“Our wedding was a personal relaxed vibe. We really wanted it to feel like a celebration of love, family and friends and our day really reflected that.”
Name: Megan Ryan and Ross Fitzgerald
Length of engagement: 18 months
Wedding date: 20/09/19
Photographer: Sebastian Felisiak, Art Wedding Photography
Venue: The Ardilaun Hotel
We met 5 years ago through friends in Dublin at a party. I had just moved to the capital and so I didn’t know that many people and was invited to a party. I was reluctant to go at first but one of our mutual friends introduced us and the rest was history. We were inseparable from that night on.
Our wedding was a personal relaxed vibe. We really wanted it to feel like a celebration of love, family and friends and our day really reflected that. We were very lucky to have it outdoors which mirrored a friends barbecue vibe. The Ardilaun provided us with the Guinness jazz band which everyone loved. It actually looked like a mad hatters tea party with the decor and we loved that! We stayed away from very classical wedding colours and stuck with greens, cream and navy. I didn’t want any dusty pinks, it’s just not my style. Our colour scheme really complimented the trees and gardens of the Ardilaun.
Bridal look: I wanted something very modern that wouldn’t date. I’m very tall so it was important to me that it would be very well fitted and compliment my body shape. I went for a very structured gown from a designer in Canada called LAUDAE. I bought the dress from Beau Bride in Naas and worked with the shop on the sizing. I had two hairstyles for the day. I went for a very simple ballet bun for the ceremony and let my hair down into soft curls for the party. It changed the look which I loved without having to change the dress. My makeup really completed the look I wanted, very fresh glowy makeup and loved that you could still see my freckles. I opted for no fake tan and kept it natural.
My bridesmaids wore navy and gold jewellery and shoes. It was really elegant. They all looked stunning, the dresses were from ASOS, they wore the same colour but a different style so that they could feel comfortable for the day. Jewellery was Betty and Biddy and shoes were Missguided.
Our ceremony was a humanist ceremony with our wonderful celebrant, Bridget. We worked with her to create something very personal that reflected our personalities. We had plenty of jokes throughout and even had our string quartet play the Game Of Thrones theme song at one point. It really got some laughs. Our friends and family were all involved, doing readings and poems. It was very important as they all have a part to play in our relationship.
We chose the Ardilaun Hotel as I (Megan) come from Galway and so there is a lot of history with the venue. We have had many family weddings, communions and parties there so it was really nice to continue the tradition. Besides that, the food was just out of this world and the staff could not do more for you. We knew it was the perfect venue because of the people behind it. We were extra lucky to be able to have the wedding outside and our guests are still talking about it.
We have so many fond memories, so it’s hard to choose our favourite, but I think the whole dance floor up including my grandmother age 82 dancing to Coolio’s Gangster Paradise!
Advice for other couples: Enjoy every moment and don’t sweat the small stuff! We genuinely had the best weekend of our lives and wish we could do it all again.
Suppliers
Wedding venue: The Ardilaun Hotel | Photographer: Art Wedding Photography | Planner: Maureen Walsh | Musician: Cotton String Quartet, Guinness Jazz Band | Band: Jess Kavanagh and Tongue in Chic | DJ: Colin Devine | Hair: Powder Room Girls | Makeup: Jade Kinsella | Dress: Beau Bride, Laudae | Shoes: Gucci | Suits: Martin Feeney Menswear | Cake: Ruth Dodd | Celebrant: Brigid Carlin, Humanists of Ireland | Stationary: Etsy | Jewellery: Betty and Biddy
