Meet Aaron and Cara! They tied the knot in a meaningful ceremony that they describe as “lovely and personal, filled with our love of God and each other.” The Bible readings by their family, the woody tones of forest green and white, and the tables named after trees – what’s not to love about this wedding!
Couple: Aaron and Cara
Engagement length: 15 months
Wedding date: 2023-03-23
Wedding location: The Station House Hotel
Photographer: Theodoro Photography
Aaron and Cara met on a pier walk at Dún Laoghaire, while out with their church Young Adults group.
Cara had always wished for a quiet proposal, without which she would jokingly threaten to say no. This is what Aaron had planned:
“We walked the pier together hand in hand, the ring sitting quietly in Aaron’s coat pocket, his heart beating quickly with anticipation. We reached the end of the pier. The moment had arrived in the same place we had met and spoke for the first time. Aaron got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I said yes and we were surprised to have an onlooker who cheered enthusiastically before cycling away. A close friend Eleanor had followed quietly to capture the moment. We took a few pictures and grabbed breakfast in Bistro le Monde and excitedly chatted about our futures together. We called our families to share the good news and visited them that evening.”
“In keeping with our love of nature, we wanted to keep things simple with lots of greenery and pops of white flowers. The primary colours were forest green, white, and woody tones.”
Aaron wore a pine green tweed three-piece suit with a white paisley tie, tan brogues with purple laces and pewter swallow cufflinks.
Cara wore a soft A-line dress, with lace detailing on the bodice and short sleeves, a chapel length veil with ribbon edges and peach coloured ballet pumps with ribbon detailing.
The groomsmen wore chocolate brown herringbone two piece-suits, tan derby shoes and forest green tie and cufflinks set.
The bridesmaids wore forest green long dresses in different styles with champagne coloured shoes, clutch and pashmina.
They tied the knot at St Mark’s Church, a place very close to their hearts. Cara arrived fashionably late, to an anxious Aaron waiting down the aisle. She walked down the aisle to ‘Blessings’ by Hollow Coves, played by Aaron’s childhood friend, John, who also led everybody in worship songs.
Aaron’s aunt and Cara’s granny gave readings from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 and Colossions 3:12-17.
Aaron and Cara describe their ceremony as “lovely and personal, filled with our love of God and each other.”
“We shared vows we had written for each other in addition to traditional vows before signing the green book. We walked out hand in hand and shared a quiet moment to catch our breath while our guests assembled for a group picture. Afterwards, we greeted our guests before heading to the station house for our reception.”
Their wedding venue, The Station House Hotel, felt like home from the minute they first viewed it. It was the whimsical nature of the venue, with its enchanting firelight lit tree walk that stole their hearts when they first walked in.
“We had our drinks reception in the hotel bar decorated with plush homely furniture. They took excellent care of our guests while we had our photos taken and us in a well needed quiet moment, when our guests were called to dinner.”
After the speeches, dinner was served in the Carriage Suite, with its beautiful chandeliers and walls covered in fresh greenery. Guests were seated at tables named after different tree species, reflecting Cara’s love of nature and Aaron’s love of Biology. The tables were set with simple but elegant table placements of greenery, tree rings and white candles. After dinner, guests were invited to the Turntable, a place where trains were physically turned in the days when the venue was an operational train station.
They then danced in a circle to La Vie En Rose, the first song they ever danced to in Cara’s kitchen. What followed was an evening of fun and celebrations, with the help of the amazing and energetic band, the Arthur Cover Band.
Their wedding was beautifully captured by Theodoro Photography, a bubbly and fun couple.
“They were very professional and willing to work with us to encapture the vision we had for our special day. Their fun and friendly outlook helped us to relax and enjoy the experience. The soft smiles we had planned for, turned into genuine laughter and big beaming smiles. Their candid approach felt natural and captured moments that might have been lost otherwise.”
To entertain their guests, they had the Arthur Cover Band, who they had seen at a previous wedding. Cara and Aaron loved their energy, wide range of songs and the ability to keep people on the dance floor all night.
They also made their own sweets table, filled with a colourful variety of sweet treats for their guests to enjoy.
As you can imagine, they found it hard to pick just one favourite moment from the day. Every promise, conversation, word of encouragement, joke, song and dance move will be remembered fondly.
Aaron says: “My favourite memory has to be the moment I saw Cara for the first time walking up the aisle. The wave of peace and the overwhelming feelings of joy made all of the weeks of planning, the anxieties and the uncertainties melt away. It reminded me of all of the happy moments we shared and all the love I have for her, to see my beautiful bride, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. The excitement of having her by my side for the rest of my life was just an amazing moment one that will stay with me forever.
Cara says: “My favourite memories were the few quiet moments we had by ourselves during the day. The few minutes after the ceremony where we caught our breath and realized we had finally done it and gotten married to each other. The time in the car, the chats we had about our future together and the disbelief we had actually made it through, the time we shared after our photos where we could just sit and relax and just be will be the moments we will cherish forever.”
We love asking newlyweds to share their best wedding planning advice. This is what Aaron and Cara said:
“Take some time to relax and spend time together away from wedding planning. It can be such a stressful experience, but remember there’s experiences and life past your wedding. Build your wedding together, sit down and talk about your dreams and your plans and what your vision is for the day. DIY things if you can or get friends and family involved. It will make the day more enjoyable and as you do things you can feel accomplished and will remember the work you put in on the big day. Enjoy every moment of your day, it will go by so fast, so breathe, relax and have fun!”
Recommended suppliers
Reception venue: The Station House Hotel
Photographer: Theodoro Photography
Hair: Aisling Kelly Bridal Hair
Makeup: Dee Buckley Makeup
Other suppliers
Ceremony venue: St. Mark’s Church, Pearse Street | Band and DJ: Arthur Cover Band | Suits: Moss Bros | Wedding dress: Dreamy Curves | Bridesmaids dresses: Wed2b | Cake: Pretty Sweet Cake Studio | Celebrant/solemniser: Des Curtis | Stationery: Optimal print | Jewellery/rings: Chupi / Fields Jewellers | Flowers: Flowers by Ann Kelly
