Couple: Becky and David
Engagement length: Two years
Wedding date: 7th October 2023
Wedding location: Ballyseede Castle Hotel, Tralee
Photographer: Drene Plunkett Photography
Becky and David met nine years ago when David crashed a party at a friend of a friend’s house. Lo and behold she turned out to be his future wife.
“
They planned their wedding all the way from Vancouver, Canada. Instead of having a wedding theme, they really like the venue and the season (Autumn) shine!
David wore a super flattering burgundy velvet jacket with black tuxedo from Morely’s in Cork City.
Becky wore a customised wedding dress from Vancouver based designer Kathryn Bass. She asked them to adjust the sleeves and add a corset back. Then she added a green ribbon to the corset. Becky used mod podge to add the green vines to a pair of white pumps she already owned. She then quickly changed into a pair of white runners from Penneys.
“The Bridal jewellery was all gifted or borrowed. My mother-in-law Leonie let me borrow the earrings and bracelet she wore at her own wedding. My father Jason and step-mother Tracey gifted me the gorgeous Newbridge Silverware floral necklace that matched the flowers on my dress, they hadn’t even seen the dress beforehand! My mother gave me “something old” too by lending me my grandmother’s ring which I wore on my thumb and a button from my grandfather’s waistcoat so I could have them both with me on the day.”
The groomsmen wore black tuxedos from Morely’s and the bridesmaids wore jewel tone dresses from JJ’s House, with dragonfly broaches from Celtic Fusion Design online. Becky’s mother Ellen stayed up late making boutonnieres for the men. She chose white roses for the bride’s family, red roses for the groomsmen and a combo red and white for the groom. He proudly declared this was for Cork!
“David and I opted to walk down the aisle together. We chose the song Concerning Hobbits from Lord of the Rings as a nod to our fantasy-like venue. We had a humanist ceremony, led by celebrant Billy MagFhloinn. Our dear friend Gemma played clarinet throughout the ceremony, we can’t thank her enough for the beautiful atmosphere she created.”
“Ballyseede was the star of the show. We stayed there the entire weekend. To say we were treated like royalty in a castle would be an understatement. From the moment we arrived, it felt like having a massive coordinating team to take care of our wedding. Some highlights of them going above and beyond include: bringing sandwiches up to the bridal suite while we got ready, choreographing the ceremony procession because none of us had done it before, gathering flowers from around the castle to add even more decoration, producing a guitar at 2am so we could have a sing-song after the music ended, and best of all: the two gorgeous wolfhounds Molly and Joe Dolan. The ceremony room and dinner room are both magical with lots of exposed old stone walls and dark wooden beams. With such a stunning backdrop, and the hotel’s quirky design throughout the whole castle, we felt confident that we didn’t need to spend money on any additional decor. Everywhere you look in Ballyseede Castle there is something lovely to see.”
Their wedding was beautifully captured by Dee of Drene Plunkett.
“Dee had the exact personality we needed to capture our day. She was cool as a cucumber and helped us feel at ease the morning of. It’s clear that Dee has a knack for getting people comfortable in front of a lens. And the results! The photos really capture the joy and love we felt on the day, as well as the beauty of the venue. She was so organised and it saved us a lot of work. She reached out to us early, weeks before the big day, to plan the schedule of the day, which moments we needed to capture the most and who was in our wedding party and families. Because of this, we got so many photos you would think we had multiple photographers. We chose Dee because we loved the style of photography on her website and we are so grateful for the service we received.”
As a treat for their guests, they brought some Hershey’s kisses from Canada for the tables, for a small romantic gesture. Instead of a cake, they decided to go for cupcakes from Marguerite’s Bakery in Newcastle West, Becky’s hometown. For entertainment, they had the amazing SoulPower wedding band. David and Becky say the band is so fun, mad energy that had everyone exhausted by the end AND they even let Becky sing a couple of songs!
Newlyweds really give brilliant wedding day advice. This is what David and Becky said:
“Don’t leave everything to the last minute and listen to the experts!”
Recommended Suppliers
Ceremony and Reception venue: Ballyseede Castle Hotel
Photographer: Drene Plunkett Photography
Hair and Makeup: Paradise Hair & Beauty
Other Suppliers
Band: SoulPower | Couple’s outfits: Kathryn Bass Bridal Vancouver and Morely’s Suits Cork | Wedding party outfits: Morely’s Suits Cork + JJ’s House | Cake: Cupcakes from Marguerite’s Bakery Newcastle West | Celebrant/solemniser: Billy MagFhloinn | Jewellery/rings: ElwoodsCrafts – Etsy | Accessories: Newbridge Silverwear necklace
