“Because we loved the style of our venue (which was a Georgian Manor House) we decided to stick with the rustic vintage style that suited It with splashes of a romantic touch.”
Names: Louise Ryan and Patrick McCoubrey
Length of engagement: 18 months
Wedding Date: 25th may 2018
Wedding location: Castle Oaks House Hotel, Co. Limerick
Photographer: Kevin Morris
We met… We met back in May 2009, Patrick was Djing in a bar and came over chatting to us after we hounded him with our song requests, it turned out my cousin had been his nurse a few months previous after he had an operation and she had stolen all his magazines so we had a good laugh about that. He asked for my number and took me out to a play for our first date trying to impress.
Our proposal… We took a drive out to a place called Killaloe which was one of our favourite spots, we had taken a break from our relationship for a few months back a few years ago and this was where we had decided to get back together. Patrick had told me we were just going out for dinner there in one of our favourite restaurants and I thought he was just trying to cheer me up as I had a stressful week in work. After dinner he looked at me and said come on for old times’ sake lets go for a drink and take a walk down to where we got back to together which was down by a beautiful garden in the lakeside hotel in Killaloe looking out on to the river. As we went down I could see the whole place lit up with candles and Patrick walked me into a gazebo that was set up with candles and rose petals and champagne, and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was so beautiful and romantic because it was night-time and without sounding too cheesy it was magical. He had been in touch with staff at that hotel and told them of how it was ‘our spot’ and they were fantastic in helping him get it set up.
Our wedding theme/colours… Because we chose May as our wedding we decided to go with soft floral tones like lilac and soft pinks and navy. Because we loved the style of our venue (which was a Georgian Manor House) we decided to stick with the rustic vintage style that suited It with splashes of a romantic touch. We really wanted to include an intimate relaxed theme so our guest felt part of our journey and be able to sit back and enjoy the day as myself and Patrick are very laid back we didn’t want the day to become too formal. Patricia from Ring O Rosies provided our flowers for the day and they were absolutely amazing the colours she chose for us fit the theme and the outfits perfectly.
Things we DIY’d/made ourselves… I decided to add a little story of our relationship so I printed off and framed my favourite photos of us and display them on a lovely fireplace in the entrance to the hotel. I also made a basket and bought loads of sweet treats for guests as a little touch rather than go for the large sweet cart as advice from other brides told me that it can end up being a big added expense. I had ordered a lot of gimmick stuff online (which turned out not to be great quality) in trying to set up the usual extras myself like a photo booth and décor for the venue but as we were both so busy with work in the run up I decided to take out the added stress and hired Annie Ruffles Vintage Creations who were fantastic, they met with us at the venue to get an idea of décor and style to suit the place. They provided a lot of the décor which included a beautiful cake stand with wooden frame and fabulous prosecco bar outside which our guests loved as we had amazing weather on the day (it had been the hottest day of the year so far) and laid out plenty of other rustic / romantic trinkets throughout the venue.
My dress… Oh the Dress, my favourite part, well after trying on a few different style wedding dresses we went to Lilac Rose Bridal here in Limerick . when I first walked in this one dress caught my eye but funnily enough I didn’t pick it as a choice to try on as I thought it might have been too much. The lovely Manager Stacey then picked this dress as their choice for me to try on and I absolutely fell in love with it and chose it there and then. It is a beautiful Lou Lou Bridal duchess satin rouged bodice ivory gown with off the shoulder detailing and organza skirt. I decided to add a diamante embellished sash belt and chose a double tier satin trim veil with crystal scatter to go with it. I wore silver open toe shoes from Debenhams.
My hair and make up… was by Fiona McNamara of FMN Hair and Make up in Mungret Co. Limerick.
His suit… He wore a three piece navy suit with cream waistcoat from Esquire Formal Wear in Limerick City.
What our bridal party wore… The groomsmen wore navy suits teamed with Lilac ties from Esquire Formal Wear in Limerick. The bridemaids wore lilac off the shoulder dresses I found online at wdresses.co.uk. with shoes from Dunnes Stores.
Our ceremony… We chose to go with a short civil ceremony in the hotel as their function room had these beautiful stained glass feature windows . We had said from day one this wedding was all about including family and friends and to be as informal as possible. It really was so beautiful, Our entrance song was ‘on your shore’ by Enya which we loved. We had family say some poems and my father sang Black is the colour by Christy Moore as he used to sing to me as a child. Our good frind Amy also sang some songs and didn’t leave a dry eye in the place. We laughed and cried the whole way throughout the ceremony. We danced and laughed down the aisle at the end with our bridal party to “your love keeps lifting me higher’ The fantastic staff (especially Liam & Deirdre ) at the Castleoaks House Hotel made sure the ceremony went off without a hitch.
We chose our photographer because… From the start Kevin had mentioned his style of informal and relaxed photography which is exactly what we are about. He was brilliant on the day we barely even noticed he was there and he made sure to capture every special moment and he really delivered on his promise we had great fun with Kevin on the day and he went above and beyond. The same goes for Micheal Phelan (PVP Digital) who was our videographer, himself and Kevin made a great team on the day and cannot highly recommend them both enough, very affordable and very high standard products. They made sure to capture some unbelievable shots down by the river on the grounds just as the sun was going down
We chose our venue because… We had stopped into the Castleoaks House Hotel by chance on the way back from viewing another venue and straight away we knew it was the top choice. It is a gorgeous Georgian Manor House surrounded by acres of land and woodland pathways and had houses and apartments on the grounds also. This really suited us as Patricks is from Downpatrick, Co. Down so his family were travelling and staying on the grounds for a few days. We loved how friendly and homely the vibe was. The staff were so inviting and helpful and the attention to detail was amazing. They really made us feel special making sure to cater to any request. We met with Deirdre and Liam a few times who ran through our options and we were blown away with how accommodating they were.
Our menu…The food was outstanding. Our menu had starters of black pudding filo parcels or a chicken Marheesh Salad followed by roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Then for mains dry aged munster beef or roast Atlantic Hake, followed by a trio of desserts. A lot of our guests mentioned how delicious it was and of course the wine was flowing J
Our honeymoon… We chose to head off to Palma in Spain for two weeks two days after the wedding as we hadn’t had a holiday in a long time and couldn’t wait to spend some time together.
My favourite part of the wedding day… we have many favorite parts but Patrick says his most favorite part of the day was when he saw me walk down the aisle he couldn’t hold back the tears and cried which in turn made me cry J. For me it was the same, my dad walking me down the aisle and seeing Patrick standing there , this calm sensation came over me and made it all worthwhile. also the morning time getting ready with my bridesmaids and my mum up in the bridal suite were such precious memories that I will remember forever.
My piece of advice for other couples… Try not to get too caught up in all the hype and stress of wedding planning I know it sounds easier said than done but it’s a once off and you want to look back with happy memories. We had so much fun planning with our family and friends it was more about spending time with them than actually planning. don’t fall into traps of having to spend too much money on gimmicks at the end of the day you want to enjoy the process, make it your own and the day goes so quickly you won’t even notice the little things. We were delighted we got a videographer I know some couples opt not too to save money but because the day goes so fast you won’t remember a lot and having the video captures the bits you might have missed.
Suppliers
Wedding venue: Castle Oaks House Hotel, Castleconnell Co. Limerick | Photographer: Kevin Morris | Videographer: Micheal Phelan (PVP Digital) | Musician: The Mad Hatters Band | DJ: Noel Purcell | Hair: FMN Hair and Make Up | Makeup: FMN Hair and Make up | Dress: Lou Lou Bridal Designer from Lilac Rose Bridal Limerick | Suit: Esquire Formal Wear Limerick | Bridesmaids dresses: wdresses.co.uk | Groomsmen outfits: Esquire Formal Wear | Flowers: Ring O Rosies Dooradoyle Limerick | Wedding bands: Ryans Jewelers Limerick | Cake: Was made by Patricks lovely sister Janice along with cupcakes. She put so much effort into making it but we had a little fiasco the night before the cake fell so Liam the Hotel Manager managed to get us a lovely display cake for the day which looked perfect and nobody noticed on the day J . I would recommend to any couples who arent fussy about a cake to go with a display one.
