The couple: Katrina Sheerin & Anthony Kelly
Length of engagement: 6 Months | Wedding date: 18th May 2017
Wedding venue: Mount Druid, Westmeath
Photographer: Stargaze Photography
We met… Anthony came to my house to install my broadband on September 2nd 2016, he asked me out for a drink, we met up the next night and we basically have been together ever since.
Our proposal… We were in Ballinasloe for Anthony’s Dad’s birthday and stayed in Gullane’s Hotel that night. The next morning, Anthony got down on one knee in the hotel room and asked me to marry him. Very hungover I said yes of course and can I have a paracetamol.
My dress… was made for me by Eileen Creamer from Mohill Co. Leitrim as I was going to be 6 months pregnant on the day of the wedding and didn’t want to risk buying one online and it not fitting properly. She did an amazing job and I will treasure it forever. She also made slips for underneath the bridesmaid dresses as they were gaping a bit at the front.
My hair and makeup… Was done by the lovely ladies Sylvia and Lorraine from Beauty by the Shannon, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim. I had a trial with both of them and felt so relaxed and not pressured in to choosing a certain style. I was able to ring them and tell them if the makeup lasted and if I wanted to change anything etc. I also got all my beauty prep done there too, tan, nails, waxing and have done for years. They are very professional and efficient.
Our ceremony… Was magical, it was a civil ceremony performed by Carmel Lally, a registrar with the HSE. She was wonderful and made the whole experience very lighthearted and relaxed. My sister and best friend who were both bridesmaids were our witnesses. We had family members do readings for us and they were kind of funny readings so we had a giggle also. The ceremony was in the ‘Tin Chapel’ on the grounds of Mount Druid and it is such a little gem.
His suit… Was hired from Moss Bros in Liffey Valley, it was a Ted Baker design and had the peacock feathers on the inside of the waistcoats and jackets. The best man and my Dad wore the same suit, the only difference was Anthony’s waistcoat was white and the others were navy.
We chose our venue because… I worked in hotels for years and wanted something different than a typical hotel wedding. I told my friend Tara if I ever got married, I would do it in a barn and she suggested Mount Druid. We made an appointment to have a look around and booked it there and then, it was the only venue we looked at and are so glad we had our wedding there. The staff were amazing, they could not do enough for us, the food was superb and loads of it. The accommodation on site is Glamping, which to most people sounds like hell but it was brilliant and so quirky.
We chose our photographer because… believe it or not, I entered a competition on weddingsonline and won Daragh’s (Stargaze Photography) photography skills for the day. He was amazing and came all the way to my house in Leitrim where I was getting ready as I had a special request that he get a few pictures of me and my beloved sheepdog Molly who is 14 years old and who is a huge part of my life, I would have loved her at the ceremony but it wasn’t suitable. Daragh was brilliant on the day, not being in our way and taking a lot of natural photographs which I wanted, he dressed appropriately for the occasion also and even provided a photobooth for us. He was there until midnight making sure everything ran smoothly.
Our menu… We chose to go for a BBQ as we were trying to keep it relaxed, there was lamb burgers, chicken skewers and ribs, couscous, garden salad and pasta salad along with Brioche baps and lovely sauces and relishes.
Our wedding theme/colours… I love the colour teal and from this it developed in to a peacock colours/theme. We tried to do the bridesmaid dresses in teal, purple and green but found it very hard to find similar style dresses in the colours we wanted so I saw the green dresses online one day and just bought them with the idea to add some peacock feathers. My very talented friend Tara Healy made all the bouquets and put peacock feathers in them.
Our honeymoon… We went to Inishowen Gateway Hotel in Buncrana, Co. Donegal for 2 nights as we still had family home from different parts of the world. We visited Malin Head and drove the coastline, it was gorgeous. The scenery is breathtaking and the people are so friendly, we even got an upgrade to a room with a sea view when we mentioned we were on honeymoon.
My favourite part of the wedding day… The ceremony as it was so personal and relaxed.
My piece of advice for other brides… Delegate, delegate, delegate. It will be an amazing day and all the planning that goes in to it can be stressful but before you book anything or buy anything, really think about what is most important. We didn’t go in for a lot of traditions and it saved us a fortune, nobody noticed or cared and we didn’t need them. Decorations will haunt you after the day so if you don’t really need them, don’t get them.
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