Irish influencer Dearbhla Toal, aka Belle Azzure, was forced to cancel her upcoming wedding due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The social media star, known for her lifestyle and health focused content, was originally set to marry her fiancé Harry Silke on May 2nd, 2020.
The couple intended to wed at Lough Eske Castle in Donegal, but due to the current global pandemic, the couple have been forced to reschedule to 2021.
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Dearbhla announced the postponement of her wedding via Instagram this week.
The influencer, who had been sharing her wedding plans with her 33k followers, hosted a live stream with a number of other brides to be, giving her honest thoughts on how the pandemic is impacting the Irish wedding industry.
She spoke exclusively to Goss.ie about her experience dismantling her carefully thought out wedding plans in favour of a new date, after being contacted by a number of distressed brides-to-be in her online community.
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“I had people close to me that had gone through really sad times, and I had a lot of brides messaging me panicking, asking me ‘what are you going to do? I haven’t eaten all weekend, Iv’e been crying non-stop,'” she told Goss.ie.
“When myself and Harry went through the decision making process last weekend, I felt like I was seeing the light more than some other brides, so I just wanted to learn from that experience, and share as much as I could in terms of my feelings and tips and tricks on how to put the plans in motion and aid everybody in how they can do it too.”
“From sitting down with your partner, to blitzing all of the suppliers with messages for new potential dates, to actually telling your guests – I tried to gather these points to share with my brides online so I could tell them ‘if it comes to it, and you have to postpone your wedding, don’t panic and here are the things you need to do,'” she said.
“‘The sun will rise tomorrow’ was the message I was trying to get out there. Make sure you have a plan B and make sure you prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for it because it could happen to anyone over the next six to eight months – you just don’t know.”
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The content creator recently returned from an action-packed hen party in Miami, attended by a number of high profile bloggers including Louise Cooney, Aideen Kate Murphy and Erica Fox.
While she currently has no immediate plans to return to Miami, the blogger hinted that there will more than likely be a second hen party to celebrate the new wedding date once social distancing advice has been lessened.
With her love of travel, Goss.ie was keen to hear how the postponement has affected Dearbhla and Harry’s honeymoon.
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Dearbhla explained that thanks to her habit of paying a little extra for free cancellation when booking, she and her partner were able to apply for refunds for their LA honeymoon, which is “completely cancelled.”
However, the couple intend on embarking on the trip after their 2021 wedding, once the pandemic is over.
“We’re taking the guidance very seriously and we are not planning any trips until we’re told otherwise,” she confirmed.
The bridal blogger also stressed that people shouldn’t feel guilty for being upset about their wedding being cancelled due to the coronavirus.
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While she encourages her following to be mindful of the bigger picture, she believes that it is unhealthy to shame people for feeling emotional about wedding cancellations amid the health crisis.
“I always try to deal with things by remembering that it’s all relative. It’s so important that if you are feeling upset about anything or you are facing a tough time, validate your emotions and feelings and tell yourself that they are justified.
“But also, the only way you’re going to get through feeling let down is to pull yourself back and think of the bigger picture,” she said.
“Practice gratitude. Think about how grateful you are for everything else in your life.”
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“When it was the wedding for me, I was just grateful to be able to postpone a wedding and still have it, it’s just a bit further down the line and I’m grateful to be able to keep my friends and family safe. Listing out the things that we’re so lucky and fortunate for – that helps us ease the blow of it.”
“Again, thinking of the healthcare professionals, supermarket workers, service people, there are so many people who are actually having to face this. There is so much perspective that you need to put on things.”
“This is actually good preparation for marriage and the future because we’re having something thrown at us earlier than expected but it’s good preparation for life in general. If you can get through tough times it will make you stronger for the future,” she added.
Follow Dearbhla on Instagram HERE to see her new journey to the alter, alongside her health, wellbeing and style focused content.
