“He had booked me in to get my nails done the following morning before we headed off to Dublin to go ring shopping!”
The couple: Lorraine Kelly and Shane Moloney
Length of engagement: 14 months | Wedding date: 28th March 2015
Wedding location: The Heritage Golf and Spa Resort, Killenard, Co.Laois
Photographer: Couple Photography
We met… Shane and I both teach in the same primary school in Dublin. Shane started teaching in the school in 2006 and the following year I was fortunate enough to land my first teaching job in the same school. During the last week of August we were both in the school organising our classrooms and preparing for the start of the school year. One of my new colleagues brought me around the school to help me get my bearings. It was then that I was introduced to Shane and it was definitely an introduction to remember. On entering Shane’s classroom I was met by the most disgusting smell. Shane told me he had been given a jar of tadpoles by a student in his class months ago. With the hustle and bustle of school life the tadpoles had been forgotten about and had spent the summer fermenting in a press. Minutes before our introduction Shane had decided to dispose of the tadpoles not knowing that it would cause such a woeful smell. Luckily for Shane I believed his story and wasn’t put off by the smell, in fact we spent the rest of the afternoon chatting and laughing. There was definitely an instant spark and it wasn’t long before we were spending more and more time together. As they say the rest is history…
Our proposal… We decided to book two days away to celebrate our 5th anniversary. On the first night we were staying in Carton House and I was delighted to find we had been upgraded to a suite and that a bottle of Prosecco awaited us in the room. The following day we headed to Farnham Estate where we were looking forward to a relaxing massage and some more pampering. Little did I know that Shane had been in contact with the hotel weeks prior organising and plotting behind my back. We arrived down for our treatment and were brought to a beautiful candlelit couples room with two massage tables set up. Our massage began and I drifted off to the sounds of the sea being played through the speakers, all of a sudden the music and my massage stopped and “our” song How Long Will I Love You started up. Half asleep, I turned to Shane but he was no longer there. He was kneeling by my side with a promise ring in his hand wearing a t-shirt with the words Will You Marry Me jumping out at me. I was in total shock and burst into tears (happy tears!) He had even booked me in to get my nails done the following morning before we headed off to Dublin to go ring shopping. It was an amazing time.
Our ceremony… took place in the beautiful, quaint St. John’s Church in Killenard which is opposite the Heritage Hotel. It was a traditional church wedding. We were delighted that my local priest Fr. Michael Kilmartin from Mullingar agreed to officiate at the ceremony as it made it all the more personal and memorable. Karen Martin and Paul Skelton provided the beautiful music.
We chose our photographer because... from the moment we met Ros (Couple Photography) we knew her relaxed and easy-going style was for us. Her bubbly personality immediately put us at ease and we felt like we had known her for years. We had a lot of fun on the day and were beyond delighted when we saw our pictures. She really captured all our special moments in a natural, beautiful way and we cannot thank her and Anna enough.
My dress… was by Maggie Sottero. It was a flowing organza A-line dress with a lace bodice and I opted to add the Swarvoski crystal grosgrain ribbon belt. The dress was so comfortable and I felt amazing in it.
What our bridal party wore… I had three fantastic bridesmaids my best friend Emma, my brother’s girlfriend and my good friend Aoife and Shane’s wonderful sister Ciara. The girls all wore the same lilac Dessy dresses. The groomsmen wore dark navy three piece suits hired from Aston Formal Wear, who were so accommodating and a pleasure to deal with.
Our wedding theme/colours… We had no set theme as such but I fell in love with the lilac colour of the bridesmaid dresses and I suppose from there we chose pastel colours for our flowers and decor. A special thanks to Jacinta Garry our florist (Rosewood Flowers) who did an amazing job on all the flowers from the beautiful bouquets to the gorgeous church flowers.
We chose our venue because… We had stayed in The Heritage Hotel a few years ago and were blown away from the moment we stepped into the impressive foyer. Aside from the elegant interior, friendly staff and delicious food, the hotel also provided plenty of indoor photo opportunities should the Irish weather not be on our side. After meeting David the wedding co-ordinator for a second time our mind was firmly made up. His enthusiasm, creativity and friendly manner instantly reassured us that our wedding would be in good hands. He really excelled and went over and beyond to ensure the day ran perfectly.
Our menu…
Starter
Chicken and Wild Mushroom Bouchée
Soup
Cream of Vegetable Soup with Chive Cream
Main Course
Roast Sirloin of Glasson Farm Beef with a Rich Shallot and Port Sauce
Baked Fillet of Sea Bass Stuffed with Baby Spinach Served with White Wine Cream
Dessert
The Heritage Trio Plate of Warm Sticky Toffee Pudding covered in Rich Butterscotch Sauce
Cremé Brulée with Vanilla pods
Pear and Almond tart
My favourite part of the wedding day… We both agree that the whole day was exactly what we hoped for and so much more, made extra special by being surrounded by our wonderful family and friends. If I had to choose a favourite part I would say walking up the aisle with my Dad and seeing Shane at the top smiling and a little emotional. It was such a special moment.
My piece of advice for other brides… is to be organised. We tried to have all jobs done in advance so that the few days leading up to the wedding were stress free and enjoyable. It was lovely to spend those exciting days with family and each other. Like everyone says the day itself goes by so fast so we made a conscious effort to grab a few quiet moments together on the day.
