How did you and John meet?

John and I both played gaelic football for Carlow for a number of years so I did know who he was. We were introduced by my cousin James on a night out in Carlow in 2004. James always says he got his two favourite people together and he was the first person we called after we got engaged. I think he was more excited than we were!

Who proposed and what were the circumstances?

John proposed in the middle of a mucky field in Old Leighlin, Co. Carlow on the site where we plan to build our house. He had got me there under the false pretence of measuring the site for our architect. As the field was quite wet I was in my wellies! It’s not every day a girl get proposed to wearing wellies! John had also hidden a bottle of champagne and some glasses and we sat looking out at our view of Mount Leinster. It was perfect.

How would you describe the style of wedding you planned?

We were trying to go for a vintage look with a bright summer theme. It started with the yellow 1950′s style bridesmaid dresses and built from there. Mary Smith from Finesse Weddings pulled the theme together for us and dressed the venue on the day.

Why Ballykealy Manor?

Ballykealy Manor is a beautiful old country house with amazing grounds and gardens. It’s very close to my childhood home and I have always wanted to have my wedding there. It’s just a beautiful place to invite people to and also fitted in with our vintage theme.

Who designed your wedding dress? Was it hard to find the right one for you?

My wedding dress was designed by Jenny Packham. Yes, I found it quite difficult to find my dress. I wanted something simple and comfortable with a vintage look. After a few failed attempts a friend suggested the Jenny Packham website and I saw my dress there and knew it was the one. I travelled to the London store and purchased it directly. John and I also had a lovely weekend in London before the wedding when I picked up my dress, an unforeseen bonus.

Could you tell us about your bridesmaid’s dresses please?

The bridesmaid’s dresses were purchased online from Dessy.com. These were actually the first thing I bought. Initially I ordered a swatch of fabric to see what the colour was like and the quality of the material. I loved the bright yellow colour and style of the dress – they were very 1950′s with the high neck, narrow waist and length.

Children’s outfits (if any)?

My nephew Darragh and John’s niece Hannah were our page boy and flower girl. Both were very casually dressed from Next and Debenhams. Hannah wore a navy spotted dress with a yellow ribbon, while Darragh wore navy trousers, white shirt and navy waistcoat with a narrow blue tie. We wanted to keep both outfits very casual and both Darragh and Hannah have gotten loads of wear out of their clothes since.

Where did you get the Groom(smen)’s Suits?

We purchased the suits from Mac’s Menswear in Carlow. They were a simple navy suit, white shirt and striped club tie. Declan went to enormous trouble for us to source a suitable tie with numerous trips to his supplier. The stripped club tie chosen in the end was a relief to everyone!

Tell me about your bouquets, buttonholes etc.

Again I wanted the flowers to be a little different and had spent some time online looking at various yellow bouquets. I visited Carlow Florist with my ideas and with the help of Pat and her amazing talents we came up with the white camomile flower and the yellow billi ball. The groomsmen button holes were yellow roses and John’s matched my bouquet.

Hair & make-up?

Hair was by Laverne from Brides Unveiled (0868065150) based in Carlow. The finger waves in my hair pulled the whole vintage look together. It looks simple but is very difficult to do.

Make-up was done by Corinne Cleary from Mac in Dundrum. Corrine has worked on New York, London and Milan fashion week campaigns and she was my first booking. She is extremely talented I loved my make-up, it was very subtle and didn’t budge all day.

Where did you get your Accessories?

My headpiece was from Jenny Packham, matching my dress. I borrowed my veil from my bridesmaid Liz. My jewellery and the cufflinks were from Douglas Jewellers in Carlow. The bridesmaid’s shoes and my own were Kurt Geiger, all sourced in London.

Who did the stationery / menus / table plan etc?

All of my stationery, invites, mass booklets, table plans etc. were a gift from my very talented friend and graphic designer Ciara Duggan. Ciara is getting married in June so it’s going to be a tough present to live up to.

Did you do anything yourselves – ie: design-wise / decoration wise / anything home-made / unusual touches?

We organised a kids party for all of the kids. John and I have 18 nieces and nephews and we wanted them to enjoy the day as much as the adults. We hired Little Wedding Crechers who looked after the kids for the entire evening. They played games had a dance competition and a treasure hunt. It was fantastic and the best thing we could have done for both kids and their Mammies and Daddies.

We also added a yellow rose to the plate of each guest. All of the ladies had them in their hair for the night.

The area I am from is real rugby country and our neighbour Sean O’Brien was playing for Leinster in the 2011 Heineken Cup final the day of our wedding. We had to set up and install sky for the game the day before the wedding as it was not available in the hotel. We were just lucky kick off was not until 3:30 we could have been in the church on our own!

Tell us about your wedding car.

The wedding Car was a 1974 yellow Volkswagen Beetle owned by my best friend Laura MacDonald. Laura drove me to the church on the day. Laura gave it loads of ‘welly’ on the trip to the church. We had a great laugh at the roar of the exhaust – it really settled all our nerves. It’s one of my favourite memories of the day. The car was a big talking point on the day – everyone loved it and thought it was a great idea.

Tell us about your cake and who made it.

The cake was made by John’s Mam Mary, his sisters Marie and Geraldine and iced by his niece Emma. There were many cake meetings prior to the big day. I walked in on numerous clandestine meetings on how they were going to decorate it etc. Marie added the figurines of John and I to the top of the cake with us in our Carlow jerseys.

Did you have any wedding favours?

Our wedding favours were simple chocolate gold hearts from Lily O’Brien’s along with a yellow rose flower on each plate.

What entertainment did you have? (music / band / dj)

Our church music was performed by wedding singer Tracey O’Dea. She was amazing and learned ‘At Last’ by Etta James for me for my entrance song.

On arrival at Ballykealey we had two singers from our band for the night The Wondertones, dressed in tucks and belting out all the crooner hits. As it was a beautiful day we had our drinks reception outside and the music really created a fantastic atmosphere. You could barely hear the cheers of all of the rugby supporters gathered around the telly inside.

Following the meal The Wondertones, an 8 piece band from Galway, took to the stage. It was a conveyer belt of hits all night. They are a fantastic band and give every performance 100%. The dance floor was packed all night. Our guests absolutely loved the band.

The DJ was Clara Hutchinson from Carlow. We had an 80′s disco it was great fun. Needless to say my feet were sore for days!

What was your first dance song?

Our first dance was True Colours by Cindy Lauper.

What’s your best memory from the day?

I have loads. I went for a run that morning with my running club mates at 7am. I couldn’t believe they would get up so early for me. Great way to settle the nerves. Also I loved the morning in my Mam’s house. It was such a laugh. My 86 year old granny entertained everyone. But if I had to pick one it would probably be walking down the aisle after getting married seeing all of our family and friends and feeling very very loved.

Did anything unexpected happen (good or bad!!!)?

During our speeches my gran stood up and took the microphone from my Dad. This was not too unusual as I know my Gran. She proceeded to tell the story of this doll she had won back in 1985 in a raffle. The doll was dressed in a beautiful lace wedding dress. I cried for years to try and get my hands on this doll but my Gran always said she wouldn’t give it to me until the day of my wedding. I had totally forgotten about it to be honest but she had gotten a beautiful box made for it and presented it to me on the day. It was an amazing moment and a total surprise. The best wedding present we got.

Having been through the experience, have you any advice for people planning their own weddings?

Yes – buy very comfortable shoes!!

Think about the kids you invite. Keeping them happy can really add to their day and that of their parents.

Hire a good photographer I love looking over our photos and I know we will so do for years to come.

Would you do anything differently?

Nope, it was perfect from start to finish.

Where did you go on honeymoon?

We went to Thailand for 3 weeks booked through Trailfinders. A fantastic place for a honeymoon and great value for money.

A huge thanks again to Pamela and John for sharing their wedding day with us.

S x

Suppliers: Penry Photography, Finesse Weddings, Ballykealey Manor Hotel, Little Wedding Crechers, Jenny Packham, Dessy, Next, Debenhams, Mac’s Menswear, Carlow Florists, Brides Unveiled, Mac, Douglas Jewellers, Kurt Geiger, Lily O’Briens, Tracey O’Dea, The Wondertones, Clara Hutchinson.

The post Pamela & John’s Wedding at Ballykealey Manor Hotel, Ballon, Co. Carlow appeared first on Penry Photography.

How did you and James meet?

We met nearly 3 years ago in a jazz bar in Dublin. Being a typical Cavan man, he pinched my glass of wine!

Who proposed and what were the circumstances?

In a karaoke booth. Jim managed to work the proposal into a Rolling Stones song.

How would you describe the style of wedding you planned?

Fun and colourful. Just like a big party.

Why Cabra Castle?

Jim’s from Kingscourt and since we were getting married in the local church we wanted a venue close by. We’d stayed in Cabra Castle for our first weekend away too. Plus it was big enough that all our guests could stay over.

Who designed your wedding dress?

My dress was by San Patrick. I found it in Aspirations in Dublin. Bridget, the owner, was really helpful and scarily efficient. I loved it but also discovered that going to the bathroom in a dress with 9 layers was a military operation!

Tell us a bit about the bridesmaid dresses please.

I wanted to let the bridesmaids pick their own dresses as long as they were in a bright colour but we ended up getting the same dress in two different colours from Pamela Scott’s – the last place I thought we’d find something.

Where did you get the Groom(smen)’s Suits?

The boys got their outfits in Bond Brothers in Dundrum. I wasn’t allowed have any say in the suits! Jim managed to forget his (which isn’t unusual) but luckily groomsman Declan saved the day!

Tell us about your bouquets, buttonholes etc.

Philip in The Flower Factory arranged our bouquets and also the flowers for the reception. I wanted something really bright and warm with lots of purple, fuschia and orange. Jim wore a purple vanda orchid which we had to perform major surgery on halfway through the day!

Hair & make-up?

Hair was by Mary O’Sullivan who’s been doing my hair for years, anytime I have a special occasion. Lisa O’Connor of The Beauty Source did our make-up. Both ladies did an amazing job and were a lot of fun to have around on the morning of the wedding.

Tell us about your accessories (jewellery / cufflinks / hair pieces / shoes etc.)

I ended up buying 6 pairs of shoes online before I found a pair I could comfortably wear for 12 hours. Everything else was begged or borrowed. Jim gave me a beautiful antique bracelet from Rhinestones. On the morning of the wedding I organised a gift box to be delivered to Jim with some funky socks from Dalveys, a pocket watch, a mix CD and a pair of cufflinks.

Who did your stationery?

I designed the stationery myself and we got it printed in Reads of Nassau St.

Did you do anything yourselves?

We made our own table plan, which was kind of a quirky washing line with postcards and mobiles hanging from it. Our tables were all named after our favourite 70’s children’s TV shows. The night before the wedding myself and the bridesmaids were busy climbing chairs and assembling the decorations while the lads were down the pub!

We had an Alice in Wonderland theme for our drinks reception complete with white rabbit, giant flowers and toadstools. Guests quaffed Prosecco and nibbled cupcakes from The Corner Bakery in Rathgar. We decorated the tables in the ballroom with coloured mason jars and tea lights.

Tell us about your wedding car.

I’ve always loved vintage VW’s so we had a convertible beetle and also a VW campervan for the bridesmaids and groomsmen. The car very nearly didn’t make it up the hill to the church! After the ceremony we stopped off at Jim’s local, Malone’s, for a glass of bubbly.

Tell us about your cake and who made it.

When we were little we always had a chocolate Swiss roll train cake for our birthdays so I wanted my Mum to make one for the wedding. She cheated a bit and delegated it to her friend Carol McHugh who did an amazing job and added an edible bride and groom.

Did you have any wedding favours?

We filled glass jars with retro sweets and labelled them with old parcel tags to double as place cards and favours. They disappeared pretty fast on the night!

What entertainment did you have? (music / band / dj)

Our band – The Big Kahuna from Northern Ireland – were amazing, they even had a brass section! We also had a DJ, a balloon man, a photo booth with an assortment of props and a table tennis table so there was plenty to keep our guests entertained.

What was your first dance song? Did you choreograph a dance or just dance normally?

We have 4 left feet between us so we walked around slowly in circles to Elbow’s One Day Like this!

What’s your best memory from the day?

I really enjoyed the drive to the church with my Dad PJ. I also enjoyed listening to all the speeches after dinner.

Did anything unexpected happen (good or bad!!!)?

It didn’t rain during the day which was pretty unexpected!

Having been through the experience, have you any advice for people planning their own weddings? Would you do anything differently?

As much as I moaned about the amount of work that went into the wedding, I miss it now. So enjoy the planning and the preparations as much as the day itself. Make sure to make time for each other on the day too. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the day.

Where did you go on honeymoon?

We spent almost 3 weeks in Cuba. We had 3 nights in Havana and then travelled to the beach resort of Varadero. It was absolutely magical and of course, far too short!

Anything else you’d like to add?

I’d like to thank Peter for his contribution to the day. He was moonlighting as room service, cloakroom attendant and crowd control along with actually taking a few snaps!

Thanks so much again to Ruth & James for sharing!

Susie x

Suppliers: Penry Photography, Cabra Castle, San Patrick, Aspirations Bridal, Pamela Scott, Bond Brothers, The Flower Factory, Mary O’Sullivan, The Beauty Source, Rhinestones, Dalveys, Reads, The Corner Bakery, The Big Kahuna

The post James & Ruth’s Wedding at Cabra Castle, Co. Cavan appeared first on Penry Photography.

The post Orla & Martin’s Wedding at Bellinter House Hotel, Co. Meath appeared first on Penry Photography.

Mark and Nicola met at university in November 2003 when he was the male president of the drinking society and Nicola was the female president! Their love blossomed and Mark proposed on Easter Sunday in 2009 on a beach in Connemara by spelling out “Will You Marry Me?” in shells on the sand and getting down on one knee in a rock pool. How romantic! Nicola was suitably attired for the occasion in her woolly hat and wellies! They had been staying in Nicola’s parents cottage at Doonloughan at the time and this is also where Nicola’s preparations took place on the morning of her wedding.

Nicola & Mark knew immediately that they wanted to marry in Connemara and spent the day after the proposal (their last day on holiday before they went back to London) looking around venues. They had always loved the look of Rosleague (‘the pink house on the hill’) and once they viewed it and spoke to Mark Foyle they knew they had found the perfect venue. They fell in love with the gorgeous house with it’s relaxed atmosphere and stunning views. They also loved the fact that they would have exclusive use of the house for the wedding, which meant that when their guests were finished boogying the night away in the conservatory at the back of the house they could sit by the fire in the cosy rooms at the front. (Myself and Peter also found that the layout in Rosleague was perfect because the bar is located in the conservatory where the dancing happens, so you don’t have to leave the room to get a drink. Also, the doors of the conservatory open out onto a little courtyard where the smokers can go, so they don’t have to go too far from the party either. We have seen so many weddings where the party is disrupted by people leaving to go for a cigarette or get a drink).

Despite the Icelandic volcano erupting a week before the wedding threatening to disrupt flights to Ireland, 106 guests from Northern Ireland were not deterred from travelling to Nicola & Mark’s wedding. When the day was finally upon them, it was all systems go. Nicola and her bridesmaids had their hair done by Damian and his assistant from Hedz salon in Clifden. The girls all did their own make-up and Nicola’s big sister did her make-up for her (and a great job she did too). Nicola didn’t have a particular style in mind for the wedding, she just wanted everyone to relax and have fun. With this in mind, she wanted the bridesmaids (her 2 sisters and sister in law) each to wear different dresses as she wanted them to pick something to suit their individual styles as they are all so different. She wanted them to be comfortable in what they were wearing and thought it would be a bit more interesting if they weren’t all the same. That said, they didn’t have complete freedom!  After a little back and forth, they finally decided on anything black and knee length and from there everything fell into place. It all worked out really well. Nicola’s own beautiful dress was from Pronovias in London. It was the first place that she went to try on wedding dresses and the last dress that she tried on there – in fact, she almost didn’t try it on because it was nothing like all the dresses she had picked out in magazines! (That’s always the way!) Her mum and 2 sisters were with her for the dress hunt, but as she tried on dresses in other shops after that, she always kept going back to that dress in her mind. She loved that it was a very simple dress from the front but had the bow and big train at the back. It turned out to be the perfect dress for her and she looked amazing. The flowers were done by Connemara Florist in Clifden.  They were based on photos that Nicola would randomly email the girls of ideas she liked – she had no clue about the names of flowers before the whole process began! The pew ends were hydrangea and ivy and the bouquets had a mix of peonies, freesia and hydrangea.

No wedding flows 100% smoothly, but as Nicola advises “Don’t get stressed over the little things!” The car was an Austin Princess and had to drive a pretty long way to get to them.  When it arrived, it couldn’t make it up the lane to the cottage!  So Nicola’s sister (one of the bridesmaids) had to ferry her and the other bridesmaids down to the car in her yellow mini which her dad then had to take back up the to the cottage and get a lift back down to the car with Peter!  The car then took Nicola, her dad and the bridesmaids to Christ Church in Clifden with plenty of tooting and waving by people as they went by!

Mark’s work friend and his wife gave them a guest book to use on the wedding day which had loose cardboard pages with questions for people to complete etc. They set this out in the hallway with a polaroid camera and the guests took care of it themselves!  Everyone made a huge effort to fill in a page with a polaroid of themselves stuck on. Mark and Nicola were thrilled with the results and it is such a great thing for them to have to look back over.  Once the book was complete, the remaining polaroid film didn’t go to waste and they have some really good photos of people later on in the night!

Mark & Nicola’s invitations were done by a firm called “Hello Lucky!” and featured the skyline of San Francisco where they now live. They prepared the remainder of the stationery for the service and reception themselves – they spent a long Saturday night in Mark’s office with a bottle of champagne while they worked! The table plan was made up of a beautiful willow (prepared by Connemara Florist) with each table plan tied onto it. It was a fantastic idea and made a wonderful feature. The couple’s cake was a traditional fruit cake which was lovingly made by Mark’s mum. His parents had to drive with the cake in their car all the way from the east of England to Connemara (including a very bumpy ferry journey!) and were very glad to finally get the cake off their hands in one piece at Rosleague! They also had another cake made of various cheese wheels which came out with the late food.

Nicola & Mark were not short of music throughout the wedding celebrations. The night before the wedding the couple and some of their guests were in E J Kings in Clifden. There was an Irish band playing and someone told them that the couple were getting married, so the band played a jig version of the song ‘Canon in D’ which Nicola  was walking down the aisle to next day! The band on the night of the wedding was “The Weightless Cosmonauts” from Galway – who played from 9 -12 and then provided a DJ set from 12 – 2.30 ish (though of course the party didn’t end there!). They took a bit of a gamble with the band as they had never seen or heard them play before but thankfully they were excellent.  One guest even said that they were so good she didn’t realise that they had finished playing and the DJ had begun! Nicola & Mark knew from the start that they didn’t want a first dance, so they skipped this formality and went straight to the real dancing! One of Nicola’s parents friends showed them all how it was done by donning his pink Evlis jumpsuit and getting the band to back him through a few Elvis songs! Sounds like great craic to me!

Nicola & Mark hosted a BBQ the following day at Nicola’s parents cottage for all the wedding guests. Other than people with flights to catch, everyone made to the BBQ and the couple were delighted to have everyone together again so that they could spend more time with everyone. The couple then stayed in Connemara for a week with both their families following the wedding before jetting off to Argentina and Brazil on honeymoon for just under 3 weeks.

Mark & Nicola were delighted with how the day went. “There is nothing we would have done differently. Rosleague was an amazing reception venue – the whole day ran so unbelievably smoothly and Mark and I didn’t have to think or worry about a thing the whole day. We were just so happy with how everything went and with what a great time everyone seemed to have.”

A huge Thank-You to Nicola and Mark for sharing their wedding experience and memories with us.

Susie x

Wedding Suppliers: Penry Photography, Rosleague Manor Hotel, Connemara Florist, Pronovias, Hedz Salon, Hello Lucky!

The post Nicola & Mark’s Wedding at Rosleague Manor Hotel, Connemara appeared first on Penry Photography.

Susie x

The post Julie & Damien’s Engagement Shoot appeared first on Penry Photography.

Clionadh and Jon’s story is very romantic. They met at a wedding in Renvyle House Hotel in 2006, fell madly in love and returned to that special place this year to marry each other. Clionadh, a radio presenter formerly of Spin 103.8 looked stunning in her exquisite gown from the Vera Wang Luxe collection and her fabulous Christian Louboutin shoes. Jon looked very well too – fresh faced an invigorated after his wedding morning dip in the Atlantic! What a brave man, but he’s used to the fast lane as aerodynamicist for the McLaren Formula 1 team.

Renvyle House Hotel, an historic country house, is a gorgeous spot for a wedding. It has everything – a private lake, beach, gardens and a golf course. And you can’t beat Connemara! (Myself and Peter got married in Connemara in 2009. Good times). Clionadh & Jon’s guests from all over the globe were delighted to make the trip to Connemara to witness this special occasion. Among the guests were Phantom FM presenter Claire Beck, 98 FM presenter Darragh O’Dea (who spun the decks later in the evening), fashion photographer Kevin Davies, chef Aongus Hanly, David Rhatigan and Laura Dillon. It truly was a wonderful wedding day.

Susie

Penry Photography

Suppliers: Venue: Renvyle House Hotel, Dress: Vera Wang, Shoes: Christian Louboutin, Harpist: Lynn Saoirse, Chef: Tim O’Sullivan, Photographer: Penry Photography

The post Clionadh & Jon’s Wedding at Renvyle House Hotel, Connemara appeared first on Penry Photography.

Our stunning bride Aisling (who smiled all day long!) is a fashion designer and she wanted to bring an element of vintage style to the day. She wore a 1950′s inspired organdy dress with embroidered spots (Christos Bridal, New York). The yellow bridesmaid dress was a genuine vintage piece from Hayworth Vintage. The vintage theme continued in their use of beautiful vintage teacups as centerpieces on their tables for the wedding meal. It really was a perfect day. A big thanks to Aisling and Dara for letting us share their images.

Susie

Penry Photography

Other suppliers: Absolutely Fabulous Flowers, The Vintage Touch, Raina Moore, Emma Smith & Penry Photography

The post Aisling & Dara’s Wedding at The Millhouse, Slane appeared first on Penry Photography.