Dave and Stephanie got married on a lovely crisp wintery December's day. They tied the knot in Kenmare Church and held their reception at the beautiful Dromquinna Manor.
I chatted with Stephanie about her beautiful choices for her wedding day......
About the dress....
I love wedding dresses and I was so excited about choosing one that when we got engaged I started checking out dress designers almost immediately. My dress was one of the first ones I saw online and one of the last dresses I tried on. As soon as I tried it on I knew it was the dress for me and I couldn’t wait to wear it on the big day. I loved the drama of the beading. It’s a Justin Alexander Signature design and I bought it at Pronuptia Belfast. They were so great to deal with, so helpful and quick to respond to any queries I had.
Bridesmaids
I wanted to dress the girls in a glamorous colour that had a winterish feel and having a blonde, brunette and redhead, the deep purple we went for suited all of the girls beautifully. I bought their dresses from Debut at Debenhams - my mom happened upon them and I had my dressmaker make lace overlay tops and added dark blue stoles from Coast for a touch of winter glamour.
I chatted with Stephanie about her beautiful choices for her wedding day......
About the dress....
I love wedding dresses and I was so excited about choosing one that when we got engaged I started checking out dress designers almost immediately. My dress was one of the first ones I saw online and one of the last dresses I tried on. As soon as I tried it on I knew it was the dress for me and I couldn’t wait to wear it on the big day. I loved the drama of the beading. It’s a Justin Alexander Signature design and I bought it at Pronuptia Belfast. They were so great to deal with, so helpful and quick to respond to any queries I had.
Bridesmaids
I wanted to dress the girls in a glamorous colour that had a winterish feel and having a blonde, brunette and redhead, the deep purple we went for suited all of the girls beautifully. I bought their dresses from Debut at Debenhams - my mom happened upon them and I had my dressmaker make lace overlay tops and added dark blue stoles from Coast for a touch of winter glamour.
Hair & Makeup
Kathryn O’Neill did the make up on the day and hair was created by Tricia O’Sullivan from Munster Mobile hairdressing. It was an absolute pleasure to have them both involved. I had my make up trial with Kathryn over the Summer and I immediately felt happy I chose her for the day. I really wanted a classic glamorous look that was timeless and I was really happy with the results. I wore my hair up with an accessory I picked
up at Azure Jewellery in Cork.
The ceremony
My bridesmaid Trisha played flute and sang in the church with my uncle Terry during the ceremony and it made the ceremony really personal for us. Fr Pat O’Donnell from Rathmore, Co Kerry celebrated our marriage and he was fantastic. The ceremony was so relatable for everyone and so engaging that almost of all of guests complimented us on the ceremony and how special Fr. Pat made it. He was so great on the day and in the build up, helping us choose our prayers and readings and keeping us relaxed. We couldn’t have asked for better. Myself and Fr pat even had a shared love of Seamus Heaney which was great as our Friend Conor read his poem ‘Scaffolding’ as our reflection after communion.
The venue
We chose Dromquinna Manor for our wedding reception after looking at a lot of venues. On that first visit we were in the manor for around 5 minutes and we knew pretty much immediately it was where we’d have our reception - it was everything we wanted. John and his team made the planning process really easy, we felt we were in safe hands from the start, their service was second to none - nothing is too much for them. And the food and drinks from the warm mulled cider at the drinks reception to the late night BBQ were just superb. I really can't speak highly enough of Dromquinna and John and all the team.
We had a really special guest book that was a gift, it's shadow box and our guests could write their messages on little wooden hearts and drop them in for us. It's a really nice way to remember the day and it really suited our venue.
Photography I came across Elaine’s work when I started researching photographers for the day. I really wanted a photographer who had previous experience in Kenmare and our venue. I really liked her style of capturing the energy and emotion of the day and the shots that were a little bit quirky and a little bit different from the norm. On the day Elaine was great, so professional and she has such a lovely manner. We were really lucky with our weather we were able to take our photos against the backdrop of the bay on the grounds of Dromquinna, the colour and the landscape were sensational. Most of all I love the shots of ourselves and our guests at the wedding, looking through our photos has made us want to go back and relive the day all over again! |
Carrie from Best of Buds took care of our flowers and the décor in the church. she does such lovely work and it was great to work with her.
At our pre reception drinks we were entertained by Karl Rooney and Sebastian Schneider who provided the perfect soundtrack.Karl, Sebastian and my bridesmaid Trisha took the stage again after dinner to entertain us in their band The Aristocrats and were followed by our DJ Paudie from Munster DJ hire, and the dancefloor was hopping for the night complete with dance off between the boys and the girls - I didn’t want to get off it once the music started and I didn’t want the dancing to end.
If I could give any advice to brides about to get married it's to not let things trouble you on the day, it goes by so quickly, take things in your stride and enjoy every second. And take a moment every now and again to soak up what's going on around you and enjoy the atmosphere. Also be open to suggestions from people. My mom has an amazing eye and picked out my hair accessory and bracelet - both pieces I wouldn’t have picked my self but when I tried them on they were perfect.
Suppliers:
Photography by Elaine Kennedy
Flowers - Best of Buds Florist
Make up Kathryn O’Neill Make up artist
Tricia O’Sullivan from Munster Mobile Hairdressing
Paudie from Munster DJ hire
Dress and Veil - Pronuptia Belfast
Hair accessory - Azure Jewellery Cork
Groom's suit - Louis Copeland
Groomsmen's suits - Patrick Sheary
Bridesmaid’s outfits - Debut at Debenhams, Coast
Bridesmaids lace tops - made by Anna McGuire at Inspired Attire Rush Co, Dublin - [email protected]
Wedding rings- Or Designs Rush Co Dublin - 01 8437287
At our pre reception drinks we were entertained by Karl Rooney and Sebastian Schneider who provided the perfect soundtrack.Karl, Sebastian and my bridesmaid Trisha took the stage again after dinner to entertain us in their band The Aristocrats and were followed by our DJ Paudie from Munster DJ hire, and the dancefloor was hopping for the night complete with dance off between the boys and the girls - I didn’t want to get off it once the music started and I didn’t want the dancing to end.
If I could give any advice to brides about to get married it's to not let things trouble you on the day, it goes by so quickly, take things in your stride and enjoy every second. And take a moment every now and again to soak up what's going on around you and enjoy the atmosphere. Also be open to suggestions from people. My mom has an amazing eye and picked out my hair accessory and bracelet - both pieces I wouldn’t have picked my self but when I tried them on they were perfect.
Suppliers:
Photography by Elaine Kennedy
Flowers - Best of Buds Florist
Make up Kathryn O’Neill Make up artist
Tricia O’Sullivan from Munster Mobile Hairdressing
Paudie from Munster DJ hire
Dress and Veil - Pronuptia Belfast
Hair accessory - Azure Jewellery Cork
Groom's suit - Louis Copeland
Groomsmen's suits - Patrick Sheary
Bridesmaid’s outfits - Debut at Debenhams, Coast
Bridesmaids lace tops - made by Anna McGuire at Inspired Attire Rush Co, Dublin - [email protected]
Wedding rings- Or Designs Rush Co Dublin - 01 8437287