“It’s lovely to see family members catching up after not seeing each other in months and friends mingle, all there to celebrate with you. ”
The couple: Shane & Caroline Deegan
Length of engagement: 13 months | Wedding Date: 14th April 2017
Venue: Cliff at Lyons, Kildare
Photographers: M&M Photography
We met… While out walking around the greenway at the Blessington lakes, a runner approached me and asked if the running track around looped back to the car park. This lost runner then informed me he had just moved to the area and was a little lost. I walked him back in the direction of his car. We talked in the car park overlooking the Blessington lakes until late that evening. From that day we were inseparable.
Our proposal… In March of 2016 we travelled to New York to celebrate my birthday. While there we took a trip to Central Park. I love the movie 27 Dresses and Shane arranged for me to have lunch in the boathouse featured in the movie. Following this we took a boat out to the lake. Shane rowed under the bridge where a musician was playing the accordion. He placed the boat paddles behind him and got down on one knee. Other people on the bridge and in the boats saw this and came up to congratulate us. We lost track of time and floated far out on to the lake so after the nerves and excitement of the proposal, Shane had to row us back in.
My hair and make-up… My make-up was done by Deirdre Dunne from Estee Derrinturn. Deirdre recommended the Image line of skincare prior to the wedding and I started my facials early to get wedding day ready. Deirdre is an experienced make-up artist and gave me the natural and elegant look I wanted on the day. She completed the bridesmaid and Mother of the Bride with individual styles that really suited their outfits and style. Even my flower girls got involved getting a clear lip gloss on their lips. My hair was done by Ciara Boyce from Cut to Colours and on the day she was amazing and gave me the soft updo that fitted with my style on the day.
My dress… I purchased my dress in The Bridal Outlet. My dress was purchased from the Sincerity collection, it was a strapless lace dress. I also wore a veil for the ceremony. I knew I wanted my dress to be classic but with a contemporary edge. I discussed this with The Bridal Outlet. They had a stunning handmade shoulder jewellery bridal cape. It complements not only the dress but my engagement ring. No other occasion would warrant me wearing my dress again, however, I plan to wear my shoulder jewellery for anniversary dinner celebrations from here on.
His suit… Shane had full autonomy in picking his suit and I didn’t get to see it before the wedding. He chose a suit form Seventh Avenue. His son Adam was his best man.
Our ceremony… we had a humanist ceremony that took place in Cliff at Lyons. We were joined by family and friends in a celebration that was planned and developed with our Humanist celebrant Teresa Graham. Our ceremony took place in the Orangery, a beautiful domed building with a glass and stone wall flanked by beautiful fig trees. Finesse Weddings made this already stunning room beautiful with tall flower arrangements and candle holders creating an aisle. The Kooky Ukes played our ceremony. Our flower girls walked up the aisle to ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ played on the ukuleles, it was magical. Readings were chosen by us and we had a handfasting ceremony.
My favourite part of the wedding day… The honest answer would be, “The whole thing”; But to break the meaning of that special day down, it’s a day which shows pure emotion and romance. It’s lovely to see family members catching up after not seeing each other in months and friends mingle, all there to celebrate with you. For Shane, it has to be the ceremony. That’s where you really see the emotion, the smiles, the laughter and the tears.
We chose our venue because… Many years ago I visited Cliff at Lyons and the beautiful surroundings and elegance enchanted me. I knew if ever I was planning a wedding, this was going to be my dream location. When we got engaged in March 2016, it was my first wedding related call – 3 weeks into our engagement it was booked. Following our ceremony in the Orangery we moved to the The Mill, a spectacular double height space room. The tables were dressed and the room decorated by Finesse Weddings. We put candles around the 17th century fireplace. The mood and atmosphere of the room was very romantic with the background sounds of the waterfall. For our drinks reception we decided to have magician Shane Black who really created a buzz among our guests. A truly magical place for the best day of your life!
Our wedding theme/colours… I wanted our day to be romantic filled with flowers and flooded with candle light. As it was a Spring wedding I wanted the colours to be soft and warm. We worked closely with Mary Smith from Finesse Weddings in creating the overall look we wanted on the day. Mary was a true professional and a lovely person to deal with. She took an already beautiful venue, Cliff at Lyons and enhanced its beauty while also reflecting our tastes with simple but elegant touches. Our invitations were from Floribelle Stationery.
We chose our wedding coordinator because… The wedding coordinators at Cliff at Lyons helped plan every aspect of the day. They were so friendly and efficient. It was a tailor-made service and at every decision a collaborative process. The day before our wedding we visited the venue feeling we had so many last minute things left to do. Our Coordinator met with us and it was like having a fairy Godmother descent, they had every detail covered!
Our menu… We are foodies and have a great love for wine. We worked closely with chef Nathan Dimond in creating our menu. Nathan is a master at what he does – such great care goes into the sourcing and growing and the supplier list. On the day, compliments were flowing for the food. Following our speeches on our request, Chef Diamond and his team came out for a round of applause from all the diners. We had a beautiful beetroot and goat’s cheese salad starter with hake or beef for dinner followed by a chocolate fondant with orange oil dressing. We decided to have a cheese board for our guests to finish.
Our honeymoon… Travel is a huge love for both of us so our table setting marked areas of the world we visited. Following our wedding, we went on honeymoon to the Rosewood Mayakoba, luxury hotel in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.
We chose our photographer because… M&M Photography were recommended to us by a friend. We met with Marta and Marcin, they are husband and wife photographers, they work great together. One huge benefit was the engagement shoot was included in our wedding package. A month before the wedding we met Marcin in Russbourgh House. He gave us tips and poses that helped to capture the best pictures. He helped us take instruction in front of the camera so on the day it just flowed and we got some lovely natural pictures. They were relaxed and professional on the day which really helped.
My piece of advice for other couples… Planning a wedding can be difficult and with so many thing to be done, if you receive offers of help, learning to say “yes” to such offers is really a gift you give to yourself as well as to the person who offers. I received help from my bridesmaids with many tasks such as bridesmaid shoes, guest list, table planning to mention but a few. Consider your wedding as a launch party to your married life. I would also advise to have a truly authentic day that reflects you and your partner – choose the food, music, ceremony readings that mean something to you, you will never make all guests happy so why try.
Suppliers
Venue: Cliff at Lyons, Kildare | Photographers: M&M Photography | Wedding Dress & Accessories: The Bridal Outlet | Decor & Flowers: Finesse Weddings | Bridesmaid Dresses: Quiz | Groom’s Suit: Seventh Avenue | Make-up: Deirdre Dunne | Hair: Ciara Boyce | Stationery: Floribelle Ireland | Ceremony Music: The Kooky Ukes | Band: The Hitmen Trio | Magician: Shane Black
