Monday, June 24, 2013

Louise & Michael - Lough Rynn

I knew Louise & Michael's wedding was going to be good craic, and that was before I'd even met the bridal party, who were even madder and wilder than I'd been told. Best man Mark was giddy giddy, all out, and by the end of the day I'm sure he definitely did need a lie down. He's a great man for the catchphrase, which has left one of Michael's mates forever known as Kitty.

This was the second time Louise & Micheal have married. The first time, they swept the prizes at the Ballinamore Festival with their take on My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. This time round, they had a very classy affair, with Lough Rynn hosting the reception. Magpie, Louise's horse came home for the wedding, while Buttons the terrier appointed himself as photographer's assistant for the morning. There was a surprise appearance from the Aughnasheelin Girls Football team, complete with bubbles, and the weather stayed fine until seconds after the last outdoor photo was taken.

One Wedding, the Proverb says, begets another - Dave from Emo, I'm waiting for your call! Louise & Domo - enjoy Zanzibar!

Louise & Domo Blog Collage

Monday, June 17, 2013

Rosemarie & John - Lough Rynn

A lot of people who come from further afield to get married at Lough Rynn have their ceremony in Aughavas. I guess partly that's the Brian & Amy effect. Rosemarie & John chose the equally attractive alternative of St Patrick's Church in Mohill, which stands on the hill overlooking the town. The interior was beautifully decorated by florist, Clare Lawless. Little details were a feature of this wedding, with tasteful vintage items appearing everywhere, from the table plan to the bicycle outside the Church. Rosemarie got ready in Dara Madden's Brooklawn Lodge, which is itself a vintage building (1790) with many of it's original features intact. There's a great quality of light in an old house like that, which is quite different from modern large-windowed buildings.

A day ahead of Fathers' Day, Rosemarie's Dad, Jimmy, left the entire congregation with a lump in the throat with his emotional end-of-ceremony reflection, but after that it was all smiles, not least when The Singing Waiter burst into song over dinner. Best man David conducted the crowd, waving his napkin over his head to the strains of "That's Amoré" and within moments the room was a sea of napkins. A joyful moment on a great day.

Rosemarie & John Blog Collage

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Paula & Raymond - Kilronan Castle

Paula and Raymond were just little children when Paula's big sister Breege married Raymond's big brother Michael. Some nineteen years later, baby sister and brother married each other on a beautiful summer's day in Kilronan Castle. It's a phenomenon I can relate to, as my baby brother married my wife's little sister, after making eyes at each other when they met at our wedding a few years earlier.

As both Paula & Raymond come from large families, it was inevitable that there'd be a big bridal party, and six bridesmaids and six groomsmen was a new record for me. Mind you, it took all six of Paula's bridesmaids for the dress fitting. It was worth it, as she looked stunning when all of the laces, buttons, loops and fasteners were done and dusted. Raymond looked pretty natty too, in his bespoke Louis Copeland suit, which was even monogrammed, and had the date of the wedding sewn into the lining of the collar. It was set off beautifully by the Mont Blanc cufflinks Paula sent him on the morning of the wedding.

After the ceremony in Keadue, many of the guests spilled out of the Dungeon Bar onto the sunny patio as they were being entertained by some cool jazz sounds from The Bentley Boys. Before going down to dinner, we took a stroll through the grounds. After the grand entrance, the lights went down, the music went up and the waiting staff marched military-like to the tables armed with bottles of champagne. There's nothing like the sound of dozens of champagne corks popping in unison to get a party going. As Fr Eamon said to me afterwards, "I've been around a long time, but I've never seen the likes of this - it's some show!" Leon Costello was alongside me on video capturing it all - great to work with Leon again. Then we had an emotional set of speeches that had many in the audience wiping away a little tear, before it was back to party mode.

Paula & Raymond Blog Collage

Claire & Michael - The Landmark Hotel

It was a case of follow me up from, rather than to, Carlow, as Michael's family and friends took the unfamiliar trip to Gortlettragh to see him marry his sweetheart Claire. It was my second time there in a few weeks, and it's always a pleasure. With her hair piled high and in a gorgeous high halter-neck dress, Claire fantastic as she walked up the aisle - the bridesmaids agreed she resembled a Greek Goddess - it can only have been Aphrodite. Micheal is a Fund Manager, and no matter how well the FTSE100 performs this year, there's no doubt his best investment was made on May 31st.

After the ceremony, the guests emerged to the welcome sight of an ice-cream van dispensing 99s all round. As we were on the verge of the best heatwave to hit this part of the country for years, they went down a bomb. We had a brief stop off by the canal in Jamestown for some photos and a glass of bubbly before heading on to The Landmark Hotel, where things really got going. I met a couple of the guests a day or two later who said they left the resident's bar at silly o'clock and were going back home to New York for a rest. Meanwhile, Claire & Michael are taking some well-deserved time out in Croatia.

Claire & Michael Blog Collage