Their wedding was originally planned for April with 150 guests. With just one month to go, lockdown was announced. As you can imagine, they felt disheartened and postponed twice. They finally tied the knot in December and had a beautiful wedding with 24 guests and all the regulations in place. They stuck with their spring theme and had blush pink and grey.
Couple: Sonya and Jerry
Length of engagement: 29 months (originally 20months)
Wedding date: 2020-12-30
Wedding location: Castle Oaks House Hotel, Castleconnell, Co Limerick
Videographer: WedFILMS
Photos are stills from the video
Sonya and Jerry met through mutual friends and hit it off straight away! They got engaged in August 2018 in Santorini. “It was our last night and we booked a private seating area looking over the cliff because we wanted to spoil ourselves. Little did I know Jerry was planning on proposing and did so as the sun was setting. It was so magical and romantic. The perfect end to an amazing holiday.”
Their wedding was originally planned for April with 150 guests. With just one month to go, lockdown was announced. As you can imagine, they felt disheartened and postponed twice. They finally tied the knot in December and had a beautiful wedding with 24 guests and all the regulations in place. They stuck with their spring theme and had blush pink and grey.
Sonya wore a fit and flare dress from Sharon Gregory’s in Mallow, which made her feel like a princess. Jerry wore a grey suit from Morleys in Cork City.
The bridesmaids wore beautiful blush pink dresses from Boohoo.com. The groomsmen wore grey suits which they hired from Morleys in Cork City.
“The ceremony was by Kathleen from Spiritual Ceremonies. She was so good to keep us relaxed and calm. The ceremony was so intimate and with Kathleen’s help, we tailor-made the perfect ceremony for us. The ceremony music was by the fabulous Riona Sheehan. She has the voice of an angel and also plays the harp.”
“We had our whole wedding at the Castle Oaks House Hotel. The staff were absolutely amazing, especially Barry and Rachel. They were with us throughout the whole journey and kept us at ease and helped out any way they could, especially when covid started to affect our plans. The chef John was amazing and even sat with us and had a coffee to discuss our menu.
Josephine and Maggie, 2 staff members who were working for our wedding, were spectacular. All our guests were very impressed with their kindness and helpfulness. My mother and siblings were very nervous and Josephine and Maggie took them to a private area to keep them socially distant but they could still enjoy the day.
Our experience from start to finish was second to none. Not one thing we asked for was ever too much. When covid came crashing into our plans, we really saw the extent of how far they were willing to help us. It was the first venue we visited on our wedding journey and I knew straight away it was the one for us. We took our photos in their beautiful gardens and didn’t need to leave the venue to go anywhere else. The venue itself had all the beauty and photo opportunities we needed.”
To keep everybody entertained, Sonya and Jerry had a few special items:
Fireworks: After dinner, while the DJ was setting up, everybody went outside for fireworks. To keep guests warm, everybody was given a hot toddy and then got to enjoy a spectacular show by Rocket Pyro. After a tough year, and two postponements, Sonya and Jerry decided to treat themselves and the best way to do that was with fireworks!
Selfie Mirror: This was a gift from one of the bridal party. They hired a selfie mirror from Alan’s wedding hire and guests really enjoyed both him and the selfie mirror.
Dj: DJ Paudi Walsh had everyone on their feet dancing the whole 4 hours he played. He is not only a great DJ but a fantastic entertainer.
Cake table: The cake table was by Laura’s Baked Creations. Laura made a cake table with macaroons, muffins, cake pops and a 3 tier wedding cake. She also supplied boxes so guests could take cake home.
Sonya’s favourite memory is getting a VW campervan to take her to the wedding. The journey was fun and it was a dream come true! Jerry’s favourite memory is the fireworks.
“The lead up to the wedding can be stressful but we didn’t let this stress get to us. We wanted to enjoy it. The hardest part was waiting for restrictions and updates in regards to covid but as they were announced we planned in accordance. We didn’t want it to ruin our happiness. We were amazed with the day we had and would recommend other couples to go ahead with their weddings even if it’s 25. It was the best day of our lives and wouldn’t change a thing.”
Suppliers
Ceremony and Reception venue: Castle Oaks House Hotel | Videographer: Gordon WedFILMS | Planner/Coordinator: Barry & Rachel | Ceremony musician: Riona Sheehan | DJ: DJ Paudie | Hair: Clodagh Mitchell | Couple’s outfits: Bride – Sharon Gregory’s Mallow. Groom – Morleys Cork City | Wedding party outfits:
