“We both love Disney so it was a no-brainer that this would be our theme!”
Couple: Ciara and Andrew Jennings
Engagement length: Should have been 17 Months, Covid hit so 21 months
Wedding date: 2020-09-04
Wedding location: Hillgrove Hotel
Photographer: Ronan HD Photography and Alan Roche Photography (second shooter)
Videographer: Heirloom Films
Ciara and Andrew met 19 years ago when they were in school. They had a few ‘breaks’ in between but they always found each other and finally got their happily ever after.
Ciara and Andrew built their house at the side of Andrew’s parents’ house. They had just moved in at the start of December 2018 and Andrew proposed on Christmas morning. Ciara was completely surprised because they had so much going on with the house!
“We both love Disney so it was a no-brainer that this would be our theme! We had Disney touches throughout the day from the lads’ Disney socks to the Mickey Mouse-shaped Ceremony “booklets”. We were Cinderella and Prince Charming and our tables were other Disney couples which we had corresponding Disney confetti for. Our Bridesmaids wore Sage/Mint Green dresses so we bought this colour through our table plan and wedding invites.”
Andrew wore an incredible navy Tux with a satin lapel from Protocol. He wore a white shirt, a white and ivory tie and of course some Disney socks!
The bridesmaids wore full-length sage mint green dresses, with a detailed fitted bodice and a flowy bottom. The groomsmen wore navy suits with green ties to match the bridesmaids.
“Our ceremony took place in the gorgeous St Macartans Cathedral. With its stunning interior our florist Eileen kept it simple but stunning with some baby’s breath on the pews, and a gorgeous unity arrangement, she also cleverly disguised the bright white and red ‘Covid’ tape with some cream ribbon. Father Michael gave a lovely service and it was such a lovely moment with our friends and family. Laura O’Neill was our singer and she has such a gorgeous voice and was accompanied by piano.”
“Our venue was the Hillgrove Hotel and it was just amazing. Mary, Enda and all the staff couldn’t have done more to ensure that we had the best day ever. The function room is just stunning, and with its private drinks reception area, it was just what we were looking for! Although there are no grounds at the hotel they do have a small garden and between that and the Cathedral grounds we had more than enough stunning spots for our photos. The food and service was 5 star and they really could not have been more supportive through our rescheduling due to Covid 19.”
“Ronan from Ronan HD Photography was such a gent to deal with. He was so supportive through our rescheduling and constantly offered any help and reassuring messages, not to mention he is a stunning photographer! He captured such gorgeous moments of our day and we will treasure them forever. We received all of our preview pictures within days and have since received all of the final edits and we just love them.”
“We lost our videographer through our rescheduling and thankfully Ronan was able to include our Videographer in our package. We had Rob from Heirloom Films and he was a pleasure to have with us on the day. He made it so seamless throughout the day where it never felt like an effort having to film the moments. We received our teaser video within days and we just adore it, we keep watching it over and over and we can’t wait to receive the full video.”
Ciara decided to make “Happily Ever After” stamped biscuits for all the wedding favours. Another sweet surprise was the ice cream bike from Karen Ball Events, which guests loved! Guests took photos at the Instaglam selfie mirror, which included a printed copy for each guest and an extra copy for Ciara and Andrew’s guest book.
“Our amazing band ‘All Talk’ entertained us through the evening. We actually had such fun picking them out. Coincidentally all 6 bands we were interested in had a showcase on the same day, thankfully the times worked out ok so we could see all of them. We dragged my brother and his girlfriend along and we did some speed band viewing! Of course, All Talk was the last one on the day and definitely the best! We also got our DJ included with our package. They didn’t disappoint on the night and sang us into our first dance.”
“Every bride says how the day goes so quick. To be honest I didn’t really feel like that and I think it was because we had smaller numbers. Don’t get me wrong, we really missed having everyone we wanted there but the smaller numbers meant that we could spend quality time with all our guests rather than rushing around trying to get to everyone.”
Suppliers
Ceremony venue: St Macartans Cathedral | Wedding venue: Hillgrove Hotel | Planner/Co-ordinator: Mary from the Hillgrove Hotel | Photographer: Ronan HD Photography and Alan Roche Photography (second shooter) | Band and DJ: All Talk Wedding Band | Ceremony singer: Laura O’ Neill | Hair: Bridal Hair by Lorraine Whelan | Makeup: Elation Make-up by Janet Pepper | Couple’s outfits: The Bridal Outlet and Protocol Menswear | Wedding party outfits: Pamela Scott & Protocol Menswear | Celebrant/solemniser: Fr Michael Carey, celebrant Michael Grace also kindly hosted a Zoom Sand Ceremony for us on our original wedding date | Stationery: Jane from Ruby Roo Design | Rings: Ernest Jones & H Samuel for Engagement, Wedding rings and Bracelet | Accessories: Siobheal at Rosie and Dott | Flowers: Sunflower Design by Eileen Fagan | Selfie mirror: Instaglam | Ice cream bike: Karen Ball Events
