“We disappeared for photos after the ceremony and we arrived back to our reception on a Fendt 724 Vario Tractor. I had changed into pink Hunter wellies, it certainly gave our guests a good giggle.”
The couple: Fiona Lawlor Cullen & Aengus Cullen
Length of engagement: 9 months | Wedding date: 29th September 2017
Wedding venue: Amber Springs Hotel, Wexford
Photographer: Golden Moments Wedding Photography & Film
We met… almost 9 years ago through my brothers, Aengus was friends with my brothers Peter and Stephen. He was up helping them with some work on their farm, when a friend of mine called me to come up as she thought there was someone I should meet up there, so I strolled on up and had my first encounter with my husband, we became good friends (although it took us over 4 years to get ourselves together). We finally started dating late 2013 and the rest is history.
Our proposal… This was the biggest surprise of my life!! We had organised my whole family to go on an overnight Santa Experience at the Amber Springs Hotel on the 22nd December 2016 – there was about 39 of us in total including all the children, we were all looking forward to it and just before we were due to go, Aengus informed me he had to stay back in Dublin to work. This happened sometimes due to him being a farmer, so I didn’t really mind. We had planned dinner after the Santa Train, everyone was in great form so I was delighted when Aengus arrived in time for dinner, so we popped up to the room to get freshened up, my daughter Leah brought our son Sean to the Kids Club. Aengus was acting weird but I thought nothing of it, next there was a knock on the door and Leah and Sean were standing there with Sean wearing a T-shirt saying “Mammy will you marry my Daddy?” It took a few minutes to kick in and when I looked around Aengus was on bended knee holding the most fabulous engagement ring! Needless to say the whole family were involved, I couldn’t believe they had kept the secret, we celebrated long into the night!
His suit… Aengus wore a black Tuxedo from Love Suits in Tallaght.
Our wedding theme/colours… So I knew there would have to be tractors involved somehow but didn’t want the whole farm theme to take over so I decided to incorporate them into the theme but not overdo it. Our invitations were designed and created by Perfect Day Print and had a groom on a tractor and the bride in a field with a wedding dress and wellies and a few cows and sheep dotted around. Our cake topper had a bride and groom on a tractor and we organised a tractor from the local dealers Kehoe Brothers who very kindly sent up one on the day of the wedding, which was parked outside. I had organised pink Hunter wellies to take a trip on the tractor and that was all that was allowed in regards to farming!!
My look… After deciding in my mind what type of style dress I wanted, I visited Fiona Todhunter Bridals in Greenhills, she very kindly amused me with the styles I envisioned, none of which suited me at all, she knew this of course, but waited until I had exhausted my choices and then suggested I try a dress of her choice. My God that woman knows her business, there wasn’t a dry eye once I tried it on. ‘The Dress’ was a Sophia Tolli Design – The Estelle in Mocha Ivory. It still is the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. My hair was done by Margaret & Helen, whom I sourced through Tina from Martika Hair Studio in Blessington, my makeup was done by Tina from the Cocoon Spa in the Amber Springs Hotel.
Our ceremony… We held our ceremony in the hotel and it was absolutely magical, a close friend Gerry Byrne was our celebrant, my brother Joey and his daughter April sang and played the music for the whole ceremony, we chose family members for all the prayers and blessings. It was so special and personal to us both. We disappeared for photos after the ceremony and we arrived back to our reception on a Fendt 724 Vario Tractor, I had changed into pink Hunter wellies, it certainly gave our guests a good giggle.
We chose our photographer because… after a mix up from our previous photographer, I was in a panic weeks before the wedding, I put a message out on the HIGM Facebook Group asking for help and Brid from Golden Moments Wedding Photography & Film contacted me straight away and was so kind and understanding and so helpful I knew straight away that Golden Moments Photography were the ones for us.
We chose our venue because… Well besides being the place we got engaged in, we have a huge family with a lot of children, Amber Springs Hotel are so child-friendly and couldn’t have accommodated us enough. Plus we had heard lots of great reports about them.
My favourite part of the wedding day… I couldn’t possibly choose one part, from start to finish our day was so special, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment but if I was to pick my favourite it has to be the moment my father walked me up the aisle to hand me over to Aengus whilst my niece sang ‘La Vie en Rose’ which is my all-time favourite song.
The Band…. Words simply cannot describe how Twister band made our wedding day, coming from a musical family I knew the band decision would have to be made very carefully. I had no reason to worry, from the moment I rang Danny Monaghan Junior, I knew Twister were the band for us. Danny was so helpful and easy to deal with and made our decision so easy. On the night they kept the dance floor full and the craic going. They completely engaged with our guests and they played such a wide variety of music to suit all our guests young and old! They were so obliging in letting my brothers up to sing with them and knew their tunes to play on cue. Our guests could not stop and have still not stopped raving about them and they really did give us all a night to remember!!
My piece of advice for other couples… Relax and enjoy every moment of your day, there is no need to stress about any of it, it’s yours and your partner’s day for you both to enjoy and cherish for the rest of your lives.
Suppliers
Venue: Amber Springs Hotel, Wexford | Photographer: Golden Moments Wedding Photography & Film | Wedding Dress: Fiona Todhunter Bridals, Tallaght | Bridesmaid Dresses: Debut at Debenhams | Suits: Love Suits, Tallaght | Hair: Martika Hair Studio, Blessington | Make-up: Tina from Cocoon Spa, Amber Springs Hotel | Invitations: Perfect Day Print | Videographer: Ian Whelan, Fireworks Wedding Films | Band: Twister | Flowers: Celine’s Flowers & Gifts, Tallaght | Rings: Ernest Jones Jewellers, Dundrum | Cake: Cakes Galore, Ashford
