A Very Vintage Kinnitty Castle Wedding by Couple Photography

Real Weddings

“I always knew I wanted a short dress – I had great fun twirling in it on the day!”

The couple: Elma McEvoy & Michael Shortland
Length of engagement: 13 months | Wedding date: 19th March 2016
Ceremony venue: St. Luna’s Church, Cadamstown | Wedding venue: Kinnitty Castle Hotel, Offaly

Photographer: Couple Photography

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We met… on a night out in Flannery’s in Dublin! I was out for my friend’s birthday, and Michael was out with a friend who was over visiting him from England.

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Our proposal… Michael brought me on a surprise trip to Westport for Valentine’s Day. He booked me into a spa for the afternoon, and then he proposed when we were out for a walk after dinner. We sat in a pub phoning everyone with the news for the following couple of hours! Michael arranged for us to visit my sister in Cork on the roundabout way back home to Laois! And we bought my engagement ring in Bespoke Diamonds in Dublin a few days later.

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Our wedding theme/colours… We generally like quite a rustic style. We didn’t set out with a theme in mind, but were just drawn towards the idea of the camper van, the old style of the wedding venue etc…

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The dress… I always knew I wanted a short dress. I went to Frilly Frocks in Drogheda for my dress as I knew they stocked House of Mooshki. My dress was the Holly. I had great fun twirling in it on the day! My sister was kind enough to loan me her birdcage veil for the day. My shoes were Kurt Geiger and I got bow shoe clips to go on them for an extra bit of bling!

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My hair and makeup… Valerie O’Dea did our hair, and Dawn Ryan (Glamour by Dawn) did our makeup. We were all delighted with how our hair and makeup looked and the girls made the morning so much fun! The hair and makeup trials were lovely days out too!

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The ceremony… We got married in St. Luna’s Church, Cadamstown, Co. Offaly. Fr. Jim O’Connell from Stradbally (Co. Laois) parish (where I’m from) officiated at the ceremony. This was extra special because he had married my parents 35 years (and one week) ago, and my sister and her husband Kevin four years ago! We had some lovely readings by family and friends during the ceremony. The song selection was important too, and Sean De Burca did an amazing job, both in the Church and at the drinks reception afterwards.

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My favourite part of the wedding day… Michael says his favourite part was when I walked up the aisle. I really enjoyed the relaxed morning at home while we got ready. We had a great laugh with Val and Dawn while drinking tea and eating croissants! My cousin Amy came over to join us while we got ready too. Mam, Dad, Louise and I headed off to Cadamstown in the back of the camper van then which was driven by the lovely Tom from VW Weddings, followed closely by Ros our photographer who was snapping for the duration! I also loved the speeches! Dad, Michael and Tom all did a fantastic job!! And lastly, I loved the band, The Trips! They were fantastic! We had great craic partying the night away! The guests were amazing. Such fun to be around.

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We chose our photographer because… of her funky, quirky style! We were really impressed with Ros from Couple Photography‘s photos that we saw online, and we’re thrilled with the photos from the day! We had a couple of meetings with her beforehand and they were always great fun! She really understood what we were looking for.

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We chose our venue because… We had stayed in Kinnitty Castle Hotel before. It was the only venue we went to see. We loved the feel of the place and were particularly impressed by the banqueting hall. It was about a 50 minute drive from Stradbally which meant it was close enough for me to be able to get ready at home!

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Our honeymoon… We went to Vietnam for two weeks. It was amazing! We stayed in the Mia Resort for a week in Nha Trang which was fabulous! Then we moved up north to Hanoi and Halong Bay.

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My advice for couples… Enjoy it!

Suppliers

Wedding venue: Kinnitty Castle Hotel, Offaly | Photographer: Couple Photography | Makeup artist: Glamour by Dawn | Hair stylist: Valerie O’Dea | Wedding dress: Holly by House of Mooshki | Bride’s shoes: Kurt Geiger | Bridesmaid dress: The Bridal Hall, Ballybrittas | Flowers: All Occasions, Portlaoise  | Transport: VW Weddings | Ceremony and Reception Music: Sean De Burca (The Piano Man) | Band: The Trips | Stationery: Ginger Ray | Umbrellas and Photobooth Props: Favour Lane | Rings: Bespoke Diamonds, Dublin