Laois wedding celebrant wins big at Irish Wedding Industry awards

A Laois wedding solemniser and family celebrant based in Castletown has beaten off stiff competition to win three major wedding industry awards,

Reverend Brenda O’Grady won the WeddingSuppliers.ie Awards ‘Wedding Celebrant of the Year 2023’ award, and was runner-up in the individual ‘Wedding Celebrant of the Year’ category at the Brides of Munster Wedding Suppliers Awards 2023. 

Brenda was also chosen as Weddingsonline ‘Wedding Celebrant of the Year 2022’ and is a finalist in the Weddingsonline ‘Wedding Celebrant of the Year 2023’ the results of which are due to be announced on 23rd March 2023

Brenda is a native of Abbeyleix, and worked for twenty years in the legal field with her husband Tom (Tom O’Grady Solicitor) in Mountrath, and also as a mediator. She trained as marriage celebrant here in 2016 and has been creating and performing ceremonies since 2006. 

In 2017 she took a leap of faith and went to the UK to study with the One Spirit Interfaith Foundation with whom she was ordained as an Interfaith Minister in 2019. Given the uncertainty around the implications of Brexit, she has now joined One World  - a group of Irish Interfaith Ministers, who have nominated her to the HSE Register of Solemnisers of Marriage.

As a solemniser, Brenda creates bespoke ceremonies nationwide for persons of all beliefs and none. She has no agenda, so a ceremony can be as humanist, spiritual, secular or atheist as a couple chooses, and may use language, music and readings of their choice. 

Brenda has quickly risen to the top of her field.

“I’m blown away at receiving these awards considering the relatively short period that I have been a Wedding celebrant,” she says. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

 “A large portion of that period included the Covid pandemic. What I love most about being a wedding solemniser is meeting couples, getting to know them, learning their stories and crafting a special ceremony to celebrate their wedding day. I love that they trust the process I use to create their ceremony and share their likes and dislikes about each other and their innermost secrets.

"I love that I have the privilege and honour of being a part of this special time in their lives and seeing their faces as their ceremony unfolds.” MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Here's what some couples have said about Brenda which were considered by the judges.

Tara married in December 2022.

“We knew instantly at our first Zoom meeting with Brenda that she was the right fit for us! Genuinely lovely and knowledgeable, she had us at ease from the start and guided us through everything so well. Brenda did an amazing job on our ceremony. It was so special and really captured us, our relationship and our family to a tee.

"Lots of emotion and plenty of perfectly timed laughs. All of our guests remarked on how brilliant Brenda was and on the memorable ceremony she created for us. We can’t recommend her enough. Forever grateful to her for being part of our day,” she said.

Shaun and Mary tied the knot in October 2022.

“Calm, helpful and very engaged in preparatory stages. Wonderfully helpful in curation of ceremony, which felt like a true collaboration. Presided over a ceremony that managed to be solemn, emotional and funny all at once. A lovely woman, expert celebrant, and a true pro,” the said.

Brenda help Sandra and Susan at their marriage in September 2022.

“What can I say about Brenda, other than from start to finish, Brenda took away any stress and anxiety that we both had. What a lady and pleasure to work with from planning right through to I do! Brenda made sure to understand and listen to us and our wedding planner Samantha on every detail of what we were trying to achieve, told us what would and might not work, which we were delighted with as you can be sometimes over-ambitious so you need that expert advice. 

"Our ceremony was around family and our celebration and Brenda met all our needs for our big day,” the said. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Aside from her celebrancy work, Brenda is very involved in her community in Mountrath and is currently chairperson of Mountrath Development Association and Mountrath Town Team. She is an active member of Mountrath Tidy Towns and Mountrath Youth Theatre.

The WeddingSuppliers.ie Awards were held at a gala event on the 7th Feb 2023 at Johnstown House Estate hosted by Keith Barry (mentalist) and Sara Kennedy (Irish Wedding Blog) and attended by 500 of her colleagues in the industry from all corners of the country.

The Brides of Munster Wedding Suppliers Awards were held at Fitzgeralds Woodlands Hotel in Adare on Sunday 12th February 2023. They were hosted by April from Drew Media and attended by 300 people. 

These awards recognise excellence within the wedding industry and celebrate those suppliers that stand out from the crowd. The results are based on a combination of public votes, a submission by the nominee, social media presence and reviews received from clients.