On the 14th of April 1989 I made my entry into this world. Little did I know in the same hospital 3 hours and 1 minute previously my future husband had just been born. According to google there is a 1 in 30 million chance of this happening. I’m sure there are less odds on winning the lotto. So, on the 28th of May 2015 I married Darren English. I’m going to be soppy now but he is my lotto prize. I may have left him waiting for over an hour but I showed up eventually. We had an amazing day and have had the best 3 years since.

I don’t really need an excuse to write but I’ve made a few to write this post. There has been a lot of engagements recently, this years wedding season has well and truly started. I’ve been doing a lot of reminiscing and seen as today is our 3 year wedding anniversary I decided to write a post on our day.

The invites.

My talented friend Amanda made our wedding invites. She hand made eachone and her attention to detail was fantastic. We absolutley loved them and still have one treasured away in my keepsake box.

The Church

It was also a childhood dream of mine to get married in the “Blue Church”. I’m not sure if if my Mam got into my subconcious as she always said; “Wouldn’t that be a lovely place to get married”. Well she was right!

We are not from the Parish of Our Lady of the Wayside Kiltiernan which meant we needed permission letters from our parishes to be married elsewhere. We paid to hire the church and own priest. A family friend who is a priest married us, so it made the day extra special.

The Venue

Our dream wedding was at The Summerhill House Hotel. I chose to have vintage themed wedding so the Summerhill had the perfect amount of vintage charm, set in the beautiful countryside of Co. Wicklow, 5 minutes from the m50 and close to the church. The food was exceptional and the staff were so attentive. We wanted the bar in the room so the day didn’t become disjointed. I also wanted a small hotel that only caters for one wedding per day. Who wants to be compared to another bride on her special day!? Of course budget is main factor when planning a wedding. We were very lucky my parents paid for the venue but without taking advantage of this we chose wisely. The Summerhill have some charming but affordable packages.

Music

The Moogs are possibly best wedding band around. This is not a biased opinion. I’ve since been to 3 weddings who have used The Moogs and the dancefloors were never empty! The lead singer Joanna Charles also sang at the Church ceremony. Her voice is beautiful and she makes such a transformation from classy wedding singer by day and rock chic by night!

The Dress(es)

Once we had the venue, food and band are sorted we were winning and was time to focus on me (the Bride)! I went wedding dress shopping with my Mam and sister and had what I will call a few bride-zilla moments. I initially refused to try on the dress my sister brought in, after a few tears and some persuasion I put the dress on and didnt want to take it off! I instantly knew it was “the one”. Well credit were credit is due my sister knew!

My head piece was handmade by Maureens on the Avenue in Gorey for an absolute steal under €50. My Gloves were bought on ebay. I also had an ivory faux fur from Dunnes Stores. My jewellery was from Newbridge Silverware borrowed from my Mam and a Pandora Bracelet a wedding day

gift from Darren.

I hadn’t planned on getting a second dress but when I saw how fab the bridesmaid dresses were at Divinity Bridal I couldn’t help but get a matching dress to party with my Bridesmaids! All dress alterations were done by Fitz Alterations. All our shoes matched from Light in The Box.,

The suits

We went to a shopping in Dublin City Centre and in under an hour all 6 men were suited and we all ended up in Starbucks drinking coffee. Darren chose the suits but I helped with his decision. I didn’t really mindmind what they once they wore braces! (I think this is where my brace addiction for Oisín has stemmed from). Austin (0876434223) sorted everthing from braces, ties to cufflinks and he was exceptionally good value. I searched high and low for ivory shirts and finally found them in Marks and Spencers.

The little details

• A couple of days before the wedding my manna, my mam, my bridesmaids and I had afternoon tea and a pampering session in the Rainforest Day Spa. It was lovely and so nice to spend time with my Grandmother before my big day.
• 1950 vintage car was from Cassidy Chauffeurs.
• Caroline from Buttons and Buttercups made some gorgeous keepsakes and signs.

• The Summerhill House Hotel provide the use of a candycart so I bought jars in ikea and sweets from dealz and musgraves. I also bought bags and spoons on amazon.
• Our make was done by MUA Emer Cahill and hair by Head Office Hair Salon.
• For the morning of the wedding I bought hoodies and iron-transfers for the back on ebay.
• My Mam and I made favours by getting heart shaped tea lights and wrapping them in cellophane and ribbon. We also had an individual box of chocolates from The Chocolate warehouse for every guest.
• Photography and videography were by a fantastic company who have a package for all 3.
• Our cake was chocolate biscuit and designed just how I had imagined. It was made by friend who now has her own cafe!
• I put selfie sticks on all of the tables and used wedpics app for people to share their photos of our day.
• For the church we had baskets for tissues and champagne bubbles (instead of confetti.) We also had complimentary baskets in the bathrooms with things you might need, tights, rennies, hairspray, deodrant, chewing gum, hair pins, lifelines, and socks!! Yes, I put socks in the mens basket and there were a few very happy men. They love the new sock feel!)
• Flowers generously gifted by Darrens cousin Suzanne. They were beautiful!
  

  

  
• I designed our wedding booklet which was printed by Griffin Digital Print. They also printed our Thank You cards for a very reasonable price.

After the Wedding

The next day we had a family lunch and just myself and Darren stayed a second night in the hotel. As it was a Bank Holiday weekend we had a BBQ the following day at my parents then we flew off on our honeymoon to Thailand and Malaysia. We also had a second mini-moon to Iceland in the October. No promises, but I might share the honeymoon highlights/tips in another post! No doubt I’ve forgotten something. Any questions send me a message. I wish I still looked like that bride now but I don’t think anyone would after the last 3 crazy years!

Thanks for Reading!

Thank you letter for my husband:

Darren, I know I don’t tell you often enough that I love you. We have made it through 3 years of marriage! We’ve been through more than our fair share of difficult times. But we get through it cause we can’t live without eachother. I never thought I would find someone who would accepts me for who I am. You even saw through my post natal depression and accepted me for who I am. The last couple of weeks I’ve been feeling a lot better. Thank you for trying to understand. I feel like a russian doll version of me. I’m not sure I will ever be fully recovered. I still have days were I am extremely anxious. I am still on antidepressants which have caused me to gain weight. If I am honest this has effected my self-esteem. However, you still make me feel beautiful and say things like you always have. Through the tough times you make me feel like that life is worth living. I want to thank you for showing me everything doesn’t have to be perfect, for allowing me to cry even when I don’t know why. Of course we have the odd argument like any married couple, but I think this means we’re normal. No marriage is perfect but what I do know is that we are perfect for each other. Thank you for helping me become a good mother and always being there. You are my rock. Happy Anniversary. Heres to many more happy years together.

Love Your Wife

Bróna