“I had to make a dash from the hairdressers to find a pair of wellies when I saw the rain wasn’t letting up!”
The couple: Elizabeth Butler & Shane Cournane
Length of engagement: 11 months | Wedding date: 13th November 2014
Wedding location: Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny
Photographer: Tanya Colclough, Eden Photography
We met… in a pub in Kilkenny. Shane is from Cork and I’m from Kilkenny. We arranged to meet the following weekend halfway for us both in Clonmel. Both of us were a bit hungover after a bank holiday weekend and barely made it. But we did and the rest is history as they say.
Our proposal… It was New Year’s day and we were getting ready to bring our dog for a walk. I was in my tracksuit having a cup of tea. I noticed Shane was wearing his ‘fancy’ clothes. I thought that was a bit odd for walking a dog. We were eating our toast when he left the room suddenly and came back in holding our dog Kenny and dropped to one knee and popped the question. He still had toast in his hand and was trying to hold the ring and Kenny as well as balance on one knee. I just starting laughing at that stage, I don’t think I even said yes. He had picked the ring himself which I was really shocked about as he hates shopping. We called everyone then went walking the dog (of course) and went out that evening to celebrate with drinks and dinner.
My dress… was Sottero & Midgley Sonata from Cameo Bridal Kilkenny. I knew the minute I put it on it was what I had pictured wearing. As we were having an intimate wedding I didn’t want anything too big or over the top that I couldn’t move in but I still wanted to look like a bride. I loved all the bead work and detail on the dress.
My hair and make up… My hair was by Berlin Hair Carlow. My sisters and I had had our hair done several times before with Maria and her team and I didn’t even book a trial because I knew they would do a great job. I did have to make a dash from the hairdressers to find a pair of wellies when I saw the rain wasn’t letting up though! My make-up was done by Karen Maher Make-up Kilkenny. Karen had done two of my friend’s wedding day make-up and I loved how it turned out. My sisters, my mother and I all had our make-up done at home and it was lovely and relaxed.
Our ceremony… We chose to have a civil ceremony as we wanted to make the most of the venue. While we are religious, we liked the idea of having everyone at the one place without having to travel between venues. It worked out really well and was very intimate and personal.
Our wedding theme/colours… I had originally wanted a berry colour scheme but Shane really wanted an orange tie! So we changed it up to be more of an autumn colour scheme which did work really well as it was November.
We chose our venue because… we wanted a private venue that didn’t feel too big for our intimate wedding. Lyrath Estate Hotel was great because we had the modern hotel for accommodation and then use of the old house for the wedding day. There were four different rooms in the old house that we moved around in for Ceremony, Drinks Reception, Photos, Dinner and the evening entertainment, so it gave a really nice flow to the day. I knew that being November we could have bad weather and I loved the inside of the old house, so I knew we’d have a great backdrop for photos regardless of the weather.
We chose our photographer because… I loved Tanya’s style of photography (Eden Photography). I wanted to have snapshots of the day and to keep the atmosphere relaxed. We got some beautiful shots of the whole day as well as some lovely portraits.
His suit… The only thing Shane had a say in (wanted a say in) was his suit. He picked it himself and wouldn’t let me see it until the wedding day. He did tell me he was wearing an orange tie, I had to ring the florist a few weeks before the wedding to bring in some orange! I loved his suit, it’s exactly what I pictured him wearing. He got it from Best Menswear, Mahon, Cork.
Our menu…
Starter
Crispy Chicken and Wild Mushroom Parcel, Rocket Salad and Wild Garlic Pesto
Entrée
Organic Vegetable Soup, or
Lemon & Thyme Sorbet
Main
Roasted Prime Sirloin of Irish Angus Beef on Roasted Root Vegetables with Fondant Potato and Cabernet Jus, or
Grilled Fillet of Sea-Bass on Champ Mash with Chive Cream Sauce and Bacon Crisps
Dessert
Lyrath Estate Dessert Symphony
What our bridal party wore… We only had flower girls and a page boy as it was such a small wedding. They wore dresses from F&F at Tesco and their cardigans were from Littlewoods. Our pageboy wore a mix from Zara and Next.
My favourite part of the wedding day… I actually loved everything. It was the most relaxed day.
Our honeymoon… We went to Parknasilla Resort & Spa in Sneem, Co.Kerry and to Rome.
My piece of advice for other brides… Do what feels right for you. Don’t listen to other peoples opinion, everyone will have an opinion. Stick to your budget and what you have pictured for your wedding day and you will enjoy the experience. Oh and don’t worry about the weather, it’s the one thing you can’t control.
