10 Years of Weddings in the Woods
Finnebrogue Woods celebrates its 10th year as a wedding venue this summer. Proprietors, Ed & Rachael Lindsay developed the site into what it is today after having spent many years working in the wedding and events industry in Ireland; with their companies Blue Moon Event Design (which Rachael heads up- they provide event and venue styling for some of the most prestigious names in NI) and Magnakata (managed by Ed- a leading Tipi hire business delivering the unique structures for a range of events throughout Ireland).
After working on hundreds of wonderful weddings in so many different settings, opening a standout Tipi venue at the beautiful Finnebrogue Woods was always the dream and 10 years ago they made it happen!
Can you tell us about how the family are involved?
Yes, Finnebrogue is certainly a family affair. It was Dad’s love of the native cattle breed- Dexter that opened that side of the farm business and my sister Laura is behind the on site Farm Shop & Café Fodder in the Woods (who are also the on site caterers for weddings and events). My wife Rachael established our homeware and gift shop Shap and what’s been really exciting in recent years is having our 3 kids involved!
Do you know how many weddings have been held in the last 10 years in total?
Around 250 weddings and a lot of private and corporate events too! Our season runs from April to October and the Tipis come down after the final event of the year and then everything is given a refresh and they go back up in the spring.
Do you have a funniest memory?
Duck (famous face if you’ve visited Finnebrogue Woods- Duck is the family’s friendly black lab) eating 30 fortune cookies from the laid tables on the Friday night before a wedding. We managed to source some replacements, but luckily the bride and groom a) owned a labrador themselves and b) had some replacements. Duck is not invited to wedding set ups or the day itself!
A most unusual request?
There have been a few but I would say for me it was Llamas!
Have there been many changes over the 10 years?
There have been lots - all incremental though. Every year we try to make some beneficial changes. Some include- the integrated bar, tipi innovations, the ceremony site, jetty & rowing boat, upgraded loos. The stunning Tipis and beautiful setting remain central to all we do.
What are you most proud of?
Creating the ultimate wow at every wedding. It’s always amazing to welcome first time guests to Finnebrogue Woods and see the joy in their faces. I think it really does blow people away!
What would you like the next 10 years to look like for FW?
We want to always improve our offering - accommodation is definitely the next priority and I think it would add a lot to our weddings and experiences.
Do you have a stand out memory from past 10 years?
Back at the first wedding our entrance wasn’t quite what it is today- more of a hole in the hedge- the buses with all the guests on got stuck in said hole in the hedge. I was out directing traffic thinking ‘what have we go ourselves into?!’
And finally what's your favourite part of Finnebrogue Woods?
It's natural beauty - that has to be foremost and central to everything we do.