“Myself and John sat into the car, the driver served us up Champagne, we toasted our new life together and relaxed while he took us to the hotel.”
The couple: Deirdre Shannon & John Lynch
Length of engagement: 10 months | Wedding Date: 16th March 2015
Wedding location: Riverside Park Hotel, Wexford
Photographer: Martina California
We met… through a mutual friend of ours. He was in town one night with a bunch of friends and met up with me in the ‘Baggot Inn’ pub in Dublin. John was with him and he introduced me to him. He was gorgeous and funny, and it was love at first sight.
Our proposal… John told me that he wanted to propose to me on two other occasions but couldn’t as other members of both his and my family got there before him. We were travelling around Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. He proposed to me at sunset at a rooftop bar in Bangkok. The view of the city was amazing. The setting was gorgeous and very romantic. I didn’t see it coming…
His suit… John wore a really sharp blue suit from French Connection (I think it is called Yves Klein blue, which is a vivid, almost electric ultramarine blue). He wore light brown shoes, white shirt and skinny pink tie.
Our wedding theme/colours… I know a lot of couples go for it, but we didn’t really go for a theme to be honest. The pictures, especially the engagement pictures, had a vintage look which we love.
My dress… My dress is by Monique Lhuillier, from The Suite in Dublin. I wanted something simple and elegant, without being fussy, or heavy. I don’t like boning or layers of material. This dress was exactly what I was looking for. I wore a cathedral length veil for the church, which showed off the cowl at the back of the dress.
My hair and make-up… Our hair was done by Anna in Wexford town. She is great at upstyles! Roy Wong did our make-up. He is based in Gorey, and is an amazing make-up artist. Both Anna and Roy came to the house on the day so I had a lovely relaxing morning with my parents and my four
sisters, the bridesmaids.
Our ceremony… The ceremony was in Clonard Church, Wexford. The church had a lot of wood, especially on the ceiling, and our photographer got some great pictures. The priest, Fr. Lennon, was really friendly and good fun, so he relaxed both of us straight away. The music by Laura O’Neill was really lovely, mainly old Irish songs and hymns. There were about 150 guests at the church.
My favourite part of the wedding day… My favourite part of the day was after the photographs were taken in Johnstown Castle. Myself and John sat into the car, the driver served us up Champagne, we toasted our new life together, and relaxed while he took us to the hotel. It was a great feeling to be married, happy, and relaxed, and on our way to join our family and friends for the celebrations in the hotel. The entire day however, was fabulous. I would love to do it all over again!
We chose our photographer because… Firstly, we really like Martina’s vintage style and attention to detail. Her site had a range of packages and we chose the one that suited us best. We then met up with her and she went through the full process in detail. She is very enthusiasitic about what she does, and it really shows in her work. We were so delighted with both the engagement shoot and the wedding pictures themselves. She stayed until well after the first dance to capture some extra pictures – I’m sure she was seriously tired after such a long day!
We chose our wedding coordinator because… We had heard very good things about Liz at the Riverside Park Hotel. She is the resident coordinator. She was really friendly, which was a good start. The thing we both liked about her is that she was very reasonable and practical. She didn’t get too fussed over anything and mentioned details to us that we would never have thought of. Everything was planned out really well, and the day ran really smoothly.
We chose our venue because… We chose the Riverside Park Hotel, Enniscorthy. We had a number of options to choose from within Wexford. As we were getting married in March, we knew that our guests wouldn’t be outdoors very much as it would be too cold. Therefore, the Riverside was perfect. It has a lovely reception area for the guests as they enter. The Riverside offer great packages and above all, they are noted for serving really good food. The hotel has set itself up as mainly a wedding hotel and the whole day ran really smoothly with so much of this being down to both the staff and the wedding coordinator.
Our menu… was delicious! The Riverside are famous for great food and they didn’t disappoint on the day. We had offered choice to our guests for all four courses, and this was followed by tea and coffee and chocolates. Everybody commented on the food, and this was one of the highlights for many!
My piece of advice for other brides… If you are getting your make-up and your bridal party’s make-up done at the house, make sure you leave about an hour’s contingency. No matter what they say, it takes longer! That was a bit of a rush for me. It is always better to be finished one hour early. Also, you may think you will be nervous on the day and worry beforehand. Don’t worry, the day is just really exciting. You won’t be nervous. Enjoy every minute of the day and remember – the day is about you, so don’t try and please everyone or think about small things on the day – just let it happen, and enjoy every second of it.
Suppliers
Venue: Riverside Park Hotel, Wexford | Photographer: Martina California | Make-up artist: Roy Wong | Wedding dress: Monique Lhuillier | Shoes: Jimmy Choo | Groom’s suit: French Connection | Ceremony location: Clonard Church | Ceremony Singer: Laura O’Neill Wedding Singer | Wedding car: All Events Limousines | Wedding band: The Good Guys
