Remember it’s your party. Do what you want, spend the money on things you will enjoy yourself on the day, and invite the people who you want to have there. Invest in the best photographer you can, as that is the only thing that will remain after 24 hours of madness, well, the only thing other than your new husband or wife obviously!
Anne
Kilshane House Summer Wedding Celebration
How did you meet originally and get together?
Kevin and I met on Tinder, we spoke for a few days and decided to go for dinner in Coqbull, Cork, and ended up seeing each other everyday since! After only knowing each other for a few months Kevin took the plunge and booked a holiday to Cuba with me and my friends for a trip of a lifetime, during which I lost all of my luggage (you know, all my make up and nice clothes which you pack when you have a new boyfriend) and now I had to wear his clothes… he stuck around after that so I knew he was a keeper! Kevin proposed during a 6 hour hike on Sheeps Head (so I couldn’t run away he always says) and we got married in Kilshane House just over a year after.
What was important to you about your wedding? What were your priorities from the very beginning?
We wanted to have a party with our friends and family and have alot of fun! Expressing your love to someone is something that is intimate and special, and we wanted to celebrate this with our closest. We didn’t want anyone to huff and puff about the fact that they had to attend yet another wedding, so we only invited people whom we knew really wanted to be there.
Could you sum up your wedding in a couple of sentences – how could you describe the look and feel of the day, the vibe?
Relaxed and fun, without any gimmicks.
What made your venue “the one”?
We wanted to get married outdoors, but unfortunately Irish weather is so unpredictable that Plan B needed to be just as good, the last thing we wanted was to be disappointed on the day. Kilshane House has this amazing conservatory with so many trees, birds and a fountain in it, that we may as well have been outdoors. As it came to it, it was quite blustery during the time of the ceremony, and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world, especially as the acoustics inside was also fabulous.
What made the day really special and personal to you? (Things you included, unusual elements, things that people made or did for you, etc.)
We loved our ceremony and the fact that we were able to write our own vows. It being a civil ceremony, we had a blank canvas, which was actually quite difficult to fill, but feels so personal once you’ve done it. The surprise of the day had to have been the sheep though! I had tried to organise sheep and horses to be in the fields in the distance for some photos but was unsuccessful, and mum managed to get a friend to bring them to the reception as a surprise! It was a moment of shock and laughter!!
What advice would you give to other couples planning their day?
Remember it’s your party. Do what you want, spend the money on things you will enjoy yourself on the day, and invite the people who you want to have there. Invest in the best photographer you can, as that is the only thing that will remain after 24 hours of madness, well, the only thing other than your new husband or wife obviously!
Suppliers
Wedding Dress: Kameron Gown by designer Catherine Dean, bought in I am yours, Düsseldorf, Germany. Really sweet girls, because wedding dress shopping is hard!
Groom and Groomsmen Suits: Fratelli suits from Tony’s Menswear in Cork, who was spot on with all the advice and measurements, and also online.
Bridesmaid dresses: Folkster, Kilkenny, with fantastic customer service when it came to sending on different sizes.
Shoes: Everyone wore their own shoes, no sore feet!!
Accessories: We all wore our own jewellery. I wore small stud earrings which were the earrings Kevin gave me for my graduation, and which was also the first time we said “I love you” to eachother.
Flowers: Liza in Moss and Mushroom, Killaloe. HOW she managed to put all my thoughts into the most fabulous wild bouquet is beyond me and an absolute talent!
Cake: Ann Marie Doherty, Culdaff, Co Donegal, who is Kevin’s cousin, and was brought down by Kevin’s mum. Kevin’s college friend Jill helped to set it up for us the morning of.
Wedding favours/Stationary: We didn’t have any!
Make up: Laura Kay Make Up, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
Hair: Hair by Val O Dea, Limerick
Wedding Rings: Eileen Moylan, Silver and Goldsmith, Co Cork. We designed our rings ourselves with the help of Eileen’s ability to put our visions into reality.
Music: Mark Waters, work colleague and friend of Kevin, who is amazing!!!!!
Band/DJ: The Pearls
Photographer: Pawel Babenca. We found Pawel through Instagram and loved the unposed, natural and spontaneous style of photography, and his talent for the use of light. After all the madness of the day itself, photos are what we will be looking at forever, and Pawel was the first vendor we booked once we locked down a date!
Decor: We did not need any further decoration than what was already at our venue, which was so beautifully and naturally filled with plants.
Celebrant: Mary Claire Heffernan, Civil Celebrant, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. What a lovely, friendly, warm person. The first civil ceremony we ever attended was our own wedding, and couldn’t have asked for anything better.