Kaitie and Pauric planned their wedding all the way from Canada, with the help of their amazing supplier team and our ‘HIGM – Help I’m Getting Married‘ Facebook group. Because they tied the knot in spring, they chose a gorgeous sage green and blush pink colour theme and a vintage feel to match the venue.
We love how their whole wedding centred around their friends and family! From an intimate ceremony that involved their two children to wedding day entertainment recommended by the Best Man, everybody had a brilliant day!
Couple: Kaitie and Pauric Mc Kenna
Engagement length: 18 months
Wedding date: 2022-04-23
Wedding venue: Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan
Photographer: Ian Hennessy
9 years ago, Kaitie and Pauric met at an Irish pub in Canada! Their proposal wasn’t elaborate, but Kaitie says it was perfect in her eyes.
“He proposed to me at our kitchen table while our daughter was eating breakfast. Even though we talked about getting married for quite some time, I was extremely surprised!”
Kaitie and Pauric hosted a smaller ceremony with 60 guests, followed by a hotel reception with 100 people. Their ceremony took place in Bessmount Park, an 18th century house just outside Monaghan. With this stunning venue as their backdrop, they chose to stay close to a vintage feel for the ceremony. And since they tied the knot in spring, they selected a floral theme with sage green and blush pink as their key colours!
Kaitie chose a layered lace dress with a plunging V-neckline and a large lace train. Her shoes were ivory and lace, with simple pearl earrings to complement the look.
Pauric wore a custom Joseph Abboud plaid navy suit, with a solid navy waistcoat that matched the groomsmen’s suits and a blush pink tie. He was also gifted an engraved gold pocket watch from his dad that really added to his suit and the vintage feel of the wedding.
The beautiful bridesmaids wore long, sage coloured dresses from Azazie. Both bridesmaids chose their own dressed based on their personal styles. The groomsmen wore solid navy suits and waistcoats, with sage green ties to match the bridesmaids dresses. The flower girl, Kaitie and Pauric’s daughter, wore an ivory lace dress from PJs House, with a matching sage green sash and bow. Their baby boy wore a little navy suit from H&M and a matching sage green bow tie.
Since they live in Canada, they decided to do the legal bit there, before coming over to Ireland for the celebration. This allowed them to have fun with the day and invite Pauric’s cousin (their roommate back in Canada) to be their celebrant. This created a very personal ceremony, with a few laughs too! Kaitie and Pauric describe their ceremony as ‘perfect’. An intimate setting with 60 of their closest friends and family, a sand ceremony with their two children, along with both dads helping the kids!
Their venue of choice was The Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan which they said was ‘absolutely fantastic’ throughout the planning process and on the Big Day.
“Pauric and his family are great friends with the owners of the hotel and Pauric used to work in the hotel himself many years ago. So it was a very easy choice for us and felt very personal! We were very well taken care of, our guests loved the food and everyone had such a great time!”
They chose Ian Hennessy to capture their Big Day and they are very happy they did! Here’s what they had to say about him:
“Our photographer was great! He was excellent at blending in with everyone and capturing candid moments from the day. We didn’t have to spend too long posing for our pictures and therefore had more time to spend with our guests! Ian was also very quick at getting our finished pictures to us. We had our highlight slideshow video the following Monday morning and our USB arrived in the post that same week!”
A big part of their wedding was the entertainment! Their ceremony musicians, Joycey & Fahy, were recommended by the Best Man. They were happy to learn songs that Kaitie and Pauric wanted for the ceremony, and they went on to play at the drinks reception too. The party continued on the dance floor with Hi-Fi Band, who they picked based on reviews and videos they watched. Their guests loved the music and are still talking about it!
When asked about their favourite memory from the big day, Kaitie says it was definitely the speeches!
“Pauric was so nervous but he did great and spoke from his heart and I remember everything he said, so clearly. I also did a speech, along with our Best Man and my Maid of Honour, which might not be traditional but was very memorable to me.”
Kaitie and Pauric absolutely loved their wedding day!
“We had the best time and could not have done it without our fantastic suppliers! Also, the ‘HIGM – Help I’m Getting Married‘ page was such a huge help as a Canadian planning our wedding from Canada!”
We love asking newlyweds for their best wedding planning advice! This is what Kaitie and Pauric had to say:
“Everyone says the day goes so fast but it really does! Try to enjoy every second and try not to get too stressed during the planning stage because it’ll be the best day no matter what!”
Suppliers
Ceremony venue: Bessmount Park | Reception venue: Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan | Photographer: Ian Hennessy | Ceremony music: Joycey & Fahy | Band: Hi-Fi Band | Hair: Donna Brennan Hughes | Makeup: Áine Swift | Couple’s outfits: Dress – Essence of Australia, Suit – Joseph Abboud | Wedding party outfits: Azazie dresses | Cake: Cake Symphony | Celebrant/solemniser: Grace Mullin | Jewellery/rings: Spence Diamonds | Flowers: Flowers n Things Monaghan
