Worried About Wedding Costs? The West Cork Hotel has the Solution
Relax and don’t stress is the message being given to brides who are about to get married from a survey carried out by The West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen to celebrate 100 years of hosting weddings and to launch their €20,000 wedding giveaway this Autumn. The survey of more than 500 brides and grooms found that 47% of couples have omitted things they had originally planned to have due to the recession and budget constraints with the top exemptions being wedding cars, the traditional wedding band and favours. Just 30% of couples are planning to borrow for the big day. The findings reveal that 58% of couples are paying for their own weddings with just 14% of the brides parents taking on the traditional role of paying for the big day. However, a quarter of those surveyed will receive financial assistance from their parents. Also turning traditions on their head, of those surveyed, 78% believed it acceptable for a woman to propose to the man. December was found to be the most popular month for engagements with 36% going down on bended knee followed, surprisingly, by April at 26%.
Although the wedding itself takes place most commonly in the church, just as popular nowadays are civil ceremonies in West Cork. Just 6% of those surveyed thought that it was the most important element of the day with the hotel or venue and food coming out on top with 81% followed by the priest at 3%.
The USA and Caribbean came out as the top honeymoon destinations followed by Ireland, proving that “staycations” are indeed en vogue. The average cost of a wedding came in at €12,500, with 44% expecting to spend between €5,000 and €10,000 and 11% spending more than €25,000. The amount a bride will spend on her wedding dress also averaged at €1,400. Speaking of the survey, Wedding Co-Ordinator at the West Cork Hotel, Karen Buchanan said “This survey has given us a real insight to the needs of wedding couples.
Our hotel in West Cork celebrates 100 years of hosting weddings and providing B&B in Skibbereen this year so to continue the success we have enjoyed in the past it is important to know the needs of our couples for the future. We have recently undergone a huge refurbishment, making us the ideal choice for wedding hotels in County Cork. We are giving away a wedding to the value of €10,000 to one lucky couple as well as other prizes totaling over €10,000 to runners up. This is an opportunity not to be missed for couples getting married in the coming year and our winners will be announced at our special showcase on Saturday October 9th.” The competition is now open on the hotel website www.westcorkhotel.com via Facebook Five couples will be chosen at the end of September for a public vote on Facebook with the winners being announced at a wedding showcase in the hotel on Saturday October 9th. The West Cork Hotel is the ideal choice for wedding hotels in county Cork or civil ceremonies in West Cork