“From start to finish it was exactly as we had hoped it would be.”
The couple: Daniel Kirby & Marie-Thérèse Purcell
Length of engagement: 2 years | Wedding date: July 5th 2014
Wedding venue: Holycross Abbey & Dundrum House Hotel, both Co. Tipperary
Photographer: Aileen Kennedy Photography
We met… as two young secondary school students in Thurles, many, many, years ago!
Our proposal… happened in Australia in August 2012, under Sydney Harbour Bridge. We were in a little park called The Rocks across from the Opera House. It was on Daniel’s birthday and happened on the last day of a month of travelling the Australian east coast. A nice way to finish a holiday to remember!
His suit… was a modern navy three piece with a subtle check pattern provided by Suits in Fairview, Dublin.
My hair and make-up… My make-up was by Laura Kay, whom I had experience of before as bridesmaid for a friend, and she was as great as ever that morning. My hair was done by Unique Hair Design, my regular salon in Thurles, and Hayley Fitzgerald couldn’t have been easier to deal with on the day. She did a fab job!
What our bridal party wore… the bridesmaids wore No. 1 Jenny Packham. I had my two sisters, Roseanna and Emma Jane, along with two of my best friends, Niamh and Laura. It was really special to have them alongside me, and they looked stunning, as always.
Our ceremony… was very important to us. I went to school in Holycross and it has a strong affinity for the Abbey there. It’s a stunning venue. Music is a huge part of both of our lives so it naturally played an important part in the day, but in particular in the Abbey. We are lucky to have an extremely talented group of friends, who sang and sounded stunning on the day, led by the very talented David Wray. Fr. Joe Walsh was amazing, as we knew he would be. Witty, personal and so reassuring throughout. It really was so special.
We chose our photographer because… Aileen (Aileen Kennedy Photography) is a local girl so we had seen her in action at a few weddings and viewed some of her work. Straight away we knew that her relaxed and easy going style was for us. She is an absolute pleasure to have with you on your day, and her professionalism and attention to detail is amazing. We were delighted with our photographs and look forward to getting our album. We should also mention our videographer, Pat Corbett, who was equally wonderful to work with.
My dress… was Dentelle, by Jenny Packham. I fell in love with it from the moment I tried in on in Sharon Hoey.
We chose our venue because… Dundrum House Hotel is a beautiful local venue, and the Crowe family are fantastic hosts. Everyone there, in particular Dan, pulled out all the stops for us on the day, and it really couldn’t have worked out any better.
Our wedding theme/colours… were dusty pinks and soft pastels. There was mainly a rustic feel to the day, which worked well in Holycross and Dundrum. The guys at Frog Prince Weddings & Events did an amazing job of bringing it all to life.
Our menu… went down a treat! Lots of choice, with local and seasonal ingredients. The quality of the food in Dundrum was one of the big attractions of the venue, and they certainly lived up to expectations on the day.
My favourite part of the wedding day… The whole day! From start to finish it was exactly as we had hoped it would be.
Our honeymoon… was a three week road trip down the American West Coast. Beginning in Las Vegas and taking in as much as we could between there and San Diego, it was amazing. Yosemite National Park stands out as a particular highlight. And as a couple of teachers, we still had plenty of time to recover from it all before heading back to school in September!
My piece of advice for other brides… Enjoy yourself. Enjoy the engagement, the build up, the preparation, the days around the wedding and of course the day itself. Try to have as much organised and prepared as possible beforehand, so you can spend the time that matters enjoying yourself, as it all comes and goes far too quickly.
