“Our wedding colours were blush pink and cream.”
Bride and groom full names: Bruce and Rebecca Teixeira
Length of engagement: 1.5 years
Wedding Date: 13/7/2018
Wedding location: Radisson Blu St Helen’s, Dublin
Photographer: The Fennells
We met in Vancouver. I (Rebecca) was working in an Irish pub called Johnnie Fox’s. Bruce and his mates used to always hang out there. Bruce asked me out and we went on our first date, on Canadian Thanksgiving. After dating for a while I had to move back to Ireland because my two year working holiday visa had come to an end. We did a long distance relationship for a while which was tough because we just wanted to be together! Bruce then sold everything he had in Canada and like prince charming moved all the way over to Ireland!
The proposal was very special. It was January 13th 2017 – yes a Friday! We were going out for dinner in a lovely restaurant in town called Fire. Bruce had a big plan to bring me to Grafton Street and to propose outside but as it was lashing rain he had to change his plan. After we finished our main meal Bruce got down on one knee and popped the question! I think I was in shock because when he got down on one knee, my first thought was “What is he doing down there? Did he drop his serviette?” It was only when I saw the reaction of the lady in front of us it dawned on me what was going on! The restaurant staff were so lovely and the prosecco was flowing. It was lovely to have that moment together before the news got out!
The planning was so much fun. It was so lovely visiting all the venues and seeing them laid out so beautifully. We went to the RDS wedding fair and we found that very helpful. Planning definitely has its stresses, but you get through those moments. I think some of my favourite memories were venue shopping with Bruce and going dress shopping with my family and friends. Special moments I will treasure.
The venue and how was it decorated… Tracey and the team at Wow Weddings did a spectacular job on the room. We were absolutely blown away. The whole room was dropped in white, the lighting added great atmosphere, some cherry blossom trees and we got the pièce de résistance – the lit up dance floor! We found the quality of what we got for the price was absolutely amazing. Everybody commented on how lovely the room was.
Our wedding colours were blush pink and cream.
My dress… was a Mori Lee dress from the Dublin Bridal House in Rathfarnham. Sharon and the team there were so lovely. We had such fun trying on the dresses and they were so great with advice too. As soon as I tried on this dress I knew instantly it was the one – you really do get “that feeling”! I tried on so many dresses both in Ireland and Canada, but this dress was The One.
My hair and make up… Make Up was done by the very talented Aimee Connolly. She is so good at what she does. I really love how natural she makes everything. And she is so lovely too! Hair was done by Sinead McGoldrick. She is the queen of hair! When I went for my trial I was blown away by how quickly she was able to turn out amazing hairstyles. Both Aimee and Sinead did such an amazing job, more than I could ever ask. They did such an amazing job with the bridal party too, everyone was blown away by their talents – a lot of the wedding guests commented on the hair and makeup and I still have people asking me who did my hair and makeup!
His suit… Bruce got his suit from Protocol in Dublin. He got a gorgeous black tux. Tony was absolutely fantastic, he was friendly, funny and so good at what he does – he was able to advise Bruce so well. Bruce and the lads were very happy and looked so sharp.
What our bridal party wore… long dresses from Asos. Bit of bling on it too! I was so happy with the quality and the price. I was delighted to find a dress that suited all the girls and that they all liked. They all looked stunning!
Our ceremony… was in Church of the Assumption in Batterstown, Co Meath. It’s my (Rebecca) local church. It was a smaller church, cosy and intimate. When we rocked up we were blown away by the work our family friend Vivian did on the flowers – they were so beautiful. She did such a fantastic job. Our local priest Fr. Stan was amazing! He is such a lovely man, walked us through everything and he had us all laughing and smiling on the day! We are very blessed to have him in the community. We had music by Bow Musique, a three piece strings group. Wow, they were something else. Talk about adding atmosphere. I come from a family of musicians so music is very important to us, they blew all of us away. They had a wonderful repertoire of classical and well known pieces.
We chose our photographer because… they are simply the best! We first did an engagement shoot with Mark and Fiona and the photos were so amazing and romantic. Bruce is not a big fan of the camera and Mark and Fiona made him feel so at ease. We were thrilled they did our wedding. There was no one else we wanted! We booked The Fennell’s for both photo and video. They were such good craic on the day too, all my family and friends commented on how lovely they were and how they didn’t even realise they were taking photos – they’re like photo ninjas! I have to say too that in the planning leading up to the wedding Mark and Fiona were so great with tips and advice, especially on timings of the day – they have years of experience behind them and know what works well, we were so grateful for their help because we didn’t have a clue! And the photos! – oh my gosh – I’m literally trying to find the words! They captured everything so well, so beautifully, even the ‘in the moment’ shots – they were out of this world. Stunning. I cried when I saw them! The quality of them. We were blown away and cannot recommend them highly enough. We have these photos, and video, to treasure our special day forever. We are so grateful.
We chose our wedding coordinator because… she was so lovely! From the moment we met Zuzana & Sorcha at The Raddison St. Helen’s we knew our wedding would be well looked after! They were so warm, welcoming and friendly, and nothing was too much trouble! We had looked at a few venues but nothing compared to St. Helen’s….it was the staff, intimate reception rooms, food, gardens & value that sold it to us! Sorcha and Zuzana were always at the end of a phone or email for any questions we had. Everything was done to a T – and they kept us calm leading up to the day! They made everything easy for us. Everybody commented on how lovely the room was, how tasty the food was and how lovely and warm the staff was. Everybody was so looked after. Amazing.
We chose our venue because… what we got for our money to be honest. We found great value for what we got. We also loved the intimacy of the room, it was cosy. And the lovely staff just sealed the deal!
Our menu… we had 6 courses – fancy lol! We had chicken fill tartlet with dressed leaves and herb oil, leek and potato soup with chive garnish, raspberry sorbet, roast beef or salmon, a trio of mini desserts, tea and coffee. And of course bread, lots of bread – I was on a “bread diet” for the wedding so I had bread on tap on our wedding day! The food was absolutely delicious.
Tell us about your entertainment: The Bentley Boys and Star DJs were just fantastic. They were so lovely to deal with, so helpful with the lead up. They had the place buzzing and the dance floor was never ever empty. They really made the day, so good at what they do, absolutely fantastic.
Our honeymoon… We booked with Ciara from Classic Resorts to Dreams La Romana Dominican Republic. She was fantastic because she was able to advise us on the best choice of hotel for us. We went all inclusive. We also chose an adult option which meant we had access everywhere in the resort including the quiet adult area, I recommend this upgrade. It was just fantastic. We went for two weeks. We then went to Bruce’s hometown for a week after for our second wedding reception! Bruce’s mam and family were absolutely amazing and organised most of the Montreal wedding for us – it was spectacular! We are so blessed we got to do it twice!
My favourite part of the wedding day… The moment the priest said “I now pronounce you man and wife.” The Fennell’s captured that very moment! – The priest, Bruce and myself turning to our family and friends with big happy heads on us! That is a memory I will treasure forever.
My piece of advice for other brides… take some time out! It can get so busy and overwhelming sometimes with so much to do – take time out of all the organizing and go for a massage or something you enjoy, and even a date night with your fiancé where you’re not just talking wedding stuff!
The Suppliers
Photo and video: The Fennells | Dress: Dublin Bridal House | Suit: Protocol | Rings: Family jeweller in Montreal | Bridesmaids dresses: Asos | Hair: Sinead McGoldrick | Makeup: Aimee Connelly | Venue: Radisson Blu St Helen’s | Ceremony: Church of the Assumption, Batterstown | Decor: Wow Weddings | Church music: Bow Musique | Band: The Bentley Boys | DJ: Star DJs | Flowers: Vivian Lam and Floral Events | Cake: Creative Cakes | Invites: Save The Date | Tayto Packs: Carolyn’s Sweets | Honeymoon: Classic Resorts |
