Good morning Missies! We hope your week is going nicely after the Bank Holiday and your wedding plans are shaping up nicely.
To inspire your own Big Day today we have Niamh and Niall’s wedding at Darver Castle. The Monaghan based couple chose Suzanne from Circus Photography to capture all the beautiful, handmade details they incorporated including a candy cart and Ferrero Rocher trees.
“Niall and I met on a night out in Carrickmacross. I was trying to persuade a bouncer to let me in to the VIP section and Niall offered me a wristband to save me the embarrassment!” said Niamh.
The couple got engaged during a stay in the Gibson Hotel and began planning their June 2019 wedding with a focus on creating a fun filled day of great food, drink and entertainment for their guests.
“We wanted our guests to get as much enjoyment as possible out of their day without having to put their hands in their own pockets too much,” explained Niamh. “Originally we had set a savings plan and did our best to save as much as possible in the year and a half before our wedding. We tried to do as many DIY projects as possible, for example, our wedding invitations. While we went over what we thought we would spend, we did not regret any of it.”
The couple had a few key suppliers in mind during their planning.
“Our wedding venue was without a doubt going to be Darver Castle and our band was always going to be Blue Moose. Hair and makeup were also very important to me as I had decided well in advance who I wanted in my house on the morning of the wedding. Grace Denny did make up and Donna Brennan Hughes did hair. These two ladies helped to create a lovely relaxed atmosphere in my house the morning of the wedding and are completely talented at what they do,” added Niamh.
Niamh wore a stunning Paloma Blanca gown from Zadika Bridal in Carrickmacross, after having a style in mind she soon discovered it didn’t suit her and Zita from Zadika helped her find the exact gown that suited her perfectly. Stepping away from traditional bridesmaids dresses, she chose nude sequinned gowns for her gorgeous bridesmaids, whilst Niall looked very dapper in a navy toned three piece suit.
Hardest Planning Moment
“The guest list I think for anyone is always time consuming and entertaining. Where to start and stop, who will I offend, and who actually wants to be there on the day, most importantly keeping it meaningful to us. We didn’t really have any huge decisions to make, we both knew what we wanted and had agreed on venue and entertainment quite early on which made life easy for us. We tried not to sweat the small stuff and would always ask ourselves will anybody actually notice.”
Niamh’s Advice
“To us, food, drink and entertainment is what people remember and talk about. A wedding is an expensive day for your guests and this is what they will appreciate most. Things like decor are often overlooked by your wedding guests. We really wanted to avoid the lull that happens between the end of the meal and the band so we had the Hit Machine Drummers to help liven everybody up after their meal and they really got the party off to a great start.
At the end of the day, this is your wedding. It is a party for you, so enjoy the build up, be so organised that there is no need to stress, and sit back and enjoy your day because it goes so fast. Have the things that are important to you and that you would enjoy at somebody else’s wedding.”
Wedding Suppliers
Photographer: Circus Photography, Dublin 6.
Venue: Darver Castle, Dundalk.
Wedding dress: Zadika Bridal, Carrickmacross.
Bridesmaids dress: Quiz Clothing.
Grooms wear: O’Cathalain Menswear, Culloville.
Cake: Made by Niamh’s friend, Gemma Murphy.
Flowers: James Bernard Florist, Carrickmacross.
Bridal Cars: Ido Wedding Cars, Portadown & Volksweddings, Kildare.
Videographer: Vivid Eye Video, Dublin.
Church music: Aisling Connolly.
After dinner entertainment: The Hit Machine Drummers.
Band: Blue Moose.
Hair: Donna Brennan Hughes.
Makeup: Grace Denny.
Wedding rings: Howell Jewellers, Carrickmacross.
