“Our ceremony was very personal and we loved how we could write the whole thing ourselves.”
The couple: Laura & Daniel
Wedding Date: March 2017
Venue: Ballymagarvey Village, Meath
Photographers: The Fennells
We met… We met in New York City. Daniel moved to the big apple with work in 2009, and I moved there in 2010. Soon after my arrival, our group, which consisted of about 30 Irish people, set off on a ski trip to upstate NY. We were very diverse with all our Irish friends in the U.S! It was here that we met, on a night that happened to be my birthday, what a gift to get! Our ski experience was very limited and Daniel was more than willing to offer to pick me up after one too many tumbles. Our relationship took off from there and we’ve been inseparable ever since.
The proposal… Daniel caught me completely by surprise with the proposal. I always thought I’d see it coming! After a few years living in midtown Manhattan, we decided to move out to a neighborhood in Brooklyn, packed full of hipsters, Williamsburg. One sunny Friday evening after work, we went for a stroll before dinner. On the banks of the east river, at sunset overlooking the Manhattan skyline, he got down on one knee accompanied by the applause of a nearby family having a picnic and a passing cyclist.
My hair and make-up… The bridal party hair was styled by Rita’s Mobile Hairdressing and make-up was by Mrs Makeup- Michelle Regazzoli Stone.
My dress… I bought my Watters dress in ‘Lovely Bride’ in Tribeca, New York. My mam was more than willing to make multiple trips to New York during the dress hunt to make sure we found the right one, which also involved a visit to the famous ‘Say yes to the dress’ shop!
His suit… Daniel, his two groomsmen and his dad looked dapper in their Baumler suits from Michael Barrie on Duke Street, Dublin.
What our bridal party wore… I wanted the bridesmaids to wear something a little different. In one of our many Pinterest sessions we spotted a skirt and top combo and we all loved the look. They are by the designer Dessy and we purchased them in Wedding World in Dublin (we may have had to put in a rush order since I am so last minute!). The two bridesmaids wore ivory tops with grey skirts and the junior bridesmaid wore the reverse with a grey top and ivory skirt.
Our ceremony… We opted for a humanist ceremony which took place in the ceremony room at Ballymagarvey with Emma Sides as our celebrant. Our ceremony was very personal and we loved how we could write the whole thing ourselves. We picked readings and poems and asked two of my brothers and Daniel’s sister to read them. Of course my youngest brother thought the reading we gave him “wasn’t great” and decided to write something himself which turned out to be so special and unique. It felt laid back and very us with plenty of laughs and tears alike.
We chose our photographer because… One look at The Fennells website and we knew they were the wedding photographers for us. We wanted to choose only the best wedding photographers because at the end of the day, it’s the photos that line your walls and keep the memories alive. We loved their style of wedding photography and we wanted as many candid shots as possible – which is exactly what we got. Mark and Fiona made an effort to know everybody’s name and hold handbags, or escort grandparents. They were extremely subtle at the ceremony; I wouldn’t have even known they were there only for the amazing photos they produced from it.
We chose our venue because… Ballymagarvey Village was the first (and only) venue we viewed. We wanted somewhere where we could have the ceremony and reception all under one roof and have the whole place to ourselves for the day. So much stress of planning a wedding is removed with Ballymagarvey Village. Without any extra decoration, the venue is already spectacular.
Another perk of the venue was that it allowed me to get ready at home since Ballymagarvey is only half an hour from my home house. We got some fabulous photos in the house that morning. I gave my Dad the job of organising the transport to the venue so, of course, he arranged for a white stretch limo to come and get us. Turned out to be great craic as the three bridesmaids and both my parents jumped in, and under the coloured strobe lighting, (which I’m sure is a big hit for the Debs goers who usually occupy this limo), we had a bottle of bubbles for the road. The funniest part was probably when the driver flew straight past the entrance for Ballymagarvey and we ended up doing a 3 point turn in the limo on the main road as witnessed by a few guests!
Our honeymoon… Since we were moving home to Ireland for good, we decided to use this transitional period as a time to escape for a few months and do the trip we’ve talked about for so long. So one week after the wedding we grabbed our backpacks and headed to South America for three months, touring Cuba, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Brazil. It really was the trip of a lifetime.
The decor… We incorporated a bit of New York into the wedding by naming the tables after different places in NYC. The Flower Studio, Dundalk did a wonderful job on the flowers. The venue was Ballymagarvey village, and we were in the middle of cherry blossom season which gave the place a really colourful feel.
The planning… We were very laid back throughout the whole planning process (bar the last 2 weeks before the wedding!). We decided the wedding was a good point to move home to Ireland for good. After 7 years in New York, we were ready to settle down at home, close to family and friends. So not only were we planning a wedding, we were also moving country! We used our few visits home to haul several suitcases over the Atlantic (it’s a wonder the wedding went ahead after Daniel saw how much stuff I accumulated) and work on planning the wedding at the same time.
Suppliers
Photography: The Fennells | Venue: Ballymagarvey Village, Meath | Dress: Lovely Bride, New York | Groom’s suit: Baumler, Michael Barrie, Dublin | Bridesmaid dresses: Wedding World, Dublin | Hair: Rita’s Mobile Hairdressing | Make-up: Mrs Make up- Michelle Regazzoli Stone | Music: Blacktye Wedding Band | Flowers: The Flower Studio
