Our gorgeous wedding today brings us to Clontarf Castle. Carol and Boz tied the knot in elegant style on New Years Eve 2018 and rang in the New Year as husband and wife surrounded by their family and friends. We’re delighted to be sharing their day with photography from Katie Kav Photography.
Carol and Boz met at the Martello in Bray in June 2015. “We both had holidays and weddings abroad planned for July and August that year so we didn’t go on a string of proper dates until probably September but it was worth the wait,” said Carol.
A few years on Boz proposed in their home as they were putting the Christmas tree up! “Boz had chosen a ring himself, and I was completely shocked. It was the loveliest time and made Christmas even more exciting,” she added.
The couple knew they wanted a Christmas or New Year wedding in the Dublin area and soon discovered Clontarf Castle could cater for their large number of guests.
“Our day was always going to be about family. We both come from large families that we have grown up around so we wanted them all there. Both our families get on so well so that’s been amazing for us. Aside from that, we wanted the day to feel relaxed and informal,” explained Carol.
Having a New Years Eve party dictated the theme of party and Carol injected fun elements into the day with silver sequin bridesmaids dresses and of course the venue which was dressed in all it’s Christmas splendour.
“In terms of the feel of the day, I think adding in touches and moments that make it special to you as a couple is important. We had my 91 year old granny read a reflection in the church. It related to life and looking after those you love when you go out into the world, it was really special and resonated with a lot of people.
The best weddings we’ve been to are ones where the bride and groom are really enjoying their day. If they are happy and relaxed, guests feed off that and the rest of the day looks after itself. That was something we said from the start, it’s our day so we were going to have the best day of our lives, and we really did,” added Carol.
The couple roped in family to help with favours, cakes and little touches for the reception tables.
“ I love a personal touch at a wedding so it was important for us to have something that made the day our own. My Dad made us a unity candle stand for the church, as well as creating bowling pin table centres as table numbers. (Boz runs an indoor entertainment business). We put together a gin & tonic favour for each guest and had place names made on Etsy, which most of the guys ended up wearing pinned to their ties.
As a surprise, my very talented aunty and cousin made a gingerbread model of our wedding venue complete with bride and groom, and my Dad booked us a Vintage Rolls Royce for when we came out of the church. It was a lovely surprise on the day and that 40 minute journey to the hotel was the only time we were alone for the rest of the day so it was a lovely time to chat about all the fun of the night before and the morning,” said Carol.
Carol’s Advice
Honestly, I loved it all and would do it again tomorrow! Don’t sweat the small stuff, people don’t notice it on the day. It’s too late to change anything, so just relax and let the people you’ve paid to look after the day do their jobs.
Enjoy the build up, the day goes by in the blink of an eye so kick off the celebrations early. We arranged so many lunches and drinks with both families, friends and the bridal party in the weeks leading up and it was the most fun month. We’ll never forget the excitement.
Honeymoon
We left three days after the wedding and spent a few days in Miami, then boarded a Caribbean cruise, ending the trip in with a week in Mexico. We had both taken January off work so when we came back home, we headed down west for a few days in Dromoland and Ashford Castle to finish it all off. It was the best holiday we have ever been on.
Wedding Suppliers
Venue: Clontarf Castle.
Wedding dress: B Couture, Wicklow.
Bridesmaids dress: Pamela Scott.
Grooms wear: Moss Brothers.
Photographer: Katie Kav Photography.
Cake: Made by family.
Flowers: The Flower Factory.
Bridal cars: Bride’s Dad’s vintage cars.
Videographer: Ronan Quinn.
Band: The Mash Up.
DJ: Dermot @ Velvet DJ.
Photo booth: Shootbooth.
Light up letters: Lovin’ Letters.
Hair: Michelle O Hara.
Makeup: Making Faces, Gorey.