A Gatsby Themed Wedding in Ireland

Real Weddings

“Our wedding theme/colours… Simple art deco theme with hints of Gatsby for the bridal party then neutrals all the way!”

 

Names: John Marren & Verity Spencer

Length of engagement: 1 Year

Wedding Date: 02/03/2019

Wedding location: The Landmark Hotel

Photographer: Mark Capilitan

 

 

We met… After knowing each other for years we finally met up again during Christmas of 2012 and the rest is history!

 

 

Our proposal… We were on a Ski Holiday in Bulgaria and John proposed after a forest walk and meal at a local lodge outside the Festa Winter Palace Hotel on the way back.

 

 

Our wedding theme/colours… Simple art deco theme with hints of Gatsby for the bridal party then neutrals all the way!

Our flowers… Micheal from Feehily’s is a true gentleman with a true talent for understanding our vision for the wedding. Through our very untechnical attempt at describing the types of flowers and greenery we wanted, Micheal and his team deciphered our vision and created a fabulous deco/Gatsby theme that was second to none. Lots of greenery with orchids and lilies, simple feathers and pearl accents made our bouquets, buttonholes and alter arrangements ones we will always remember.

 

 

Things we DIY’d/made ourselves… Arch for the church, church decorations, wedding cd gift packs, mass booklets.

 

 

My dress… The main thought I had for my dress was simplicity, easy to put on and most importantly light and easy to dance the night away in.

Sharon and the ladies from Dublin Bridal House were amazing from the minute we walked into their salon. As I only knew that I wanted a high neck and simple to wear they were so helpful in pointing me in the right direction. Little did we know that after 45 minutes I would be standing in a gown my sister had picked out, saying yes to the dress! The ladies left us to enjoy the moment and made the special experience one to remember. They talked me through ordering and alterations and even helped me find the perfect veil. As time went by and the big day came closer, I was in frequent contact with DBH and even ordered my bridesmaid dresses through their store. The bridesmaid dress shopping was no different to my bridal experience, patience in abundance, helpful advice and caring comfort for the ladies when finding a dress to suit all seemed a faint hope! Persistence paid off and the ladies found a beautiful gown that suited all shapes and sizes perfectly.

 

My hair and make up… I rarely wear full make up so once again a natural look was really important to me and as I wanted a high neck dress an up-style was always a must!

Melissa recently did the hair for my wedding and I couldn’t be happier. We first met when Melissa came to my home for trails and straight away I knew I had made the right choice. Her level of professionalism, experience (and patience!) are an absolute credit to her and every member of my bridal party would agree. Melissa has such a warm and calming way that even the most nervous of bride will be at ease within seconds of meeting her! A true young talent that I have no doubt will go very far with her hairdressing career.

Ann recently did the makeup for my wedding and from the very first moment I met her for my trial I was blown away by her natural talent, kindness and levels of perfectionism and professionalism. This didn’t change throughout my entire wedding experience as Ann was right there with hints and tips on skin care, makeup and tan no matter how many questions I asked! On the big day itself Ann made everyone feel like their best selves and look a million dollars, for this I will always be so very thankful 😍 I would highly recommend Ann to everyone I know for any occasion as she really is in a league of her own.

 

 

His suit… Navy tuxedo with black lapel simple and classic.

 

 

What our bridal party wore…Deep navy three-piece suits for the boys, mirroring Johns suit and the ladies wore a champagne/taupe floor length gown with ivory pashminas.

 

 

Our ceremony… Catholic ceremony with a mix of traditional hymns and modern songs.

 

 

We chose our photographer because… We had come across Mark through friends and really loved his natural style. Plus, everyone mentioned how easy going he was with a gift for unique candid pictures that really suits our style.

 

 

We chose our videographer because…Very similar to Mark, Niall came highly recommended for all the same reasons (natural shots, easy going) and when we heard they both had worked together a lot in the past our decision was made! As with Mark, our friends weren’t wrong!

 

 

We chose our wedding coordinator because… We had always known The Landmark as a fabulous venue and we had previously attended many functions that were always 5 star but only after meeting Imelda  were we totally convinced about booking the venue! Her professionalism, friendliness and true concern for making our day special was amazing and because of this I think we fell in love with the hotel more!

 

 

We chose our venue because…The list is long, but our top highlights are; the amazing staff, the flawless wedding setup, 5-star chef and menu and a stunning venue.

Our review of The Landmark Hotel:

From the very moment myself and my new husband walked into The Landmark Hotel, Imelda and the entire staff were nothing but welcoming, professional and extremely thoughtful when discussing our wedding plans. We knew very quickly that we would go nowhere else for our special day! The level of attention that each member of staff afforded us was simply second to none (and we had visited several other establishments) and certainly played a huge part in making our day so special.

With ease Imelda helped us along the way, answering all our questions with a comforting confidence and a level of professionalism the owners should be very proud of! When the big day finally arrived, we didn’t have a worry in the world as Imelda and the staff took care of everything, even all my wardrobe malfunctions (shoes catching my gown) Imelda was there minding us every step of the way.

One of the main compliments we received on the day was how fabulous the food was, and Hugh and his team certainly didn’t let us down. The menu tasting was a total highlight of the run up to the big day and with ease they recreated the superb menu for 240 guests without fault. The attention to detail was noted by every guest and it is something we are very grateful for.

The evening managers are also people we would like to extend our gratitude to (apologies we can’t remember everyone’s name). During the entire meal, speeches and well into the early hours there was always someone not too far away taking care of everything, very discreetly but not unnoticed by John & I.

Without a second’s hesitation I would highly recommend The Landmark to all my friends and family. From the dedicated reservation team, food & beverage managers, floor staff and basically every member of staff, their level of care would make any event from Sunday lunch to a Wedding an occasion to remember and it is something they should all be very proud of, we know our experience is certainly one we will never forget! For everything, John and I thank you all from the bottom of our hearts – you truly are our number 1!

 

 

Our menu…

Starter:

Potato boxty, bacon and cabbage served with Black pudding croquet with a dijon cream

Wild mushroom and goats cheese in a filo parcel with a seasonal salad

Soup:

Roast tomato & basil soup enhanced with a basil cream

Sorbet:

Lemon, rose petal and thyme

Main:

Roast rack of lamb with dijon mustard, herb crust fondant potato and

a natural jus

Baked escalope of salmon with a tomato and potato gratin served with

a saffron and dill cream

Supreme of chicken with a buffalo mozzarella and sundried tomato stuffing

served with a chorizo cream

Dessert:

A Landmark medley of desserts

Teas & Colombian blend coffee followed by The Landmark’s famous chocolate dipped strawberry sensation

 

 

The music… The Mass Band. We first saw the band in a local bar in Sligo and feel in love! They are the opposite to traditional wedding bands (they even say on their website they “don’t do traditional!”) and that suited our taste in music perfectly. Peter and the band were very open to our eclectic taste and performed a set that had everyone off their seats from the very first dance. Their 7-piece band included an amazing saxophone player that spent the entire set amongst the crowd on the dancefloor bringing a new level of fun to the evening’s entertainment.

Eoin O’Donnell… Eoin grew up with John and I and over the past few years has become known for his fabulous talent of singing at weddings. His soulful voice was a must for a big day and it made it all the more special that he was a childhood friend.

 

 

Our honeymoon… Three stop trip covering Dubai, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. A good mixture of cultures, sightseeing, adventure and relaxation. We booked it through honeymoondreams.co.uk who covered everything and had reps and tour guides meet us at every location to take any stress or worries out of our travels.

 

 

John’s favourite part of the wedding day… Waiting for Verity to walk down the aisle and seeing her for the first time. Our first dance.

Verity’s favourite part of the wedding day…The morning fun with my family and my amazing bridesmaids, walking up the aisle towards John (wondering if he’d sneak a peak!) and I loved seeing John wearing his wedding ring for the first time!

 

 

My piece of advice for other couples… Once you get to the big day relax and enjoy every minute of it.

 

 

What is it that makes your wedding unique?

We had discussed getting married in the past and I had always said I’d get engaged to be engaged for a few years whereas John always wanted to get engaged to get married asap. The latter was our final choice and we didn’t chose wrongly! We planned everything within the first few weeks and everything fell into place. We were able to sit back and relax right up until the “I dos” and the early planning has so much to do with the relaxed atmosphere. Also, we didn’t second guess or over think. We knew what we liked and when we found it it was a done deal, too much thought brings too much stress and I think that is often the case with too many couples.

 

Suppliers

Wedding venue: The Landmark Hotel | Photographer: Mark Capilitan | Planner/coordinator: Imelda Scally, The Landmark Hotel | Videographer: Complete Weddings | Flowers: Feehily’s Florists | Musician: The Mass Band, Eoin O’Donnell and Ada McDonagh & Shannon Davey – Our nieces | DJ: DJ Pedro – From The Mass Band | Hair: Hair by Melissa Thompson | Makeup: Ann Young Beauty Salon | Dress:  Dublin Bridal House | Dress: Mori Lee by Madeline Gardner | Alterations: All Alteration Services | Suit: T.M Lewin, Jermyn St, London | Bridesmaids dresses: The Dessy Collection bought through Dublin Bridal House | Groomsmen outfits: Lavin’s Menswear, Ballymote, Sligo | Cake: Therese Walsh | Celebrant: Fr Leo Henry