“As we had our reception at Balyna House, we wanted to keep with the vintage style of the house. We kept things simple and romantic. Lots of candles, lanterns and lace.”
Names: Lesley Ann & Declan
Length of engagement: 3 years
Wedding Date: 14/10/17
Wedding location: Balyna House, Moyvalley
Photographer: David Maury
We met… In ‘The Kings Head’ in Galway in 2012. It was December and there was a great atmosphere around the city. We were both down with friends for the weekend, got chatting and we hit it off straight away. I don’t think we have stopped laughing together since.
Our proposal… Every year we go back to Galway and have a drink in the King’s Head to mark our anniversary. Declan had got in touch with my favourite singer Katie O’Connor and had arranged for her to be busking on shop street as we made our way down to the pub. When we approached her, she played my favourite song ‘Let’s get married’ and Declan got down on one knee and asked me if I would marry him. It was a complete surprise and so magical with all of the Christmas lights at our special spot.
Our wedding theme/colours… As we had our reception at Balyna House, we wanted to keep with the vintage style of the house. We kept things simple and romantic. Lots of candles, lanterns and lace.
My Mam organised the decor. She made our seating plan from an old suitcase and decorated it with old items such as vintage gloves and chocolate boxes which she ordered online. We placed small lanterns on the staircase and around the house. We used battery candles indoors for safety and then we didn’t have to worry about them burning out. As we got married in October, we had pumpkins and autumn plant pots placed around the grounds of the house also.
Things we DIY’d/made ourselves… As mentioned above, my mam made the seating plan. She also made our scratch card favours and the plant pots. We all had an evening making tea light holders out of glass jars and lace which we decorated with different ribbons and pearls.
My dress…Was sand ivory with French lace. I bought my dress from The Bridal Outlet over a year before my wedding day. My Mam and I had made an appointment to get a few ideas and I ended up falling in love with my dress on the day. I originally had a different style in mind which ended up being the wrong style for me. You definitely need to try on a few different styles before settling on one.
I also visited the bridal venue. The girls there were so helpful. This is where I got my hair piece.
My hair and make up…I booked the Powder Room Girls to come over the morning of my wedding to do our hair and makeup. I knew I was in safe hands. They are amazing. They have been doing my hair and make up for me since my debs.
His suit…Declan got his suit in Diffney. After visiting a few shops and not finding one that he liked, we were calling it a day, and on the way back to the car he spotted a suit in Diffney’s shop window and went in to try it on. The suit fit him perfectly and he didn’t need any alterations.
Our ceremony…We had our ceremony in St Marys church in Lucan. It is a stunning church and the whole team at St Marys helped to make our wedding so special. I made my Communion and Confirmation in this church, so it was lovely to get married there too.
We chose our photographer because… I found David through weddings online. When I viewed his website and looked through his portfolio, it was obvious that he knew how to capture the special moments. We wanted pictures that would capture our day from a fly on the wall perspective.
When we met with David, he took the time to really get to know us both and what we were looking for in a photographer. We could tell that he had a great passion for photography. He was very friendly and professional at the same time. He was brilliant to work with and very efficient at getting back to us with any questions we had in the run up to the day, which was great as it took some of the pressure off.
We chose our wedding coordinator because…She was assigned to us by the hotel.
We chose our venue because… When we arrived to view Moyvalley as a potential venue we fell in love with Balyna House. From the moment we drove up the avenue to when we explored all of the vintage bedrooms in the house we were blown away. We both felt that this was the perfect venue for us as well as our family and friends. One of the best things about having our reception in Balyna house was how personal it felt. It felt more like a house party rather than a function room. The team there were all lovely to deal with and were very helpful in the run up to our big day.
Our menu…
Warm Chicken and Wild Mushroom Vol au Vent, Served with Truffle Balsamic Cream and Topped with Cress.
Cream of Roast Pepper and Sweet Potato Soup.
Roast Prime Sirloin of Beef Served with Celeriac Puree, Duchesse Potato and Red Wine Jus,
OR,
Pan Fried Fillet of Sea Bass Served With Colcannon and Tomato and Herb Sauce.
Strawberry Cheesecake with Mango Coulis.
Our honeymoon…We stayed in the Seafield hotel in Wexford for two nights following our wedding. It was great to unwind in the Spa and to relax and think back on the madness of the past week. In May we rented a camper van and spent two weeks travelling along the wild Atlantic way. It was so much fun and we were blessed with good weather. In September we went to Santorini in Greece which was absolutely stunning and so romantic. It was nice to book a few different trips so we always had something to look forward to when the wedding planning was all done.
My favourite part of the wedding day… was being around all of our family and friends and seeing how happy everyone was.
My piece of advice for other couples… A friend of mine advised us to make sure that we take some time together as a couple on the day. The day can run away on you and it was really nice to grab a glass of prosecco, slip away from the madness and take 30 minutes to reflect on the day so far, before going back to mingle.
Suppliers
Wedding venue: Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Club | Photographer: David Maury | Planner/coordinator: Aisling O’ Connor (Moyvalley) | Videographer: Martin and Antonia (Dreamscapes) | Gospel Choir: Lucan Gospel Choir | Musician: Drinks reception and first dance-Katie O’ Connor | Band: Playlist | DJ: Playlist | Hair and Makeup: The Powder Room Girls | Dress: Justin Alexander from the Bridal Outlet | Hairpiece: The Bridal Venue | Suit: Diffney | Bridesmaid’s dresses: Pamela Scott | Groomsmen outfits: Diffney | Flowers: Ashling Murphy – Fabulous Flowers | Caterer: Moyvalley Hotel | Cake: My Mams friend | Celebrant: Our celebrant was Fr Philip Curran
