Dromoland Castle Celebration for Sarah & Aaron

Real Weddings

Dromoland Castle wedding by David Olsthorn

Our beautiful couple today, Sarah and Aaron journeyed all the way from Washington DC to hold their wedding in the breathtaking surroundings of Dromoland Castle. Thanks to David Olsthoorn Photography for sharing their special event with us.

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Sarah and Aaron met originally in 2009 through Aaron’s brother, Joey during a night out in DC.

“Many years later after we met we reconnected through social media in 2012. We became great friends and started dating April of 2013. We both knew it was for life May of 2013! It was surreal and probably the greatest feeling anyone could ever experience. Everything we wanted and needed in our lives were aligned and heading in the same direction. It couldn’t have felt more right,” said Sarah.

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Eight months later on the first snow day of the year in Washington DC, Aaron popped the question, although they became more than just engaged!

“The government and many businesses had closed due to the weather. Aaron had an idea, a very romantic one at that! He had decided to propose to me that morning. Overjoyed, I said yes and immediately took the rest of the day off. We decided that day to go get our marriage license at the courthouse in Arlington, VA. After getting the marriage license, Aaron made yet another romantic gesture-taking me completely by surprise, he decided to ask me to get married that day! After saying yes (again!) a quick walk across the street to the officiant, the honourable Fitzhugh Godwin he was lucky enough to be there for us on this special snow day to officiate the marriage! After a long conversation with the both of us he agreed to join us together that day – much to our enjoyment,” explained Sarah.

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After their official marriage the couple started to look for a destination venue to hold their wedding celebration, which would include a blessing. They both wanted a venue that both their families could go to and celebrate. During their search they came across Dromoland Castle in County Clare. They soon spoke to Susan, the wedding co-ordinator at the venue and booked their day for January 1, 2015 exactly one year after this tied the knot in the US.

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“We did not have a specific theme since the rooms we chose at Dromoland Castle were so beautiful with the original decorations! Susan did an amazing job putting together a theme for us based on our conversations – she was a trooper! The one thing I really wanted to do was the hawk! I had come across a photo of the falconer who had done weddings at Dromoland and knew this was one thing I couldn’t do without. An amazing experience that we thankfully captured on film and video,” said Sarah.

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“The day was perfect! Surprisingly, there were no disasters! Susan once again (our wedding coordinator) was just amazing and made sure everything was perfect. If we were to do it all over again, we would! Our photographer David Olsthoorn was amazing! We were a bit nervous since we had not done any engagement photos with him or met him in person until the day of the wedding. We couldn’t have had anyone better than David that day! He suggested we take photos in the garden and because of that we have some amazing photos from castle garden! We did not think it would be nice since the flowers were not in season, but it was still so beautiful! We did get a bit carried away and thought we were running late for our ceremony and rushed back. Luckily we were on time!” added Sarah.

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Sarah’s Advice

The day is about you, the bride and groom! Don’t worry or stress yourself out too much by worrying about your guests and if everything on your check off list is done. Hiring a wedding coordinator is a must for you! Make sure you have snacks to eat throughout the day because once dinner comes you will not know what hit you if you don’t snack! Time flies and you want to enjoy every moment! You don’t want to turn into a bridezilla because you are hungry.

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Aaron’s Advice

For those planning a wedding especially a destination one at that, make sure you retain the services of the venues staff! I can’t stress enough that knowing the ones that know the ‘lay of the land’ will undoubtedly benefit you all around. We kept in touch with Susan (and everyone involved) throughout the year via e-mail (at the very least) so that we could plan for any/all contingencies as best as possible. It also helps to do your homework! We were able to use all our resources (friends, online reviews, etc.) that had gone before us to really pull together a wonderful event for our families. And as a hat tip to you grooms out there; make sure your groomsman’s gifts are top notch! They’re looking out for you!

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Wedding Suppliers

Venue: Dromoland Castle, County Clare.

Dress: Katherine’s Bridal, Alexandria, VA.

Grooms wear: Combatant Gentlemen.

Photographer: David Olsthoorn Photography.

Cake & Flowers: Dromoland Castle.

Entertainment: Connor McKeon Band.