“Our wedding was held on St. Patrick’s Day as it was eight years to the day since we had our first kiss, so it was an important day for us!”
The couple: Niamh Reynolds & Peter O’Neill
Length of engagement: 13 months | Wedding date: 17th March 2013
Wedding ceremony: Mount Argos, Harold’s Cross Dublin | Wedding reception: Ballymagarvey Village, Co. Meath
Photographer: Circus Photography
We met… over in the UK while both working at Umbro Head Office in Cheshire despite living only 20 minutes apart from our home towns in Ireland as I’m from Donegal and Peter’s from Tyrone. Our love of football found its way into our careers. Despite supporting opposing teams – I follow Manchester United and Peter is a Liverpool fan – we started dating. I thought Peter was a United fan and only discovered the real truth a few weeks after dating, but by then it was too late and I was hooked (we even made reference to it by having our wedding cake topped with a bride in a retro United jersey and groom wearing the retro Liverpool kit!) We both moved back to Ireland and began living in Dublin after a few years of going out.
Our proposal… We had been together for almost seven years and there have been many stories looking back on this now like failed attempts on trips to New York, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Vegas and even Dublin Mountains but it eventually happened when Peter got down on one knee during a romantic dinner in Dublin at Pearl Brasserie in February which I was not expecting. In fact when Peter proposed with the engagement ring he maintains that I didn’t actually said yes because I was so much in shock!
Our wedding theme/colours… Our wedding was held on St. Patrick’s Day as it was eight years to the day since we had our first kiss so it was an important day for us. We had various items throughout the day to remind of this like shamrock seeds and shamrock keyrings as guest favours as well as the novelty hats we handed out to guests for the evening party. We didn’t want to use green as the overall theme and may have been too obvious so we chose a deep red for bridesmaids and groomsmen to represent our teams!
My hair and make-up… My hair was styled by Elayne Archbold from Brown Sugar and make-up was by Marie Joseph (www.makeup.ie). Both were amazing on the day and kept everyone relaxed while having lots of fun with my mum, bridesmaids and me! I had trials with both so no surprises on the day and both lasted the distance and beyond I am glad to say!
His suit… was from Tomorrows in Derry and was black with ivory shirt and cravat – he looked very handsome indeed!
What our bridal party wore… Our groomsmen also wore suits from Tomorrows Bridal in Derry, where we also bought our bridesmaid dresses.
Our ceremony… was celebrated by Fr. Frank Keevins who was a long time family friend of Peter’s and was held in Mount Argus Church in Harold’s Cross.
My dress and bouquet… My gown was from Moreland Bridal. I knew it was The One when my mum and two sisters became very emotional when I stepped out having tried on so many in various places. It was fitted with pearl and diamante detail with corset bodice that I just loved. Luckily I also found Pauline Forde who created a bespoke heirloom brooch bouquet which she matched to my dress and that I will have forever!
We chose our photographer because… We had met several photographers and hadn’t really found someone who we felt comfortable with. We had only been talking with Suzanne – of Circus Photography – for a few minutes when we knew she and her team would be perfect for our day and we were right! Suzanne came to the Merrion Hotel to capture us getting ready – myself and my bridesmaids spent the night before the wedding there to relax! Suzanne also arranged to have another member of her team with Peter to ensure all angles were covered on the morning of the wedding. We’re delighted we did as having those moments to look back on is really special.
We chose our venue because… we had looked at numerous venues in and around Donegal and Dublin and Ballymagarvey Village was 19 on the list! We fell in love with the place as it was so picturesque and romantic plus gave us the option to have exclusive hire for the whole weekend which meant we could plan a great party weekend with family and friends for the day after too! John and his staff were also so amazing that they felt like part of the family by the end of it all!
Our honeymoon… was an unforgettable trip of a lifetime! We travelled to Mai Samui Resort in Koh Samui with a few nights in Shangri-La Bangkok before finishing our honeymoon with a stay in a Water Villa at Meeru Island Resort & Spa in the Maldives.
My favourite part of the wedding day… was walking up the aisle with my dad and seeing Peter wait for me – I couldn’t stop smiling as I was getting to marry my best friend! Seeing all our friends and family smiling and so excited for us was a really special moment. Also the drive from the Church to the reception gave us some time on our own to talk about the previous night and how we were feeling – it was the only time we had on our own all that day!
My piece of advice for other brides… Best thing to do is to relax and enjoy it as it all goes by so quickly and if you can remember to take a few minutes throughout the day to stand back and take it all in – those mental pictures are great to have!
