A Delightful Dunboyne Castle Wedding by DKPHOTO

Real Weddings

“I think our guests were worried we would inflict a very strict menu on them!”

The couple: Emily and David Whelan
Length of engagement: 9 months | Wedding date: 2nd October 2015
Wedding ceremony: Our Church of Our Lady’s Nativity, Leixlip
Wedding Venue: Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa, Dunboyne, Co. Meath
Photographer: Daniel, DKPHOTO

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We met… at a birthday party for both of our sisters (who are friends) in 2010.

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Our proposal… was on Christmas Eve 2014, we were sitting down to watch our favourite Christmas movie, Elf. David went out to the kitchen to top up our glass of wine and came back with a jewellery box in one hand and got down on one knee to ask me to marry him. With all the excitement we never got to watch the rest of Elf so hopefully we will this year!

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Our wedding theme/colours… No particular theme, but fun was the theme of the day!

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His suit… was a New and Lingwood three-piece suit from House of Fraser. David is not a man who likes to shop or try on clothes, so when he tried this dark navy suit that fitted well he was happy to say “Yes to the dress suit”!

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My dress… was a Stephanie Allin dress called Julia which I got in Myrtle Ivory in Dublin. I saw the dress and instantly I knew I wanted to try it on, once I did I knew there wasn’t going to be another other dress. One thing I wanted was that the dress would ‘transform’ in some way. To achieve this, I wore a Stephanie Allin ‘Tilly’ shrug during the ceremony and reception dinner and then just before the first dance I removed the shrug and wore the dress alone. One of the best aspects of the dress was that it had pockets… so I could carry my lipstick with me for touch ups!

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My hair and make-up… Christine Murphy (Snips and Lips) was my hair stylist, she was amazing because my hair was one of my biggest concerns all along. I knew my hair looked better wearing it down, but I was worried about it losing its shape during the day. It wasn’t until the morning that I finally made the decision to wear it down and it stayed looking flawless and feeling natural all day (and into the next day!). Valerie Ward was my make-up artist, she is so talented and really created the look that I wanted which was dark eyes, subtle lips and highlighted cheekbones. Other than touching up my lipstick, I didn’t have to go near my make-up all day and it lasted into the early morning.

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What our bridal party wore… both bridesmaids dresses were Dessy dresses which we got in Wedding World in Fairview. They were a claret colour in a slightly different style, both bridesmaids looked absolutely stunning on the day. The best man and groomsmen suits came from Marks and Spencer and matched the dark navy colour of David’s suit. The mini belle of the ball was our flower girl, her dress was from Marks and Spencer and her handmade floral headpiece was from Barbara’s Boutique.

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Our ceremony… was in our local church in Leixlip, The Church of our Lady’s Nativity. It was where David and I were both christened, had our first communion and our confirmation so it has a significance for us and our families. Our florist, Lorcan from Absolutely Fabulous Flowers in Celbridge, did a fantastic job of decorating the church with seasonal fresh flowers.

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We chose our venue because… We had been to Dunboyne Castle for a family meal a few months before we got engaged and we remembered the quality of the food was excellent, which was a priority for us when choosing a venue. Another reason was that both of us and our families are living in Leixlip, we wanted somewhere that was convenient and not too far a drive from the church. In addition, we really liked the vibe in Dunboyne, it’s very cosy and the staff are extremely friendly, yet they are true professionals when it comes to wedding planning and hosting. We were extremely lucky with the weather on the day of the wedding and it was great to have a room that allowed natural light and brightness during the meal.

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We chose our photographer because… we saw Daniel’s (DKPHOTO) portfolio online and his images really stood out against all the other photographers we had looked at. Above anyone, he was able to capture the natural moments and the fun factor associated with the day and this is why we wanted him. On the day, Daniel was the epitome of a true professional, he spoke to both of us about the flow of the day and offered advice and suggestions for achieving the balance between the family/couple photos and the natural/organic moments with guests. We could not be happier with our photographs, they captured the great memories we have from the day, but also other special moments that we didn’t even know about until we saw the beautiful pictures. Now the only challenge is choosing the pictures for the album!

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Our menu… David has a gluten and dairy free diet and I am a vegetarian so I think our guests were worried we would inflict a very strict menu on them!! We didn’t of course, we went for a very traditional menu with a chicken and mushroom fricassee to start, the classic choice between beef or salmon for main and had vegetarian options for both courses as well. The highlight of the meal was the dessert which was called Marital Bliss, it was a combination of chocolate brownie, meringue, honeycomb ice-cream, raspberries and cream! Bliss!

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My favourite part of the wedding day… We would both say that sitting with our families during the meal was the highlight. It was a time to sit down and relax and take it all in. It was incredible seeing all of our guests having a good time and enjoying themselves. We left photo props on each table and they definitely added to the ‘craic’ factor, even at our table we got carried away making silly poses for pictures. Another highlight was dancing! Our band, The Panoramics, were excellent and we couldn’t stay off the dancefloor.

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My piece of advice for other brides… to definitely take as much time off work in the days before the wedding as you can! The days before the wedding are such a special and exciting time, especially for you and your fiancé and your families. It’s also a very busy time with appointments and last minute jobs, I was so happy to have the time to be able to do what I needed to do but also be able to enjoy the moments and relish in the excitement. I got married on a Friday and took that full week before the wedding off – if you have the days, I would definitely recommend you take them!

Suppliers

Wedding ceremony: Our Church of Our Lady’s Nativity, Leixlip | Wedding venue: Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa, Dunboyne | Photographer: DKPHOTO | Bride’s dress: Stephanie Allin at Myrtle Ivory, Dublin | Shoes: Dune | Hair: Christine Murphy (Snips and Lips) | Make-up: Valerie Ward | Bridesmaid dresses: Dessy at Wedding World, Fairview | Groom’s suit: New & Lingwood at House of Fraser | Groomsmen suits: M&S | Flower girl dress: M&S | Flowers: Absolutely Fabulous Flowers, Kildare | Wedding Cheesecake: Sheridans | Wedding Cake Decoration: Imperial Bakery (cakes were homemade by myself and my mam) | Wedding band: The Panoramics | Videographer: Limelight Wedding Films, Dublin & Nationwide