“Gary began talking about how well things were going with us etc… but the penny wasn’t dropping with me at all that he was hinting at something else!”
The couple: Bevin Grant & Gary Sice
Length of engagement: 13 months | Wedding date: 8th January 2016
Wedding venue: Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny
Photographer: Tanya Colclough, Eden Photography
We met… Both Gary and I had returned to study primary teaching in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. We were both Postgraduates but even though we were in the same year, it wasn’t until the second semester that we met.
Our proposal… It was on the 19th December 2014. It happened to be the last day of the school holidays. I was planning on heading home to Kilkenny for the Christmas holidays but Gary kept ringing me to make sure I hadn’t left home without saying goodbye to him first. So I waited and waited with my bags packed at the door. Gary was fashionably late and I was anxious to beat the traffic home. He eventually arrived home with flowers in his hand. Me being me thought he had gotten the bunch of fabulous flowers as a gift from one of his students. Gary began talking about how well things were going with us etc… but the penny wasn’t dropping with me at all that he was hinting at something else! He did mention that to me afterwards and he dropped down on one knee and asked me to marry him! Needless to say, I didn’t get home to Kilkenny that evening!
My hair and makeup… My hair was by Amy Conway who is my usual hairdresser. She works in Kieran O’ Gorman’s in Kilkenny and is amazing at upstyles (and anything hair related) and creates such unique hairstyles. Even though all our hairstyles weren’t identical, they all framed our faces perfectly. Because Amy is my regular hairdresser, she knew my hair type and was able to suggest hairstyles that would suit my fine hair and also keeping in mind the style of my dress. My makeup artist was Karen Comer from Beyond Beauty in Galway. Again Karen was amazing and I trusted her completely. I regularly go to Karen’s salon and have had my makeup done. Even though we had a makeup trial before the wedding, Karen listened to me, kept my makeup natural (as I don’t wear much makeup in general) and it lasted all day!
My dress… My dress was from Belladonna in Galway. It was the third boutique I had been to. Everyone says you know when you find ‘the dress’ and it’s so true! I knew when I tried mine on that nothing else would better it. Ivory and white dresses didn’t suit me at all. I wasn’t going out of my way to stand out and be unique with my style but my dress was a little different, it was gold. It had lace on it but nothing overpowering. It had a high neck which is what I wanted and it was comfortable to wear. I had no tan or makeup on when I was dress shopping (and I am milk bottle pale) but the warm colours in my Fara Sponsa dress just mad me light up!
Our ceremony… Our ceremony was in our local catholic church in Piltown, Co. Kilkenny. My local priest, Fr. Moore, conducted the ceremony and he was brilliant! The ceremony was held at 1.30pm to allow people who were coming from Galway to arrive safely. The whole ceremony was so relaxing and Fr. Moore put us all at ease, cracking jokes along the way! Poor Gary! That was important as both Gary and I were nervous. Also the whole congregation also picked up on how much Fr. Moore made us all feel at ease, it set the tone for the day. We didn’t have a rehearsal, which both Gary and I thought was great. We weren’t caught up on trying to remember what we had to do next and we could enjoy the whole ceremony. Fr. Moore guided us through it all, giving us the occasional nod or gesture indicating our next step. As both Gary and my bridal party were scattered all over the country, not having a rehearsal suited us all. My wedding singer Roseanna Brehony was fantastic. She travelled from Galway and her voice was just perfect. In the few quiet moments you have to reflect at the ceremony you would get goosebumps listening to her beautiful voice.
We chose our photographer because… Tanya Colclough (Eden Photography) was an easy choice for us. She is brilliant at her job, is extremely easy to work with and very professional. Tanya has a keen eye for detail and she captured both natural and formal shots. She also took pictures of finer details that you may forget or overlook on the day and it’s great to look back on these memories after. Tanya also was the photographer for my sister’s wedding, so we knew from previous experience that Tanya would work very well in our family environment and added to our relaxed and joyful preparations.
Our wedding theme/colours… We decided not to have a theme as we didn’t want to put that pressure on ourselves and get caught up on the fact everything had to coordinate with that theme. Instead we wanted a natural look that was tonal with everything. The men’s suits were a navy three-piece suit with ivory/gold waistcoats (to match with my dress, unknown to Gary) and brown shoes. The bridesmaids’ dresses were from The Wedding Boutique. They were actually the first bridesmaid dresses we saw. My three bridesmaids loved them immediately as they were not your typical style and they were very flattering on all. We loved the lavender colour and knew it would all be tonal with my dress and the men’s suits. Natalie was extremely easy to work with at The Wedding Boutique and had some good suggestions for us. I would highly recommend her for all things bridal.
We chose our venue because… We loved the Lyrath Estate Hotel in Kilkenny and had stayed there long before we got engaged. It had both the old style house and the modern section – the best of both worlds. The setting, friendly and helpful staff, delicious food and attention to detail was second to none. We loved the ballroom where the reception was held and Gillian, our wedding coordinator, couldn’t have been more accommodating and helpful. The whole team listened to our requests and we received an extremely competitive wedding package. They helped make our day an extra special one and we were so glad we chose the Lyrate Estate as our wedding venue.
Our menu… As our wedding was shortly after Christmas, Gary and I both felt we wanted to move away from traditional wedding food found at Christmas time but still try and accommodate our guests and their tastes. We had duck spring rolls and fishcakes for starters and beef or sea bass with chili mash for main.
My favourite part of the wedding day… I couldn’t pick one particular part of the day that was my favourite as there is so many special memories to choose from and definitely some Gary and I can’t share!
My piece of advice for other brides… 1. Don’t go to too many bridal shops – overloading on styles of dresses makes it harder to pick ‘the one’. You will know the right one for you. 2. Keep an open mind on all styles of dresses. Don’t set your sights on one style before you go dress shopping. Try on all styles to narrow down the shape dress that best suits you! 3. Don’t look too much online. All the dresses look beautiful in pictures and on the models but may look completely different in reality. 4. Have your hairdresser and makeup artist come to your house. It’s a lot less stress on you and your family. 5. Something will go wrong on the day no matter how much you plan the day. I knew that and when it happened on the day, just embrace it and laugh it off!
Suppliers
Wedding venue: Lyrath Estate Hotel | Photographer: Eden Photography | Wedding dress: Belladonna Bridal | Bridesmaids’ dresses: Natalie, The Wedding Boutique | Hair: Amy Conway, Kieran O’Gormans | Make-up: Karen Comer, Beyond Beauty | Florist: Collette Walsh, Bláthanna Florist | Cake: Laura King, Special Occasions | Ceremony singer: Roseanna Brehony ‘My Wedding Singer’
