“I’m a big fan of the blush and silver theme, so tied this in with our flowers, dresses, and cake.”
Names: Lisa & Alan Patchell
Length of engagement: 23months
Wedding Date: 14th April 2018
Wedding location: Dunboyne Castle
Photographer: Stargaze Photography
We met… At Lisa’s cousin’s birthday party when I was 6 years old. We were friends for about 10 years and then fell out of touch as we got older. Love rekindled when I turned 18 and met Alan in a nightclub. We’ve been inseparable ever since. Together 11 years and living together 4 before we tied the knot.
Our proposal… We had booked a short break to Callela in the North of Spain. On our 2nd day we’d had dinner and a few cocktails. After Alan decided we’d take a walk on the beach, when I decided my footwear wasn’t very appropriate to carry on, Alan got down on one knee.
Our wedding theme/colours… We didn’t have a specific theme. I didn’t want anything too wintery/summer as getting married in April the weather is very unpredictable in Ireland. I’m a big fan of the blush and silver theme, so tied this in with our flowers, dresses and cake. Our wedding bands are silver as was my wedding jewellery and then we used pink/blush flowers to brighten up the day.
Things we DIY’d/made ourselves… Table names. We decided we would number the tables after ages and use pictures of us at this age.
My dress… My dress was originally a strapless sweetheart neckline. I wasn’t a fan of bare shoulders, especially getting married in a church. So my dressmaker decided to add detailed straps, which I fell in love with.
My hair and make up… My hair was a very soft updo. I’m not a fan of having hair down for a long day, and I usually wear it down in work. I always had it in my head that your wedding hair should be different to your everyday hair. When it came to my make up, I don’t usually wear a lot of make up, so for the big day I wanted something totally different. To tie in with my colour theme, I went with a really bold blush smokey eye, and a very glossy nude lip. My lipstick was a gift from my sister, Tom Ford pink dusk, with the matching lipgloss for shine.
His suit… Alan wanted a very unique suit being his wedding day. Alan went with a very light blue, with navy thread. He incorporated brown shoes and brown belt with snow-white shirt. He bought his suit new from Love Suits in Tallaght.
What our bridal party wore… all 3 bridesmaids went with the multiway dresses from Cari’s Closest. My bridesmaids are all different heights and shapes. These dresses were ideal as they could wear them in their own personal way, which made them feel most comfortable.
Our ceremony… Before we got engaged, I’d always dreamt of getting married in the same church as my parents. We chose St Agnes’ Church in Crumlin Village. It had only been renovated 2 years before our wedding and was upgraded to a lovely modern church, with a nice long aisle.
We chose our photographer because… He came recommended by a friend of ours. He made us feel so at ease during the decision process. Told us to let him know of important photos we wanted him to capture during the day and his previous work was so good.
We chose our wedding coordinator because… She came with the hotel. Everything else we did ourselves.
We chose our venue because… Alan chose our venue after doing some research online. I always said I wanted to walk into a hotel and feel the WOW factor. As soon as we drove into Dunboyne Castle, I knew we’d found our venue. The driveway is very impressive. The old house is fab and the garden areas are magic for photos. And the Tara Suite where we had our wedding was the perfect size and layout. The room catered perfectly for our 169 guests. The dance floor wasn’t disturbed as the room fitted all tables with plenty of room. The hotel has a spa and swimming pool which we knew we would use the day after the wedding to chill out.
Our menu… We have very simple tastes when it comes to food, as long as it’s hot and there’s plenty of it. For starters we had Chicken and mushroom vol au vents, followed by cream of vegetable soup. Our main course was a choice of either Beef with all the trimmings or Salmon with the trimmings. The dessert plate was a trio of Bailey’s cheesecake, choc fudge brownie and apple pie with ice cream.
Our honeymoon… I’m very lucky to be a travel agent in Dublin. I was very fortunate to have won the African part of our trip. We flew from Dublin to Cape Town, Business class with Emirates. We stayed for 3 days in Capetown – the Protea Marriott Fire & Ice Hotel. From there we flew up to Victoria Falls and had 3 days in the Zambezi River Lodge. After this we went to Malawi where we enjoyed 3 days of Safari at the Tongole Wilderness Lodge. After our adventures we had 1 night in Johannesburg, at the Emporers Palace Hotel. We flew down to Mauritius from here for 10 days of pure rest and relaxation at the fabulous Constance Belle Mare Plage Resort. All inclusive bliss!!!! On our journey home we stopped in Dubai for 4 days to break up the journey home.
My favourite part of the wedding day… The morning time was very precious to me as I haven’t lived at home for almost 5 years and the excitement of getting ready with my parents and sisters on the morning was such a buzz. When I got to the church and saw Alan the day was just filled with love and happiness for the rest of the weekend.
My piece of advice for other couples… When planning your big day, yes you should do it the way you both want. But do take people’s advice on board, you don’t have to go with it, but it’s easier to listen than to have an argument!!! Don’t stress the little things, it will all come together.
Suppliers
Wedding venue: Dunboyne Castle | Photographer: Stargaze Photography | Planner/coordinator: Kate Voice from Dunboyne Castle | Videographer: Donal from OC films | Musician: Lucan Gospel Choir and Viola | Band and DJ: Long Time Coming | Hair: Katrina Kelly of Cut Social fame | Makeup: Dina Clarke MUA | Dress: La Bella Sposa, Swords | Suits: I Love Suits | Bridesmaids dresses: Cari’s Closet | Celebrant: Fr Tom Clowe from St Agnes’ Church, Crumlin
