He also did a great job at choosing the red bridesmaid dresses for €69 each. I did prefer the purple gowns that he initally picked out, but at €220 a pop it was way out of his budget.
The highlight had to be watching Gillian’s reaction when she received her invitation on screen at the greyhound track. She looked over-the-moon and so in love. It was also a touching moment when Nick attended a flower arranging class to help cut his costs. In the end he managed to get more help than he should have from the teacher, but either way the results were outstanding.
From Liam Lawton’s surprise arrival to the music notation that featured all over the wedding cake, Nick really did hit all of the right notes when it came to arranging the big day!
Laura Delaney
