“I had just turned 18 and Mark pretended to be my boyfriend to stop some guy hitting on me!”
The couple: Suzanne & Mark Bradshaw
Length of engagement: 2 years | Wedding date: 29th September 2017
Wedding venue: Trim Castle Hotel, Co. Meath
Photographer: Konrad Kubic Photography
We met… Mark and I met through mutual friends in the nightclub Barcode in Clontarf, August 2007. I had just turned 18 and Mark pretended to be my boyfriend to stop some guy hitting on me!
Our proposal… Mark proposed to me in Budapest on 26th September 2015. He had been carrying around the ring for several days and tried a few times, but I kept changing the plans or ruining his chances. He proposed in the Budapest equivalent of the London Eye. I was trapped in a glass bubble so I couldn’t ruin it!!
My dress… I wore a Richard Sherman dress that I bought in Smart Brides in Portlaoise. I had bought it when I was 12 weeks pregnant and got it altered in Kate’s Atelier in Phibsboro after I had the baby. I would highly recommend them for wedding dress alterations.
My hair and makeup… My hair was done by the amazing Hair by Aisling Hamill. I was a bridesmaid in May 2016 and Aisling had done the hair and I knew I wanted her to do my wedding hair. She is so passionate and talented. I was unsure as to what I wanted done, but we decided on a soft romantic wave. I wore my Maid of Honour’s hair piece and my other friend’s veil so that was special. My makeup was done by the fantastic Laura Creaby. She previously worked on Bobbi Brown and did the makeup exactly as I wanted. I wanted fresh dewy skin and a soft smokey brown eye.
His suit… Mark wore a lovely navy suit from AB Formal Wear Swords. He wore a grey tweed waistcoat, navy tie and a pocket-watch to finish of his look. He looked very smart!
Our ceremony… We had a beautiful Catholic wedding ceremony in The Nativity of Our Lord Church in Beaumont, celebrated by Fr. Gerard.
What our bridal party wore… The groomsmen wore navy suits from AB Formal Wear Swords with sage green ties and tan shoes from BooHoo MAN. The bridesmaids wore fabulous sage green gowns from Pamela Scott with silver sandals from New Look. Our page boy had a cute little navy suit from Next.
We chose our photographer because… we had reviewed his work and it seemed like what we would like. Myself, Mark, a groomsman and bridesmaid went to meet Konrad (Konrad Kubic Photography) and we hit it off, we knew he would be someone we would like to have around on our big day. He was friendly, chatty and relaxed.
We chose our venue because… Mark’s sister had been at a wedding in Trim Castle Hotel and we had driven out to collect her, she was raving about how fabulous it was. We went out to view it and fell In love with the reception room and how beautiful the view of the castle was. The staff were fabulous, so friendly and that was what sealed the deal. We were dealing with Laura and we couldn’t have asked for a nicer person to deal with, nothing was an issue.
Our menu… to start we had Marinated Chicken served with Sun Dried Tomatoes & a Pesto Dressing, followed by Cream of Vegetable Soup, for our main we had a choice of Fillet of Seabass served on Baby Spinach with Ginger & Lime Sauce or Roast Sirloin of Beef with a Shallot Confit & a Red Wine Sauce. Our dessert was a medley of desserts. We went for our menu tasting night and it was all so amazing, it was hard to choose, but we were delighted with what we had on the night.
Our wedding theme/colours… We didn’t have a theme as such, we just wanted it to be fun and for it to be like us. The bridesmaids dresses were sage green, so we had pink/white flowers to contrast. We had a saxophonist at the drinks reception, along with a donut wall to keep our guests entertained. We had a selfie mirror in the evening, which we would highly recommend. We received a book of all the photos taken on the night which is a great keepsake.
My favourite part of the wedding day… Our favourite part of the day was being the VIPs!! We’ve been to so many weddings that it was nice to experience it as the bride and groom. From start to finish we were treated so amazingly by all our suppliers, especially the staff in Trim Castle Hotel on the day that added to the VIP experience!
My piece of advice for other couples… As cliché as it sounds, enjoy it all because it flies by. At the end of the day, everybody is there to be with you to celebrate you and your partner, so relax and enjoy it all!
Suppliers
Venue: Trim Castle Hotel, Meath | Photographer: Konrad Kubic Photography | Hair: Aisling Hamill | Makeup: Laura Creaby at LC Makeup | Wedding Dress: Smart Brides, Portlaoise | Dress Alterations: Kate’s Atelier, Phibsboro | Bridesmaid Dresses: Pamela Scott | Groom & Groomsmen Suits: AB Formal Wear Swords | Flowers & Church Decorations: Miss Daisy Florist | Donut Wall & Selfie Mirror: CandyLady | Car: AKP Car Hire | Wedding Band/Drinks Reception Saxophonist/ DJ: Till Death Do Us Party | Unity Candles: BeeFlowers | Cake: Made by Mark’s mam (didn’t she do an amazing job!!)