“It’s so nice to have all your favourite people around you.”
The couple: Ciara & Mark
Length of engagement: 15 months | Wedding date: 6th August 2016
Wedding venue: The Heritage Killenard, Laois
Photographer: Couple Photography
We met… I first met Mark when we were in school. Mark was in the boy’s school and I was in the girl’s school across the road. I worked part-time in the local Dunnes Stores. Mark used to come in to Dunnes to buy milk and a chicken fillet roll and he always ended up at my checkout. He asked our mutual friend Michelle for my number and the rest is history.
Our proposal… Mark proposed on our son’s 8th birthday. We arrived home from work and when Mark opened the door, the apartment was full of balloons and he got down on one knee. Of course I said yes. Our little boy Arron was over the moon. Mark had it all arranged for us to go to New York to buy my engagement ring. This was something I really wanted to do. We flew to New York and I picked my ring in Hanikens Jewellers.
My hair and make-up… My hair was by the very talented Carla Mc Quillan (Carla Rose Hair). Carla is an award-winning hairstylist and she was my number one choice for my wedding hair. I was unsure whether to wear my hair up or down. Carla advised me to wear it down and I went with it down and clipped to one side. I loved my hair and I didn’t have to touch it for the day. It stayed in place so well. My make-up was by the very talented Laura Watson (Looks by Laura). I wanted a very natural look for the day and Laura did just that. My make-up was amazing for the day and I only had to touch up my lipstick once or twice. I didn’t have a trial with Laura as I know her work and I knew I was in good hands.
His suit… Mark’s suit was from Aston Formal Wear in Dublin. Mark was happy for me to choose the suits. Mark’s suit was midnight blue with a black collar. Mark went with a dickey bow as we thought it was a little bit different and it looked that bit dressier. Mark also wore a pocket watch on the day.
My dress… I wanted my dress to be simple and elegant. I didn’t want it to be too much. I knew what I wanted when I went dress shopping. I wanted a fit and flair dress, low detailed back, straps and a mixture of plain and lace. My dress was the second dress I tried on. I bought my wedding dress and veil in Ophelia Bridal; I cannot recommend the girls in Ophelia enough. My dress is from an Australian designer ‘Essence of Australia’. I was really conscious I wanted a perfect fitted dress and the girls did just that. I felt like a princess for the day.
What our bridal party wore… Our groomsmen wore the same suit as Mark. My bridesmaids wore lilac dresses from V Label. I wanted all the bridesmaids to feel comfortable and to look elegant. I loved the cowl neck on the dresses. All the girls wore flowers in their hair. Their shoes were from New Look and clutch bags from Next.
Our ceremony… Our ceremony was in St Paul’s Church in Emo. I wanted to have the church as close to the venue as possible. My local priest kindly came down to Emo for the ceremony. Our ceremony didn’t go on too long and it was one of my favourite parts of the day. Our priest even managed to crack a few jokes. We had Ingrid Madsen as our church singer and she was amazing. For me, the ceremony was what I was most looking forward to. It’s such a special part of the day.
My favourite part of the wedding day… There are so many parts to the day that were amazing. I loved getting ready and when I had to put on my dress, my Mam and maid of honour buttoned me up. It’s so nice to have all your favourite people around you. If I had to pick my favourite part of the day, it was walking down the aisle. I was so nervous and nearly raced down the aisle. I am a real Daddy’s girl so to have my Dad by my side was so special. Mark and I were smiling from ear to ear. My Dad said he will never forget how happy we both looked.
We chose our photographer because… We first met Ros at my best friend’s wedding. I was a bridesmaid on the day. When we booked our wedding we were delighted to know Ros from Couple Photography was available for our big day. Ros arranged a pre-engagement shoot and we brought our little boy with us. Even Arron said he had fun. It was great to have two photographers on the day as everything is captured both in the bride and groom’s house that morning. Ros stayed with us right up until we were going for dinner. We just received our photos and we are delighted. The hard part will be picking the photos for the album as we love them all.
Our honeymoon… We went to the Maldives and Dubai on honeymoon. We started off with seven days in the Maldives and finished up in Dubai for three days. We went to the island Kuredu in the Maldives and it was amazing. Kuredu is really like something off a postcard. It was great to totally wind down and chill out after all the madness of the wedding. We had a short stay in Dubai; however it was just as amazing. We went to Dubai Mall and also went to the Atlantis for brunch. I would definitely recommend both.
We chose our venue because… we fell in love with it straight away. We knew from even looking at the pictures it was where we wanted our wedding. We fell in love with staircase at The Heritage Killenard; when you walk into reception you really get that wow feeling. The ballroom was amazing. We used the wedding décor company Chic Events.
Our wedding theme/colours… I didn’t really have a theme in mind, I just knew everything I wanted. I wanted the bridesmaids in a nice bright summer colour and that’s why I went with lilac. I wanted everything to be simple and elegant. I always kept in mind less is more. I went with ivory roses for my bouquet and all white/ivory flowers in the church. The bridesmaids had a mix of ivory and lilac roses.
Our menu… We wanted to try and have our menu to suit everyone. We had canapés on arrival for our guests along with a choice of prosecco or bottles of beer. We also had a sweet table and a Ferrero Rocher stand. I think it’s really important to have food on arrival as the majority of people haven’t really had anything to eat. For the dinner, we went with Chicken and Mushroom Vol au Vents, Vegetable Soup, Sirloin Beef or Seabass and for dessert we went with a trio of deserts. That evening we had Fish or Chicken and Chips for our guests.
My piece of advice for other brides… My piece of advice would be to go with what you both want for your big day. Don’t let anyone influence your decision. If you’re unsure, of course ask for opinions. Last but not least enjoy every minute, from the week before right up to the big day as it really does go by in a flash. There is so much planning and organising for the day but it is worth every second.
Suppliers:
Venue: The Heritage Killenard, Laois | Photographer: Couple Photography | Wedding Dress: Essence of Australia at Ophelia Bridal | Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Groomswear: Aston Formal Wear, Dublin | Flowers: Daisy’s Floral Creations | Cake: Jessie Bakes Cakes | Decor: Chic Events | Church Singer: Ingrid Madsen | Wedding Band: Controversial All Stars | Entertainment: Manilla Strings and Celtic Dance Fusion | Videographer: Doug Murray | Car Hire: Absolute Limos
