Say hello to the lovely Alecsia and John! After an 8 year engagement (in which Alecsia proposed to John) they tied the knot in a gorgeous wedding at the Radisson Blu in Athlone. Look out for the beautiful blush pink details and the surprise singing chef, organised by John’s sister.
Couple: Alecsia and John Griffin
Engagement length: 8 years
Wedding date: 2022-08-05
Wedding location: Radisson Blu Hotel Athlone
Photographer: Ken Byrne Photography
This happy couple met through their sisters, but also stalking on Alecsia’s behalf! From the moment they met, they knew they’d get married. We love that Alecsia proposed to John. Here’s the story from her perspective:
“I just decided to do it myself and so I did! I was home all day and when he got home from work I just asked. Obviously he said yes and later on he actually bought me a ring.”
They chose a beautiful blush pink and dusty rose colour for their wedding. It wasn’t originally intended to be a theme, but it all came together wonderfully.
Alecsia wore a Morilee dress because she really liked their style. It was a strapless dress with a long train, completely opposite to what she thought she would choose.
John wore a blue tweed style jacket and waistcoat with navy trousers.
The bridesmaids followed the theme with a blush dress. These dresses were actually secondhand but hadn’t been worn before.
The groomsmen wore navy suits and waistcoats to match John.
They really wanted their wedding ceremony to be about family, love and remembering their loved ones. To achieve this, they included the lighting of a remembrance candle and then a sand ceremony which included their children. They said, “it was perfect”.
The very first venue they looked at was The Radisson!
“From the moment we walked in we already knew that it was where we wanted to enjoy our day. The coordinator was lovely. So easy to talk to and knew from talking to us exactly what we wanted. The staff are definitely a high point, all so friendly and attentive. Food was absolutely amazing everytime we ate there. The marina ballroom was big and airy, exactly the space that I imagined having our reception in.”
Ken Byrne captured their Big Day perfectly!
“Ken and his wife Aine are just something else, such talent with this duo. We’ve known them for a while, they’ve previously done a family photoshoot for us so I just kinda always had in my head he would do our wedding when the time came. Honestly the pictures speak for themselves. Ken also includes a slideshow of pictures usually before the band and it was so nice to see a glimpse of our album. Most pictures were breathtaking.”
For favours, they gave guests scratch cards to win a drink! Those chose about 1/3 to win and it became the talk of the table when everybody sat down.
The singing chef, John Frawley, entertained guests by having them out of their seats, singing and dancing. This was all a surprised arranged by John’s sister.
Alecsia and John have a few favourite memories from the Big Day:
“Firstly our sand ceremony. It was nice to include our kids as they are a really big and important part of our lives. Next would be the singing chef, he just broke the ice and made everyone smile. And finally the food. The food is just to die for, everything just tasted amazing.”
John and Alecsia shared some brilliant wedding planning advice for our couples:
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Suppliers
Ceremony and Reception venue: Radisson Blu Athlone | Planner/coordinator: Claire Flahety | Photographer: Ken Byrne Photography | Band and DJ: White Diamond | Hair: Claire Nulty | Makeup: Soirse O Dowd | Couple’s outfits: My Fair Lady and Guy Clothing | Wedding party outfits: Guy Clothing and Second hand ASOS | Cake: Heavenly Cakes | Celebrant/solemniser: HSE Celebrant Deirdre | Jewellery/rings: Fields Jewellers Athlone | Accessories: Shein | Flowers: Flowers Unique Moate
