“My Husband drove our wedding car which was really nice to have the time to ourselves during the day and an absolute hoot with everyone honking at us along the way and an absolute bonus that it was a classic Mustang!”
Bride and Groom: Ruth Alcorn & Jason Clarke
Length of engagement: One Year | Wedding Date: 11th August 2017
Wedding Location: Claregalway Hotel | Photographer: Sarah Connolly
We met… December 2006 on a night out in Galway, through a mutual friend.
Our proposal… Jay surprised me with a romantic stay in Parknasilla House in Sneem, Co. Kerry, he wouldn’t tell me where we were going and every road sign I was asking was it there?! After a stroll, he got down on one knee and popped the question, to which I said yes!
Our wedding theme/colours… Didn’t really have a theme as such, just knew we wanted pale colors and bright flowers. I always loved baby blue and Jay wanted navy suits.
My dress… A chiffon fit & flare with beading and cowl neck. It was actually my second pick as I panicked at my first fitting and changed my mind. I got it from Brummell & Co in Athlone who were brilliant and ever so patient with a very unsure bride!
My hair and makeup… Hair was by Colette Costello who was fantastic, stayed in place all day and night, my bridesmaids were chuffed with their updo’s. Makeup was Leonie McGuigan who did a fantastic job, my nan had fallen over and given herself a black eye and she covered it up for her, both ladies were so professional yet very easy going, and put me completely at ease the morning of the wedding.
His suit… Martin Feeney Formal Wear, we chose to rent the men’s suits and we bought the shoes as gifts for the men.
What our bridal party wore… Hannah & Ann Marie wore baby blue long dresses from Tracy Bridal,
they were really simple and made the flowers really pop!
Our ceremony… Traditional Catholic ceremony.
We chose our photographer, Sarah Connolly, because… We met Sarah for a chat and to look over her portfolio’s and we were so impressed with how natural her shots were, she was professional but very reassuring at
the same time, we felt we would have a really relaxed enjoyable experience on the day which was exactly what happened, I was very awkward and uncomfortable to begin with but she soon had me at ease!
We chose our wedding coordinator because… Nora Gill is co-owner of the hotel with her husband,
she was so accommodating with anything we requested and any little thing we fretted over was dealt with. On the day everything flowed absolutely seamlessly with Nora organising things on her walkie-talkie with military precision!!
We chose our venue because… The Claregalway Hotel, we loved the banquet room, pretty much a blank canvas so we would do what we wanted with colors & flowers.
Our menu… We couldn’t fault the food, the main courses were exceptional, herb crusted cod or fillet of beef, our guests raved about it.
Our honeymoon… one week in Lanzarote straight after the wedding and 3 weeks in Vietnam the end
of April & May.
My favourite part of the wedding day… My Husband drove our wedding car which was really nice to have the time to ourselves during the day and an absolute hoot with everyone honking at us along the way and an absolute bonus that it was a classic Mustang!!
My piece of advice for other couples… Don’t stress the small stuff in the run-up to the wedding, on the day you just won’t care, enjoy every minute as time flies!! Smile, it’s one day that you’ll cherish forever!
Suppliers
Ceremony: Ballinderreen Church | Venue: Claregalway Hotel | Photographer: Sarah Connolly | Dress: Brummell & Co | Hair: Colette Costello | Makeup: Leonie McGuigan | Groom’s Suit: Martin Feeney Formalwear | Bridesmaids Dresses: Tracy Bridal | Coordinator: Nora Gill of Claregalway Hotel |
