“Our wedding was very chilled and laid back. Luckily for us, the sun was shining and we got to make the most of the outdoors. It felt like we were abroad. Our bridal party was a little on the large side given we only got the go-ahead for 25 guests but it didn’t make a difference. Our colour theme was purple, lilac and ivory. We had flowers, lanterns and used the beautiful scenery as our backdrop. The sound of the river added to the ambience.”
Couple: Claire O’Neill & Cedi Glynn
Engagement length: We should have only been engaged for 1 year & 4 months but due to Covid we were engaged 2 years 4 months.
Wedding date: 2021-06-11
Wedding location: BrookLodge and
Photographer: Alan Roche Photography
Claire and Cedi met outside Wrights Cafe Bar. Cedi had popped in for a drink after work and Claire was on the way home from a wedding. The rest is history. Their engagement story is very special!
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“Our wedding was very chilled and laid back. Luckily for us, the sun was shining and we got to make the most of the outdoors. It felt like we were abroad. Our bridal party was a little on the large side given we only got the go-ahead for 25 guests but it didn’t make a difference. Our colour theme was purple, lilac and ivory. We had flowers, lanterns and used the beautiful scenery as our backdrop. The sound of the river added to the ambience.”
Claire wore a Mark Lesley design dress in Ivory. It had a beaded lace bodice with v-neckline, low back with a chapel length train with lace inserts. She had a diamante headpiece that sat to the left side of her head and a Cathedral length veil with dotted Swarovski diamonds. For later, she had an ivory beaded handbag. Cedi wore a black Benetti suit with an ivory waistcoat and ivory paisley tie. He had a pocket watch and sunglasses too.
The 3 bridesmaids wore Cadburys purple, full length, v-neckline and back dresses with silver shoes and silver diamante hair clips. The 2 junior bridesmaids wore lilac full-length dresses with silver shoes and diamante hair clips. The flower girl wore a Paul Costello ivory dress with a lilac waistband made by Bridget who did all of the alterations. Her hairband was from Claire’s Accessories and her shoes were silver like the rest of the bridal party. The page boy wore a lilac shirt from M&S, ivory shorts and runners from next. The 2 groomsmen wore a black Benetti suit with a grey waistcoat and purple tie and the two fathers wore a black Benetti suit with a black waistcoat and purple tie.
“Our ceremony was laid back with close family and friends. We chose 5 songs for the service and had 3 readings. It was a Unitarian ceremony. The ceremony took about 30mins and was very intimate.”
“BrookLodge is a stunning wedding venue. The grounds and scenery are picturesque. Ideal for your wedding photos. The wedding team were amazing and the detail and effort they put into planning our big day was exceptional. The staff are experienced, friendly and approachable and the food is outstanding. My husband is a chef so food was a big deal for him, he wasn’t disappointed and neither were our guests. It was fresh, delicious and plentiful. The staff went above and beyond to ensure our day was perfect.”
“Alan Roche was very professional but yet easy going. He guided us through the day and made everyone feel at ease. Most of the time you didn’t even know he was there he just slotted in with the other guests. Within a few days, Alan had sent us a few photos of our special day which was a lovely touch. He is just amazing and we are glad he was part of our day.”
“Due to covid restrictions, our entertainment was limited. We had Dave Clark, a fantastic musician who played his guitar during our ceremony and again outside the chapel while we sipped on a few drinks in the sun. We also had our first dance on the grass by the river surrounded by our loved ones. We had baskets with fans to keep our guests cool and heel stoppers for the ladies to protect their heels while dancing on the grass. After the drinks reception, we went to the Brookhall where canapes were served along with a few extra treats. The speeches were done before dinner so everyone could relax and enjoy the rest of their day. After dinner, our wonderful friends surprised us with a very special video they made with help from all our family and friends who couldn’t attend the wedding due to restrictions. They also surprised us with a fun Mr & Mrs game. After the game, my brother took the mic and started off the sing-song which continued into the night. We made our own favours. In the centre of each table, we had a mini chalkboard saying ‘love makes scents’ and lilac and ivory gift bags with perfumes and aftershave for all our guests. For the children, we made goodie bags with colouring books, art & crafts, personalised drink cups, toys etc.”
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“Try to relax and enjoy your day, it really does go so fast. A tip we got was to make sure you get a few minutes together to take it all in. Due to numbers, we decided last minute to only have ourselves on the top table this I would highly recommend. Make a list of photographs you want prior to the day and give the list to your photographer. See if someone is willing to deal with suppliers, venue and handle the payment. We had individual envelopes for each supplier ready to go, just forgot to ask someone to hold them. Assign people to a table, not a seat. Get as much preparation done in advance. The last couple of weeks get very busy and you want to enjoy the build-up stress-free.”
Suppliers
Ceremony venue: Macreddin Chapel Brooklodge | Wedding venue: Brooklodge & Macreddin Village, Wicklow | Photographer: Alan Roche Photography | Videographer: Eugene Whelan | Planner/Coordinator: Sally, Rama, Sonja | Musician/band: Dave Clark | Hair: Robbie Smith | Makeup: Lorraine Hollywood Makeup | Couple’s outfits: La Bella Sposa, Swords and Protocol, Swords | Wedding party outfits: