“We were away for the weekend and Brian surprised me with the proposal during a walk in the vineyard after breakfast.”
The couple: Ruth Dillon & Brian McGivern
Length of engagement: 18 months | Wedding date: 29th March 2014
Wedding location: Bellingham Castle
Photographer: Michelle Prunty
We met… at Brian’s birthday party in July 2009 in Vancouver while I was out there visiting a friend. We hit it off straight away and even though I returned to Ireland soon after, our friendship quickly turned into a long-distance relationship and I moved to Vancouver in 2012.
Our proposal… We got engaged at a winery in the Okanagan Valley in Canada a few months after I moved to Vancouver. We were away for the weekend and Brian surprised me with the proposal during a walk in the vineyard after breakfast.
My dress… was designed and custom made for me in Vancouver by Kathryn Bass Bridal, who did a fantastic job of creating the perfect dress for me. My headpiece was from Jules Bridal Jewellery.
Our ceremony… We were married in a humanist ceremony at Bellingham Castle. We loved how relaxed the ceremony was and that we were able to make it our own. We had beautiful music by my friend and wedding singer, Niamh Parkinson.
We chose our venue because… we really wanted a venue that we would have all to ourselves. Bellingham Castle stood out to us as it had been beautifully renovated and really suited our style.
What our bridal party wore… My bridesmaid wore a dress from JCrew in ‘Dusty Shale’ that we ordered online.
We chose our photographer because… Michelle Prunty‘s portfolio really appealed to us. We loved her style and she was great to communicate with from abroad. We wanted to be able to enjoy the day with our guests and she assured us she would be mindful of that while capturing the photos we wanted. Neither of us enjoys posing for photos but despite not having the chance to meet her prior to the day, she put us both at ease immediately.
Our honeymoon… We spent a lovely week in Spain, visiting both Madrid and Seville before coming back to Vancouver.
Our menu… The food at Bellingham Castle was absolutely superb and plentiful – we had a seafood plate for entrée followed by a roasted red pepper and tomato soup. We had Kilmore Quay hake and rack of Cooley lamb for main. The tasting plate for dessert was delicious!
My favourite part of the wedding day… was the time we had together while everyone was being seated for dinner – having a drink together and chatting about the day.
My piece of advice for other brides… Be as organised as possible prior to the run up to the wedding day so that you can relax and enjoy it!
