“I couldn’t even remember what he had said to me afterwards I was so shocked”
The couple: Sinéad O’Hara and Shane Guinan
Length of engagement: 1 year | Wedding date: 06/05/15
Wedding venue: Ballymagarvey Village, Meath
Photographer: Emma Russell Photography
We met… We have known each other a long time, about 14 years. We were always just friends although our groomsman – Shane’s brother James – was always trying to get us together. We bumped into each other in McGowan’s in Phibsboro where Shane had enough ‘dutch courage’ to ask me out! The rest is history…
Our proposal… We were in Clare for the Easter weekend with my best friend and her partner. They left on the morning of Easter Sunday so myself and Shane decided to go to Fanore beach for a walk. It was a gorgeous day. After walking the length of the beach we sat on a rock for a rest and to take in the sights. I turned to Shane and he was down on one knee! I couldn’t even remember what he had said to me afterwards I was so shocked, I had to get him to say it again! We then drove to Ballyvaughan where we had a pint of Guinness to celebrate and ring our family and friends!
My dress… It was the fifth dress I tried it on. I loved it the minute I put it on and I knew it was the dress for me. I bought it in The Bridal Corner on Harts Corner. The veil I wore was my ‘something borrowed’ – it belongs to Orla who is one of my best friends. She got married the December before me and it was so lovely and special to be able to wear her veil as my own for the day.
My hair and makeup… My sister’s friend Tracy did my hair. She was absolutely brilliant. She got it so right. It tied completely in with my dress and the whole look I was going for. My makeup was done by Tracy’s cousin Laura. She is an absolutely brilliant makeup artist. I wanted a very natural look on the day but to still look the best I could with a very natural look – she did an absolutely amazing job. They were such a pleasure to have in the house on the morning of the wedding. I was delighted with how they both made me look.
Our wedding theme/colours… Our wedding was a simple pastel/vintage style. We went for a light pastel green for the bridesmaids who also had vintage style brooches and matching hair pieces, I had a vintage style hairpiece myself. The flowers tied in with the pastel colours too. As it was early May we wanted to tie in the colour of cherry blossoms which I love.
Our ceremony… We had a church wedding in my parish church in Whitehall, Dublin. We both went to the same primary school that is part of the church so we both know the church well. The mass was particularly special to me as my Uncle married us. He made the mass so personal and we had a lot of laughs during it.
His suit… Shane decided to go for a biscuit brown suit which was a different colour to the groomsmen. We liked the idea that the groom stood out from the groomsmen. Sometimes it can be hard to pick out the groom in wedding photos. I think it’s great for the groom to stand out along with the bride.
What our bridal party wore… I had three bridesmaids – my two sisters and my best friend. I got the light green bridesmaid dresses online from Coast. The moment I saw them I knew that was the colour I was looking for. The girls also wore taupe shoes from Ms KG which went very well with the dresses. The groomsmen wore electric blue suits with ivory ties and tan coloured shoes which went really well together. Shane’s biscuit brown suit and the boys’ electric blue suits really complimented each other.
We chose our photographer because… We found Emma (Emma Russell Photography) online. We really loved her natural approach to photos. We didn’t know anyone who had used her so we picked her from looking at her photos alone. She was so friendly from the first time we got in touch with her. She was so helpful and informative about anything we asked her. We met her in the venue before hand so we could discuss everything in detail and so she could have a look around the venue to see potential places for photos. She was so helpful and fun on the day. I would highly recommend her to everyone she was a pleasure to have around on the day and her photos and ideas are fantastic.
We chose our venue because… We completely fell in love with Ballymagarvey Village when we first saw it. It is a really special place from the manor house to the banquet hall. It’s your own private hideaway for the day. The staff are exceptional, along with them and the venue it really helped to make our wedding day. The decoration in the banquet hall was perfect, the cherry blossoms and twinkling fairy lights gave the room a very romantic feel.
Our menu…
Starters
Griddled Pork Belly – Spring Onion Mash, Star Anise and Orange Glaze, Apple and Apricot Chutney
Soup
Butternut Squash and Lemongrass Soup
Main Course
Prime Peppered Hereford Sirloin of Beef with Light Roasted Shallot Jus, Carrot, Ginger Puree & Potato Gratin or
Pan Seared Hake with Lightly Smoked Garden Pea Risotto
Dessert
Ballymagarvey Assiette Dessert Plate
My favourite part of the wedding day… to pick one moment would be too hard. Just being able to spend such a fantastic day with all the people we love, all our family and friends. It was great seeing everyone enjoying the day as much as we did.
My piece of advice for other brides… Try to enjoy the lead up to the wedding, it really is such a special time and a great time to catch up with friends and family before the big day. Make sure you get to spend a little bit of time together on the day, as you can get pulled in separate directions during the day. It’s nice to look back and think about those few quiet moments together during the madness of the day!
Venue: Ballymagarvey Village, Meath | Wedding dress: Bridal Corner | Bridal Hairpiece: Ciara’s bridal, Powerscourt Mall | Bridesmaids Brooches & Hairpieces: Etsy | Groomsmen’s Suits: Love Suits, Fairview | Brides & Bridesmaid shoes: Miss KG | Groomsmen shoes: River Island | Make-up Artist: Laura Byrne | Hairdresser: Tracy Rafter | Stationery: Wedding Print.ie | Candy Cart Rental: Jen Garland | False tan: Allure Beauty (they do a tan especially for brides and it is very natural) | Videographer: Ddigital
