“We decided that we wanted to keep things simple, pretty and romantic. We planned an outdoor ceremony and decided that pink and ivory would fit in well with our picture of what we wanted.”
Your Names: Aisleigh and Matthew
Length of engagement: 6 years
Wedding Date: 2019-06-22
Wedding location: Ferrycarrig Hotel, Co. Wexford
Videographer: Golden Moments Wedding Photography and Film
How did you meet and get engaged?
We met in Matthew’s local pub in London in 2012. I was the barmaid and it was my first shift there. Matthew and his friends invited me and my colleague out for a drink after our shift ended. We got talking that night and that was the beginning of it. We found out that we were expecting a baby a few months later and decided to move back to Ireland after the baby was born. Matthew proposed in my parents living room the night of our son’s christening on June 30th 2013 after we had come home from the pub. Little did I know that he had the ring for a few months already and had asked my father for permission to marry me. Matthew proposed again in February 2017 when we were expecting our daughter. We went away for a few nights to Killarney. Matthew had taken my ring “to be polished” which wasn’t unusual of him so I never questioned it. I did question how long it was taking the jewellers to clean my ring but Matthew said it was because it was leading up to Valentine’s Day and they were probably busy. During dinner at the hotel, I had ordered a yummy dessert that I had been craving! I was so excited about my dessert that I initially failed to notice the writing on the plate ‘Aish will you marry me?’, or the ring on the table or the staff waiting for me to answer! I looked back at my plate and it was then that I noticed. I, of course, said yes (again)!
Describe your wedding:
We decided that we wanted to keep things simple, pretty and romantic. We planned an outdoor ceremony and decided that pink and ivory would fit in well with our picture of what we wanted.
Tell us about your bridal look:
Again, I wanted to keep things simple. I wanted to keep my look very elegant. My make up was very natural looking. I wore my hair down with a Hollywood wave. My hair was done by the amazing Hair by Doireann.
My dress was again quite simple. I always knew that I wanted a lace dress. I looked at many dresses but didn’t make a decision until about 4 months before the wedding. I thought my dress off the rail from B-Couture Bridal in Arklow. My dress was full-length lace with a sheer back by Sincerity Bridal. I had lace inserted onto the back to fill it in more. My dress also had a detachable train that I had removed and made into a veil. My shoes were the most important part for me. I’m a shoe addict! I bought my shoes about 7 months before the wedding. I wore a pair of Emmy London shoes in a dusty rose colour with a pale pink satin bow on the front.
What did your bridesmaids wear?
My bridesmaids wore a beautiful pale pink tea-length silky dress from Coast. The top of the dress had lace applique and a low back which was tied at the back with a bow. I had four bridesmaids. My two sisters, my cousin and Matthew’s youngest sister. The girls wore their hair the same in a low updo. I bought them all a beautiful hairpiece to wear also.
What was your ceremony like?
We had an amazing outdoor humanist ceremony. Our celebrant was Pat Clarke-Browne. Our ceremony was very relaxed and equal parts fun and romantic. We wanted our ceremony to really be about our unity as a family and Pat did this very well. We had a sand pouring ceremony which our two children helped pour the sand into a glass frame. We also had a ring warming ritual included in our ceremony which allowed our family and friends to hold and imbue our rings with a wedding blessing. The sun was splitting the stones on the day of the wedding and the ceremony went so smoothly. Our son surprised us with a reading which he wrote himself. We had 6 readings in total. All chosen by us and read by those we thought suited the readings the most. Our favourite reading was The Lovely Other Dinosaur which was light-hearted and fun and made everybody laugh. We all shed a lot of tears throughout the ceremony. It was a very emotional ceremony for everybody and it was absolutely perfect for us.
Tell us about your wedding venue:
We chose the Ferrycarrig Hotel for a few reasons. The first reason was the location. We knew when we booked it that we wanted an outdoor ceremony and the Ferrycarrig has one of the most beautiful views out onto the water. We also had been to a few weddings at the Ferrycarrig and we knew that we would get first-class service and amazing food. The function room was exactly what we wanted also. It was perfectly sized for the number of guests we had and looks great, with an amazing view across the water.
What is your favourite memory from your wedding day?
It’s really hard to choose a favourite memory from the day. Everything was perfect for us. We have spoken about our day lots since we got married and we both agree that we would not change anything. But if we had to choose one it would be the moment we said I do. That is what our whole day was about.
Have you got any advice for other couples?
If we were to give any advice it would be to always remember why you are doing it. Don’t get caught up on the small things. Remember that you are having a wedding because you want to be married to each other for the rest of your lives and that is what is most important. We always said that the most important thing is that we both turn up and our celebrant turns up to marry us. Everything else will just fall into place.
Suppliers
Wedding venue: Ferrycarrig Hotel | Videographer: Golden Moments | Planner/coordinator: Karen O’ Leary | Musician and DJ: Sway Social | Hair: Hair by Doireann | Makeup: The Powder Room Girls | Dress: B Couture Bridal, Arklow | Suits: Ted Baker | Bridesmaids dresses: Coast | Cake: Jenny’s Cupcakes | Celebrant: Pat Clarke-Browne | Stationery: Optimal print | Jewellery: Fields Jewellers | Flowers: Ani Flowers by Anita Jordan
