Carlton Hotel Kinsale Real Wedding by Ines Billings Photography

Team work was the name of the game when it came to wedding planning for Lorraine and Arthur! With the couple playing to their individual strengths, their elegant day in Kinsale, Cork went without a hitch. Even the sun shone! Thanks to Ines Billings for sharing their sweet story and photos.

Lorraine and Arthur had admired each other from a distance in the college library for several months, before being officially introduced by a mutual friend in 2011. Only a year later, Arthur proposed in the capital of romance – Paris. Lorraine explains that it wasn’t her most glamorous moment:

“I appreciate that he went to so much effort to make his proposal romantic, but I was in my runners and jeans and my hair was a wind-swept mess after walking up to the top of the Eiffel Tower! I don’t think we even noticed the rain though.”

Deciding on a short engagement, the couple chose to marry a year later in July 2013, with the ceremony in Honan Chapel, University of Cork and reception close-by at the Carlton Hotel, Kinsale.

“Planning the wedding was a huge project. We each had different strengths and we pulled together as a team, sharing out the tasks and taking on board each other’s opinion. Time needs to be put in to registering your intent to marry and completing all the official documents, like the pre-marriage course and letters of freedom for example.”

Lorraine didn’t have a very clear theme for the wedding initially, but she knew she wanted her dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses to be elegant, using stylish tones for a harmonious and polished look.

“I asked my mother, Ann, and my bridesmaid Caroline to join me for the first day of dress shopping. We visited five shops in one day! It was intense, but my mum and Caroline were patient and we made it fun. I tried on every type of dress but it in the end, despite several other trips to shops in Dublin, I made my choice from the first shop, Bridal Bliss in Cork. I absolutely loved my dress and veil.”

“I loved my wedding day. It was a truly amazing day and all the planning we did paid off. Not only that, but the sun shone all day.

My grandmother had to leave during the ceremony as she became acutely ill. Her children managed this really well and she was brought to hospital. It meant she was missing from the top table and pictures. I did miss her presence. This must have been really hard for my mum too. My grandmother Grace would have loved the reception. Thankfully she has recovered.”

We adore this lace trimmed chapel train- so regal.

Lorraine’s Highlight:

“The highlight of my day was the actual wedding ceremony and exchanging vows and getting married to Arthur. It was a beautiful ceremony performed by our friend, Fr. Dermot Brennan.”