Say hello to Sharon and Phillip. They planned their wedding all the way from Canada and tied the knot in beautiful Ireland. We love that they incorporated Sharon’s love for birds in this beautiful bird themed wedding.
Couple: Sharon and Phillip
Engagement length: 8 months
Wedding date: 2023-05-22
Wedding location: Barberstown Castle, Straffan
Photo and Video: Vedendo – Wedding Videography
Sharon and Phillip met through public transit! They both worked in the same area in Toronto and one cold, frigid February morning, they both missed the bus. Phill graciously offered to split a cab with Sharon and the next day onwards, they were bus commute buddies.
“Phill proposed to me over Labour day weekend at Niagara. He recreated our first official date which was in Niagara so I had a feeling something was up. It was a perfect date and proposal.”
Since they tied the knot in Ireland and did all the planning from Canada, they thought really hard about what kind of theme would work. Finally, they decided on a bird themed wedding. They got all their guests to wear something birds – ties with birds on them, bird pins, etc, and they had a bird cake topper and a best on-theme prize at the wedding.
Sharon says, “The reason we picked this theme is because I love birds – they are my favourite creatures and if I had a second life I’d love to be back as a bird. In fact, Phill was going to propose to me at this Bird Paradise place in Niagara which is like a massive aviary but the birds were flying at his head so he swiftly negated that idea.”
Sharon wanted something romantic and dreamy but she realised early on that white didn’t really suit her skin tone. Instead, she went with a champagne gold dress and it was perfect. It was strapless with a sheer overlay and a full skirt with layers of tulle of different colours.
Phill wore a tailored dark green suit with a gold patterned waistcoat and matching tie. He also had a bird pin to match the theme and dark brown shoes.
The wedding party was wearing Indian outfits in pastel green and gold since Sharon is from India and we did have a lot of family attending. The men wore embroidered pastel green kurtas and gold trousers to match. Sharon’s bridesmaids wore mint green sarees and they could pick any blouse style they liked.
Sharon and Phill’s church ceremony was held at St Brigid’s in Straffan with a little under 100 guests. Father Dave officiated the ceremony, which was very special as Phill had known him since he was a child.
“We had a harpist at the church – Fionnuala Monks – and she was spectacular. We had different music through the ceremony and even the most modern music sounds so dreamy on the harp. The church was decorated in white and green by All Seasons Flowers and we took the pew ends after the ceremony as table decor for the reception. We left the church in an antique car from 1948 that Barberstown allowed us to use which added to the excitement after the ceremony.”
They chose the beautiful Barberstown Castle for the celebrations.
“Annie and the team at Barberstown were great and really helped us organise the whole thing from Canada. We also had an intimate dinner with just the wedding party the day before the wedding at the castle keep which I highly recommend checking out. The venue was perfect especially as it was a glorious spring day and the castle grounds were stunning and perfect for guests to explore. Everyone enjoyed the food and the venue and the day couldn’t have been more perfect.”
All the photos and videos were taken by Andrei Zavalisca and team from Vedendo Studio Photo & Video Production.
“They actually came earlier than agreed and stayed on later too which was absolutely amazing. The photos look amazing and the team were lovely and professional through the day. It was great to have photo and video options with the same studio since weddings have so many vendors.”
To entertain their guests, Sharon and Phill had a DJ for after dinner and a choreographed first dance, followed by another dance by the wedding party. They also had a late night bar and made sure they had a fun party. Both Sharon and Phill are extroverts and love entertaining people, so they wanted the wedding to feel like them.
Sharon’s favourite memory is the first dance.
“We used an online dance tutorial and practiced for 3 months since neither of us are dancers and we had picked a song with a lot of movement. The dance went perfectly and neither of us tripped and I’ll always remember it.”
Phill’s favourite memory was Sharon’s walk down the aisle. He was blown away by the dress and Sharon’s nervous smile to everyone and just the whole moment. In his words – “he was overwhelmed and surprised he didn’t pass out”.
We love asking newlyweds for their wedding advice. This is what Sharon and Phill said:
“Make sure the wedding matches your vibe and do not sweat the small stuff. One missing bouquet or a drunk uncle only adds a little bit of spice to the whole day.”
Recommended Suppliers
Photo and Video: Vedendo – Wedding Videography
Reception venue: Barberstown Castle
Planner/coordinator: Annie from Barberstown
Musician/band: Fionnuala Monks
Hair: The Powder Room Girls (Declan)
Makeup: Dee Buckley Makeup
Other Suppliers
Ceremony venue: St Brigid’s, Straffan | Couple’s outfits: Papilio Boutique Toronto | Wedding party outfits: Manyavar | Cake: Charlotte’s Kitchen | Celebrant/solemniser: Father Dave | Jewellery/rings: James Allen | Flowers: All Season Flowers
