“Our wedding theme/colours… blush/dusty pink and Burgundy. With hints of gold. And then accidentally rose gold.”
Names: Nicole and Peter Thompson
Length of engagement: 7 and a half months
Wedding Date: 9/8/18
Wedding location: Springfield Hotel Leixlip
Photographer: Peter Rowen
We met… 31st October 2014. Thought he was a bit of a weirdo, but we got along so well!
Our proposal… I HATE mornings and he knows this… so I still don’t really understand what his thinking was. He got me up early to watch the winter solstice sunrise at Poolbeg lighthouse. I knew it was coming so I didn’t sleep a wink. That walk up to the lighthouse was the longest walk of my life.
Our wedding theme/colours… blush/dusty pink and Burgundy. With hints of gold. And then accidentally rose gold. I really wanted burgundy but I didn’t want it to seem too Wintery. I got my bridesmaid’s “gold” shoes on Asos and when they came I realised they were rose gold. Honestly, at that stage all the shoe searching had taken far too long that I just caved in and got them rose gold necklaces to match and went with the flow.
Things we DIY’d/made ourselves… Most of the décor. A REALLY talented friend of ours made our flower wall. We spray painted some bottles and stuck some glitter on them. We all want to have unique wedding décor but at the end of the day we’re all looking at the same Pinterest boards. We did try to stay away from the lace and burlap though.
My 18 year old brother MADE us an ice cream cart for after the ceremony. He did such an amazing job.
My dress… Loves Legacy bridal wear had a big sample sale. I know you’re not meant to brag about how cheap your wedding dress is but I got mine for 1/3 of the price.
My hair and make up… A friend of mine did our make up. She did such a fab job. Another friend of mine did the bridesmaids hair, and my mum’s friend who’s known as the “upstyle queen” in Peter Mark did mine and my mum’s hair. It’s so great having insanely talented friends, and it’s even better having people you know and love come over to help out on the wedding morning.
His suit… Believe it or not (hopefully not), he got it on Asos. I think the suit trousers and jacket came to around €70. Such a bargain. His waistcoat matched the groomsmen’s trousers and we got those in River Island on sale for €35 each. The lads’ suspenders were €2 in New Look.
What our bridal party wore… The skirts were from Pamela Scott and the tops from Zara. I went back and forth between dresses or skirts for so long. The girls actually wore the tops backwards (on purpose obviously) because they were wayyy to low at the front, but I loved the low back. I decided to have ribbons from the girls’ bouquets to tie in more burgundy to the outfits. Peter’s Sister-in-Law made the gorgeous flower crowns, buttonholes, bow ties and my flower comb.
Our ceremony… This is the part that people seem to talk about most, which I think is the biggest compliment. I felt like we were so determined to be ourselves even though a couple hundred people were staring at us. Everyone who took part in the service was someone important to us. The Pastor in our church spoke in the service, the Pastor in my home church married us, we had a friend each pray for us, Peter’s Sister-in-laws both did readings and we had friends play the music for the service. It’s so nice to have people you love take part, we just wish we could have asked more people to be involved!
We chose our photographer because… We love his style. He was so professional and got through all our family photos in such a short amount of time. He was able to point out the tiny problems and stray hairs that would be annoying us for the rest of our lives otherwise. Photos can be tiring, but I was glad we had someone who made it worth every minute.
We chose our venue because… We were on a tight budget and every other hotel’s function room seemed to look the same. We just loved the character that the function room had in the Springfield. The beams on the ceiling kind of gave us a barn wedding feel… without being freezing. Everyone said the food was gorgeous there too, which it most definitely was.
Our menu… We had Chicken and mushroom bouchee, lemon sorbet, Leg of lamb, Chicken Supreme and the Springfield medley (I honestly don’t know why anyone would choose one dessert when they can have three).
I really wanted to make my own cake but there was no way I was going to be able to make it fresh the few days before my wedding. I decided just to decorate a fake cake and get friends to bake cake to cut up. I know you’re not meant to tell anyone your cake is fake, but I got excited and told way too many people.
Our honeymoon… We went to Lopud- an Island off Dubrovnik for 4 days and then drove down to Montenegro to an Airbnb for 6 days. Montenegro is honestly one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever seen.
My favourite part of the wedding day… Finally getting the leg of lamb I’d been thinking about for weeks. I mean, marrying the love of my life.
My piece of advice for other couples… If something small is causing you too much stress during the planning, just leave it. It’s only you that’s going to notice it’s not there. I had a very particular image for favour boxes in my head, but I couldn’t find ANYTHING affordable that met my ridiculous bridezilla standards. I honestly just had to get over myself, and I haven’t regretted it once since. I saved myself money and stress. Also, don’t put so much stress on yourself for things to match perfectly.
Suppliers
Wedding venue: Springfield Hotel, Leixlip | Photographer: Peter Rowen | Dress: Loves Legacy bridal wear | Suit: Asos & River Island. Shirts from Moss Bros. | Bridesmaids dresses: Pamela Scott & Zara | Groomsmen outfits: Trousers and shoes River Island, Shirts from Moss Bros, suspenders, new look. | Earrings: €4 in Debenhams