“My dress and veil cost less than the groom’s fancy shoes!”
– Anna on planning the budget for the big day
Length of engagement: | Wedding Date: September 2012
Wedding ceremony: Church ceremony in Carlow | Reception: Lisnavagh House, Carlow
Photographer: Tanya, Eden Photography
We met… playing hockey for the respective men’s and women’s teams at Three Rock Hockey Club in Dublin.
Anna’s first impressions of Colly… he had the coolest classic Mini Cooper!
Colly’s first impressions of Anna… he had noticed me a few years previously playing hockey and pleasantly surprised to see me turn up to join the hockey club he had been a member of for years.
Our proposal… we got engaged on a trip to Paris on the edge of the Seine. It was a planned trip so not much of a surprise but still romantic!
“Stepping in the door of the church and thankfully realising I wasn’t a blubbering mess!”
– Anna recalling one of the most relieving parts of her wedding day
Our ceremony… we had a religious ceremony in a small rural church where my parents and maternal grand parents had married.
We chose our venue because… it is exclusive and private allowing guests to use the house and grounds without strangers (or other brides!) It is a beautiful rural setting perfect fro a summer wedding.
We chose our photographer because… We chose Tanya from Eden Photography because she is approachable and relaxed and made us feel at ease in the build up and on the day. She has an informal approach to capturing photos which we much prefer and reflects how we wanted the atmosphere of our wedding to flow.
“She has an informal approach to capturing photos that reflected how
we wanted the atmosphere of our wedding to flow.”
– Anna on wedding photographer Tanya of Eden Photography
My dress… it was a handmade mermaid style with cap sleeves and an open back made from lace. I changed into a silk biased cut gown from Ghost for dancing at the reception.
Our wedding theme/colours… we used pale blue with neutral beige and grey and lots of wild flowers.
Our honeymoon… was in Rome and the Amalfi for a week. We stayed in small, quiet guesthouses away from the crowds rather than in expensive and busy hotels.
“Really consider what is important to you for your wedding and plan your budget on what you wish to spend the most on.”
– Anna’s piece of advice to brides-to-be planning their big day
My piece of advice for other brides… really consider what is important to you for your wedding and plan your budget on what you wish to spend the most on. The venue was really important for us to be private so we spent more on that while we saved by having a quality but simple two course dinner and brought in our own wine for our guests. My dress was also handmade which was cheaper than a designer brand – my dress and veil cost less than the groom’s fancy shoes!
By Karen Birney
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