“I loved our first dance… it started off slow with Kodaline’s ‘The One’ and then went into ‘Maniac 2000’… let’s just say it got the guests warmed up before The Pat Fitz Wedding Band started!”
The couple: Sarah O’Sullivan & Adrian O’Driscoll
Length of engagement: 18 months | Wedding date: 16th September 2017
Wedding venue: Mcdonald Kinsale Hotel & Spa, Cork
Photographer: Rose Gowan Photography
We met… July 2010 at the ‘Cork x Southwest’ music festival in Skibbereen – he knocked over my drink and offered to buy me one even though the bar was closed, LOL! I was in Skibb for the weekend with a lot of my family so he met them all that night and if he survived that, I knew he was a keeper! He was working in Dublin at the time so came down to Cork every weekend until he eventually moved down in March 2013.
Our proposal… He got down on one knee on a blustery day at the Cliffs of Moher in March 2016 and then we went onto Delphi Resort for an amazing weekend of celebrations!
My dress… I absolutely loved my dress and it was not something I ever thought I would wear –The Mecca by designer Ida Torez. Big shout out to the amazing ladies in Cinderella’s Closet in Blackpool; highly recommend for any bride searching for their dress; so professional!
My hair and makeup… my hair was by the fab Eimear Jones (of Jeff Devine, Wilton) and Claire from CrazyDolls made us all beautiful with her superb make up skills.
His suit… was a navy-blue tweed look from Tom Murphy’s of Cork City – superb service!
What our bridal party wore… The ladies were in pinks and greys; my maid of honour Abbie wore pink and my two bridesmaids Siobhan and Sophie wore the same dress but in grey. The men were in navy with silver/grey ties. Best page boy Adam matched his Dad with a cute pink dickie bow.
Our ceremony… took place at The Church of Our Lady & St. John in Carrigaline, under the direction of the very kind Fr. Pat Fogarty – an absolute gent! People are still talking about his amazing ceremony. The stunning flowers from Jenny of Lilac & Fern made the church even more spectacular. We had music by the super talented ‘Wedding Music by Jewel’; Julie and John made it so special!
We chose our photographer because… We loved Rose (Rose Gowan Photography) and her hubby Dara the minute we met them! We also loved that with two photographers, we could have shots of both our mornings and not miss out on anything! We did an engagement/family shoot with them last year in their studio and just knew they’d do a terrific job. We weren’t disappointed… could not be happier with our photos!
We chose our venue because… We had been to two weddings at Macdonald Kinsale Hotel & Spa previously and we just loved the setting, area, views, food etc. They did not disappoint!!
Our honeymoon… 9 nights away (thanks to my amazing Mum Rose for minding the kids Soph and Adam!) at The Westin, Costa Navarino, in Greece – was epic!
Our menu…
Appetisers:
Warm Clonakilty Black Pudding Tartlet
Union Hall Smoked Haddock & White Truffle Fish Cakes
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Cream of Sweet Potato & Sage Soup OR Champagne Sorbet
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Main:
Oven Roasted Prime Sirloin of West Cork Beef
Grilled Fillets of Seabass
(Served with: Gratin Potatoes, Carrots & Parsnips and Broccoli & Cauliflower)
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Dessert:
Trio: Cheesecake, Brownie and Lemon Posset (with a little crackling candy on the side!)
My favourite part of the wedding day… There are many but the highlights for me were my brother Shane playing ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’ in the Church on guitar (you could have heard a pin drop!), my hubby’s speech (still stunned he wrote a poem!) and my other brother David challenging me to a dance-off which ended up with me doing push-ups on the dance floor in my wedding dress – obviously I won!! LOL. Also loved our first dance… started off slow with Kodaline’s ‘The One’ and then went into ‘Maniac 2000’… let’s just say it got the guests warmed up before The Pat Fitz Wedding Band started!
Our wedding theme/colours… Our theme/table plan was based on gigs we have been to together… top table was ‘Cork x Southwest’ and the others were gigs we have attended… Bruce Springsteen, Michael Bolton, Snow Patrol etc. Our invite was ticket style! Colours were pinks and greys primarily.
My piece of advice for other couples… Plan your day around you as a couple… go with what you both would like rather than trying to please anyone else! This is what we did and our day was exactly how we had hoped it would be. Everyone seemed to have a ball too! Would love to do it all again!
Suppliers
Venue: Macdonald Kinsale Hotel & Spa, Cork | Photographer: Rose Gowan Photography | Videographer: Brian – Arclight Wedding Videographer | Wedding Dress, Shoes & Veil: Cinderella’s Closet | Bride’s Earrings & Hair Accessory: Azure | Hair: Eimear Jones from Jeff Divine, Wilton | Makeup: Claire from CrazyDolls | Suits: Tom Murphy’s Formal & Menswear | Ceremony Music: Wedding Music by Jewel | Flowers: Lilac & Fern | Wedding Cake: Baker Boy Cakes | Band & DJ: The Pat Fitz Wedding Band | Photo Booth: A2B DJs | Wedding Favours: Sweet & Crafty, Cork | Decor & Gifts: Unbound, Bridge Street, Cork
