International Wedding Celebration at Moyvalley Hotel by Emma May Photography

Wedding guests travelled from all the corners of the globe to celebrate Violet and Padraig’s special wedding day at the luxurious resort of Moyvalley Hotel in the Kildare countryside. We’re delighted to be sharing their day which included lots of personal touches including a Persian starter at dinner and a fantastic cheese cake! Thanks to Emma May Photography for her beautiful wedding images.

“Padraig and I met through mutual friends in London. He proposed during our summer holiday in Paris in July 2017. As part of the trip we did a day out at the Palace of Versailles, because we both really wanted to see it. We had a picnic in part of the gardens of Versailles and after the picnic as we were wondering around, Padraig proposed,” explained Violet.

As the couple live and work in Dubai they were keen to settle on a venue before heading back.

“I didn’t have a clue what style of day we wanted! I’ve never been one to envision a wedding or plan it, so I had no idea where to start. As I started doing some research, I began to get a better feel of what would suit us. We were both agreed the venue, dress and guests enjoyment were top priority.

Picking the venue in August 2017 before we returned to work in Dubai- so at least we could see where we would be getting married and do the rest from abroad. We also started the daunting guest list task as well,” said Violet.

Bespoke Touches

“Instead of a photobooth, Padraig decided to set up a station with a Polaroid instant camera and frames hanging off the trees. So guests could snap a photo in the frame of their choice and put it in our guestbook with personalised messages.

For save-the-dates and invites, everything was done digitally by email as most people, including ourselves, were located in various parts of the globe, so it was much more convenient to email and have everyone RSVP and get the wedding info on our wedding website.

As a nod to my Iranian heritage, I wanted some Persian food at the wedding. So I provided the recipe for a specific aubergine starter to the hotel and they obliged me.”

Hardest Part of Planning

“Doing it all from a different country! All 3 of my bridesmaids were back home in Canada, we were living in Dubai where we doing the planning from, the wedding itself and half the guests were in Ireland, the rest of the guests and my family were scattered across Canada, USA, and various European countries. So coordinating and communicating was a bit challenging to say the least! Not allowing plus ones unless we knew them well or they were in a long-term relationship was the hardest decision of all – not everyone was happy with that decision but it was a cost and capacity factor.”

Violet’s Advice

“Remember it’s YOUR day, there is no need to cave into the pressures of family, relatives or traditions if you yourself don’t want it or believe in it. Do what makes you both (bride and groom) happy- its impossible to make 100+ guests happy and at the end of it all, its YOUR day, not theirs!”