Gavin, thanks so much for taking the time out to meet with us this morning as things look hectic here.... It’s a very impressive showroom where clients genuinely are spoilt for choice.

So, what exactly does Caterhire do?

We help create dream weddings. Here's the marketing bit ! Caterhire is Irelands leading wedding hire specialist. From small intimate gathering to lavish VIP affairs, Caterhire has helped thousands of couples all over Ireland transform their wedding venue dreams into reality. Caterhire offers a dazzling selection of the finest tableware, specialty linens, furniture, soft furnishing and wedding accessories to add that unique and special touch to a wedding venue or marquee.

What Weddings has Caterhire been used for?

Caterhire is involved with hundreds of weddings each year. Each wedding varies depending on venue choice, wedding size and budget.

If the wedding is in a Hotel, Marquee or Castle we offer a range of products and services that can transform the venue from the ordinary to the sublime. For example the bride or groom may want to lift the decor of the room. We can provide a range of speciality linen fine dining tableware, candelabras, coloured charger plates or crystal glasses to add that special touch.

We also work closely with couples on designing their venue space. This may involve creating a bespoke reception area and fitting it with a lounge and bar area or creating a outdoor area for a champagne reception.

What trends are you seeing for 2010?

We're seeing a lot of unusual colours enter the bridal market because tabletop and textile design now closely follow the fashion industry. Brides today want to create unique colour themes – and want more than just white linen. Our most popular colours for wedding is naturally ivory but we are seeing much more demand for crushed and taffeta ivory cloths which have that  luxury tactile feel .Organza runners and silk runners in white, ivory, gold and purple are also very popular.

Are there any other big trends?

Yes, the way food is being served is changing. Some of our clients today want to do  a less formal , family-style dinner, so the demand for buffets is increasing.  

Do you cater for small wedding?

We cater for all wedding sizes. There is no minimum order. For example a bride may just want to rent a wedding cake stand from us which costs about €15 Euros or they may just want to rent some stylish Champagne glasses for the drinks reception. Alternatively they may wish to rent chairs or use round tables in the venue to create more ambiences.

What well known weddings have Caterhire been used for?

We recently were involved in the wedding of Andrea Corr & Brett Desmond (son of financier Dermot Desmond!). Others include the wedding of Jasmine Guinness, Andrea Roche and the wedding Paul Mc Cartney& Heather Mills in Castle Leslie to name a few.

What are the 'more different' type of Weddings has Caterhire been involved in?

We have been involved in thousands of wedding over the last 20 years. The majority of the wedding have either taken place in Marquees, Hotel & Castle & Country house. Some of the more unique venues include:-

• A Farmyard barn in Cavan which was completely transformed inside with Carpets and drapes along the walls, Chandeliers from ceiling and Hay stacks used as seats around the dance area

• A school hall which was converted into our wedding venue for 150 guests.

• A Farmyard in Slane where a rope style Marquee tent was erected in the grounds. 

• A marquee erected on stilts overlooking Killiney bay in Co Dublin

• Garden Marquee with an African jungle theme

• Jasmine Guinness Marquee wedding in the grounds of  Leixlip Castle, with a 1920’s Charleston theme- Children dressed up as Cowboys and Indians, there were fun fair stalls erected outside the main marquee , Bean bags were scattered around the Lounge area of the Marquee.

• Paul Mc Cartney & Heather Mills Marquee wedding at Castle Leslie. Erected Canapé style tunnels from the Castle to the reception area and to the Lounge area which was fitted out with luxurious sofas and stylish coffee tables.

What are the most popular options/ranges available from Caterhire?

We provide everything a Bride and Groom would require making their Special Day memorable (we even have portable sinks!!)

However, the most often selected items for a wedding would be:

• Fine Dining range of tableware 
• Silver  & Crystal Candleabras
• Chameleon wedding chair range
• Speciality linens and chair covers
• Lounge furniture range

Any new products offered by Caterhire for 2010?

An increasing amount of Bride and Grooms want to make their day unique and our new Chameleon chairs range from LA has been a big hit! This sophisticated chair which has featured at a number of Hollywood weddings can be customised with a range of soft fabrics such as suede, velvet and satin. Accessories include a stretch belt and crystal brooch to create that stylish look.

Why would a couples consider using a marquee?

The most popular reason for choosing a marquee wedding is that it ofers the bridal couple a truly unique wedding settings which they can design and customise to their own personal tastes. Also, for many brides the dream of getting married at home with family and friends can is possible with a marquee. For couples looking to get married in a shorter time scale a marquee provides an ideal solution as you don’t usually have to worry about the venue being booked by someone else.

Timing –

The earlier the better. If you are having it at home you will have more flexibility with time. However, Summertime is traditionally the peak time. If you are planning a marquee wedding in the summer of 2010 we would advise setting up and booking suppliers in early 2010 to avoid disappointment. We provide a “one stop shop” service which is convenient and stress free for the Bride and Groom. We deliver, set up the equipment and collect everything again after the Wedding. There is no need for wash-up we take this to premises and doing all the washing saving a lot of time and hassle.

What are the average couple spending on Catering hire for their wedding?

This depends on the size of the wedding party, the location, venue and the extra trimmings required. If they need furniture or linen only it would only be a few hundred euros. If we are fitting out an entire marquee it can vary from €1000 to €5000.  However, some of more high profile celebrity weddings have cost significantly more this depending on their requirements.

Any advice for couples considering using Caterhire services?

Starting point should be to look at the website, view the photo gallery as we show many styles of weddings and get an idea of the style, venue and location of your wedding. We deliver nationwide, 24/7 so no matter which venue is selected we will be pleased to help make the couples dreams come true.

Contact our Customer service Team who will talk the Bride and Groom through our vast product range and help plan their day.We work alongside some of Irelands accomplished caterers and can help couples choose one which suits their menu needs and budget.

Make an appointment to visit our showroom to help select the products. We usually deliver  one or two day before the wedding and will deliver all the equipment to the chosen venue at the agreed time and setup as required. The Bride and Groom can then enjoy a hassle free day. We are there every step of the way to ensure their day runs smoothly and according to their plans and wishes.

We will collect the following day and remove all equipment. We clean all the equipment and wash all the tableware so there's no need to worry about the clean up the next day.

What are your personal favourites?

My personal favourite is the Chameleon Chair range from LA.  This chair has featured at numerous celebrity weddings and is the official chair of the Academy Awards. It can be customised with a range of fabrics to suit your personal tastes. The Chloe chair with its delmonte brooch is a must have for creating an impact at a wedding. This combined with our fine dining tableware range gives that very sopshiscated look.

Can you tell us what the room was like for the Corr/Desmond Wedding ?

Caterhire supplied  the chameleon chair with a white suede fabric for the wedding day. The following day the  silver fanfare Chameleon  with suede pad was used to give a totally new look.

How many weddings would you do a year & what’s the average spend?

Believe it not we nearly do a thousand wedding a year. This range from simply providing chairs covers coloured linen, furniture or tableware to an existing venue such as hotel or country house. The spend here can range from a couple of hundred Euros to about a thousand. 

Will costs be coming down for 2010?

Yes, costs have come down already and we envisage costs across the board to be down about 20% versus this time last year. It has never been a better time to get married!

Do you have special offers throughout the year or only seasonal offers?

Caterhire has special offers on a  number of product throughout the year. For January we will be offering any brides who make a wedding booking 10% off their entire order. This is on top of the existing product reductions that have already recently been made. We also running a special on chairs cover  and every month we offer a number of special offers on our website www.caterhire.ie

We offer the best specials in winter time as this is a quieter time. So, if you are having a summer or autumn wedding if you want the best deal book in January or February.

Where do you source your materials from?

We source from all over the world.  The Chameleon chair and lounge22 designer furniture come L.A and our linen fabrics are sourced in Turkey and India for example.

What was your 1st job?

My first job was Marketing Executive for Bulmers cider which gave me a great insight into marketing and developing brands.

If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be & why?

Dinner parties are about having fun and good social interaction. For that reason I would invite the boys from U2 as a I am great fan of their music and I would imagine they would be good company at any dinner party. I am might even be lucky enough to get them to do a little sing song. Gillian – My wife who is a great host at any party would have there to be there also.

Finally, what plans do you have for Caterhire in 2010?

We continue to innovate in the market and offers our customers more choice. We will be extending our range of linens and will also be launching a new range of chairs from our Lounge22 range at the end of January www.lounge22.ie .

Editor: There's plenty of information there for all you Brides & Groom to get your creative juices flowing! Like Gavin suggested, book now to avail of Caterhire's additional 10% discount :)