Guests to raise a €100,000 toast at McManus bash
The 1,500 guests will charge their glasses with a vintage Dom Perignon costing €350 a bottle to toast Sue Ann McManus and her husband Cian Foley.
More than 300 bottles alone are being set aside for the toast.
Up to 1,000 bottles of a vintage Dom Perignon have been shipped in along with huge quantities of wines, spirits, liqueurs and beers.
The Buckingham Palace party organisers, Fait Accompli, contracted to run the lavish wedding, are to introduce a new ‘his and hers’ banqueting experience to this country for the big day, it was confirmed last night.
Fait Accompli, who run Royal garden parties and other functions at Buckingham Palace have drawn up a ‘his and ‘her’ themed menu with certain courses for gentlemen and others for ladies.
Guests will gather at Martinstown Stud in Limerick to celebrate the wedding.
Fait Accompli, brought in to oversee all aspects of the celebrations, devised the menu which will be prepared by Limerick catering company Master Chefs who looked after the Michael Flatley wedding.
A massive marque has been set up in the grounds of the 450-acre McManus estate.
A catering source in London said: “This banquet is going to be the talk of the Irish catering industry for a long time. The ‘his and her’ thing has become a new trendy dining fashion at London high society parties. But the McManus wedding is the first major function at which the experience will be lavished on guests over there in the Republic. I’d love to be there.”
The concept is to serve separate ‘his and her’ dishes for most courses during the meal.
“The courses are created differently to appeal in their own special, separate ways to the male and female palate,” said the source who works in a top London restaurant.
He said the dual courses will also have a major presentational impact with the alternate seating of the gentlemen and ladies at tables of 10.
He said: “The male and female dishes will look splendid when served alongside each other.”
Fait Accompli is run by Camilla Mongton who was a close personal friend of Princess Diana and organised most of her dinner parties.
She refused to comment about the McManus wedding.
In one interview about the manner in which Fait Accompli organises weddings she said: “Perfection is not enough. The most important celebration in a couple’s life has to be personal and magical. Being meticulous is our job. Our client’s personality and sense of style helps to make each one of our events different from another. We listen and consult and only then will we excite our client with our imagination and ideas. The result will astonish, amuse and entertain — exceeding all expectations.”
Guest were asked to be at Martinstown by 6pm where they will be greeted by the couple who will earlier exchange their vows at the marriage Mass at nearby Martinstown church. Only family and a few friends will attend this ceremony.
On arrival at Martinstown guests will be brought to an ante-marquee separate from the main function area for a welcome reception.
The wedding will be a big boost for the local tourism industry with hundreds of hotel rooms block booked by JP McManus for guests.
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