“One of my favourite parts of the day apart from when we exchanged vows, was the journey from our house to the church in the vintage car with my Grandad and having him walk me down the aisle! He made me laugh so much on the way to the church!”
The couple: Suzanna Naughton & James Willetts
Length of engagement: 2 Years | Wedding date: May 20th 2017
Wedding venue: Connemara Coast Hotel, Galway
Photographer: The Lane Studio
We met… on a dating site called Plenty of Fish in September 2015 and had our first date to the German Christmas Markets in Birmingham in December.
Our proposal… was very special, I always told James about the Coral Beach (Tra an Dolin) in Carraroe, how I always had a favourite spot to sit and look out at the sea. On James’s first visit to Carraroe in May 2014, I showed him my favourite spot on the beach!! In October 2015, James proposed to me right there! We also had our photos taken there on our wedding day.
My hair and makeup… My hair was done by my lovely cousin Eileen Flaherty. Eileen has been a hairdresser for years and used to do my hair as a kid so there was no question over who I’d have to do my hair on my big day. I described how I’d like it and it was like she read my mind! I loved my hair! My other cousin Barbara Sullivan did my bridesmaids’ hair and my flower girl’s hair… I couldn’t believe how quick she did them all on the morning and they looked amazing and most importantly they were so happy with it and comfortable. For our makeup, I had done a lot of research online on makeup artists in Galway, I discovered Siobhan Mc Donnell, her website and her Youtube page Letzmakeup – her work is just extraordinary and you can’t fault it! I was so happy with how she did my makeup, my mum’s and my bridesmaids! Most importantly it held all day and looked great in the photos!
His suit… Luckily James wanted a brown suit… it matched our rustic theme really well! They came across some lovely brown suits at Moss Bros.
My dress… I loved my dress!!! My dress is called Laudin and is from Pronovias. I saw it online and I liked it, and when I tried it on I just loved it! It was the only dress I tried on and I knew it was the one! It of course needed some alterations and it was done perfectly by Beata Chalecka, my dress looked really big but it didn’t feel it! I was able to move and dance around in it so freely thanks to the alterations made to it, Beata’s attention to detail was incredible! She wasn’t happy until she had it fitted perfectly!
Our ceremony… was at the beautiful Mac Dara’s Church in Carraroe, we were married by Fr. Ciaran Blake and Fr. Gearoid Griffin. The music was by one of my childhood friends Fiona Joyce who sang beautifully. My cousin Eamon Connolly also sang and played guitar for us, he performed Grace; we loved it!!
Our wedding theme/colours… We had a rustic themed wedding, our colours were brown, dusky pink and ivory. I wasn’t sure how I would go about it as I had only ever seen this theme in barns or at outdoor weddings, but thanks to the help of my florist Flutterbuy Flowers operated by mother and daughter duo Barbara and Shannon Ginty, they gave me so much help and ideas that made it all seem possible and come to life, they were such a great help and came up with some amazing ideas!
We chose our photographer because… When we were looking for a photographer, we looked at various websites and came across The Lane Studio, photos that they had created were just spectacular! I also spoke to some couples that had used them in the past and they came highly recommended. We met with Gerry and Anne and they were both so pleasant and very passionate about what they do, we booked them right there and then! On the day, they were both just amazing, they blended in like a pair of relatives and were so helpful.
Gerry was so eager to get the best scenery and backgrounds, he has such a great imagination and is full of great ideas for photos! They didn’t waste any time all day, they seemed so patient and relaxed but quick at the same time.
They both worked together so well, both so enthusiastic, Anne kept fixing my hair, lifting my dress, fetching my bouquet every time I left it behind!! She was like one of my bridesmaids! We said goodbye to them both just as we were due to be called in to our meal, we were actually sad to see them go, they were great to be around all day.
We chose our venue because… Connemara Coast Hotel is just an amazing venue! From the inside décor to the fabulous views out the back of the hotel! The food is also spectacular. The service we received from all of the staff was amazing especially the wedding coordinator Darius, he was always so helpful and on hand to help out! I had no worries about our big day as I knew he had it all in hand.
My favourite part of the wedding day… I absolutely loved every bit of it and wish we could do it all over again!! One of my favourite parts of the day apart from when we exchanged vows, was the journey from our house to the church in the vintage car with my Grandad and having him walk me down the aisle! He made me laugh so much on the way to the church!
Our menu… There was a lot to choose from for our menu, we had our menu tasting in September 2016 and afterwards we couldn’t wait to have all our friends and family come and experience the great food. We chose a choice of Ragout of Chicken & Mushroom and Pâté for starters, Vegetable Soup, for mains we had a choice of Chicken or Connemara Lamb, the chef came out and presented the lamb to us before slicing it for us and our guests which was a nice touch. For dessert we had a choice of Apple Pie or Lemon & Lime Cheesecake. Our guests were raving about the food and how amazing it was and couldn’t understand how they could have it all so perfect for so many guests! It was just spectacular!
My piece of advice for other couples… When you’re doing your menu tasting, don’t finish every course you get… you won’t be able to close your jeans for three days!!! Don’t stress about the small things/details… no one notices! Take it all in and enjoy every minute of it!! Plan out your morning realistically for example what time you are having your hair and makeup, give yourself plenty of time! Aim to be ready 45 mins to an hour before you leave the house so you can be relaxed and have fun with everyone present and spend time with your photographer. Remember to enjoy every bit of it!!
