Want to get married on the Cliffs of Moher? In a historic Irish Castle? Michelle Johnstone Clark will show you how. Photo by: Lukas and Suzy VanDyke / Waterlily Weddings

We’re so excited to announce our very own Michelle JC was featured in a new interview on destination weddings in Ireland for Irish Central, the largest online site in North America covering news and interests of modern Irish America and Ireland!

Covering everything from Irish culture, roots, history, genealogy, news and politics, and interviews with the likes of Hillary Clinton and Supreme Court Justices, Michelle is featured in an interview on planning destination weddings in Ireland, the planning process, and why people consistency choose Ireland among all other places throughout the world to host their wedding day. “It’s a completely unique place to get married,” Michelle says.  “You rent your castle or country manor and you have this experience that you just can’t have in America. It’s a mixture of everything – the history, the stunning countryside, the venue options, the deep connection some people feel, and of course the hospitality.”

With more and more people exploring their ancestral roots, couples are finding they want to add another layer of meaning for their wedding. “80% of our business is Americans, and then we get a lot of inquiries who are first generation Irish but have emigrated to Australia, Hong King, Dubai, France, Russia, who want to come home to get married but don’t want to put the burden on their family,” Michelle notes. Waterlily Weddings specializes in merging those traditions and details for couples so that  meaningful connection can be represented on their wedding day. Still other, non-Irish couples are simply inspired by the romanticism and sense of adventure. “They’ve seen images and movies over the years that have let them see Ireland as this beautiful mythological place. They just say that they have always had this yearning to go and that this is the perfect reason to finally do it.” And with the new marriage bill’s passing in Ireland, “…we are definitely seeing the inquiries from same sex couples increase,” Michelle says. “We even helped one couple who planned their wedding in Dublin before the law actually came into effect, with their fingers crossed it would pass in time! Of course it did, and it is going to be a beautiful December wedding!”

For more on why she became a wedding planner, why Ireland is the best place in the world to host your dream wedding, and more, check out the full article here.