“I would say our theme was family and incorporating my Irish side and his US side with flags on each table at the reception.”
Names: Siobhan and Stephen
Length of engagement: 1 ½ years
Wedding Date: May 3, 2019
Wedding location: Parkview Hotel
Photographer: Happy Together Photography
We met… on New Year’s Eve at a friend’s house. Neither one of us was planning on meeting someone that night but once the music started and we danced, we were glued at the hip from that night forward.
Our proposal… he knew how much it meant to me to have my parents and best friend there when he popped the question. We go away every year to a trout lodge and since we went on New Year’s Eve, we decided to invite my parents along. I had no clue he was planning to propose that night. Right after midnight, as I was wishing my mom a happy New Year, I turn around to him down on one knee. My best friend recorded it and I’m so grateful we will have that moment to look back on for the rest of our lives. I proceeded to ugly cry and left him on his knee for at least a minute and then said yes!
Our wedding theme/colours… It had been my dream since I was a little girl to get married in the same church my parents did 47 years ago and have a family wedding. My whole family lives in Ireland, but we moved to the States when my mom was pregnant with me. Every year, she would take us home for the summer, so we could spend time with our grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. So, I would say our theme was family and incorporating my Irish side and his US side with flags on each table at the reception.
My dress… a small boutique, Cleo Bridal, located in the US.
My hair and make-up… Kirsty Mooney, owner of Salon H in Newtown Mount Kennedy and Clare Hogan, freelance make-up artist.
His suit… custom made blue suits for all three men with their names embroidered on the inside of the jackets. White shirts with plaid green ties and similar pocket squares.
What our bridal party wore… my two sisters were my bridesmaids and they wore emerald green, floor length, chiffon dresses. Both choose which style they liked best and would be comfortable in.
Our ceremony… We had a traditional Catholic wedding. We had an amazing soprano sing – Sarah Reddin. Everyone commented on how gorgeous her voice was and it truly made the ceremony more memorable. Also, we signed the same register as my parents!
We chose our photographer because… once researching multiple photographers in the area and communicating with a few, we didn’t care for any of them. Another search brought me to Blazej Maksym and thank goodness! We loved his style on his website and that his passion is photography. I could tell from the first time we made contact that was 100% the truth. His communication was impeccable and answered any and all questions I had and quickly too. What was even more impressive was when he requested to meet with us, when we arrived in Ireland, to go over some questions. He was prompt in meeting us and I was so at ease once meeting him and knew we had made the right decision. I honestly can’t imagine having someone else photograph our special day. Every single family member and friend complimented how dedicated he was and polite. He put so much thought into every picture.
One of my favourite things about him is that he asked if we had any photos we would like ie. family, cousins etc. I told him I wanted to replicate a few of my parents’ wedding day photos and he pulled it off on the day! It’s not easy getting all your family members in a picture and looking at the camera! Seeing more pictures now makes my heart so happy. He caught the emotions and moments that I will cherish forever and always. On top of all of this, he made sure I had 5 finished pictures within a few days! I was so impressed with how quickly he got them to me. We loved being able to show our family pictures from the day. Not to sound cheesy, but on the wedding day, it really felt like he was my friend. He was so easy to talk to and just put me at ease the whole day. We were truly blessed to have found him.
We chose our venue because… The wedding planner was fantastic right off the bat! I had read reviews about how great the venue was for weddings and they went above and beyond. Nicole took care of everything on the day and we had no worries at all. The room was absolutely gorgeous and just what I wanted. Since my husband is American and I’m Irish, we decided to put an American flag and Irish flag in each of the centrepieces. Nicole handled this, and it was just what I pictured.
Our menu… We started with sparkling wine and sandwiches for the arrival. The starter was chicken and mushroom vol-au-vents. Entrée was a choice between aged roast sirloin of beef with braised red onion & fresh thyme jus with Yorkshire pudding or grilled fillet of sea bass with buttered baby potatoes, chive & shrimp butter – both were served with a mixture of steamed vegetables. Dessert was warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream. Later in the evening, we served fish and chip cones.
Our honeymoon… Roquetas de Mar, Spain – Southern town and not very touristy which is what we were going for. Peaceful and relaxing which is just what we needed.
My favourite part of the wedding day… Our first dance! We decided on the song about a year before the wedding (Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now) and kept saying we would practice our dance. We never did and then the time came for us to bust a move as husband and wife. I had one of my husband’s friends pull up the music video on his phone and we killed it! All of my family thought we had been practicing for months LOL something I will never forget!
My piece of advice for other couples… make sure you enjoy YOUR day. We made sure we chatted with everyone for a little while but then we danced the night away and had such an amazing day/night! If your venue offers a day after celebration, I strongly suggest you do it. It was so nice to catch up with everyone the next day and hear stories from the wedding.
What is it that makes your wedding unique? My cousin ordered the flowers and made all of our bouquets as well as the flowers for the church. It was extremely important to me to have lavender in the bouquets and buttonholes because of my late granny. She pulled it off and it meant so much to me! Everything was gorgeous. My aunt’s friend made our cake and I don’t think we could have ordered a more delicious cake from a bakery. It was a 3 tier and we had lemon drizzle (my favourite), carrot and chocolate. At the day after celebration, we had the hotel cut up the cake and all the guests loved trying the flavours they didn’t the night before.
Suppliers
Wedding venue: Parkview Hotel | Wedding Planner: Nicole Byrne | Photographer: Happy Together Photography | Musician: Dan & Shay | Hair: Kirsty Mooney – Salon H | Makeup: Clare Hogan | Wedding singer: Sarah Reddin | Dress: Cleo Bridal, US | Suits: JOE Joseph Abboud – custom | Bridesmaids dresses: Azazie | Cake: Friend of my aunt | Celebrant: Father Donal Roche
