Bride and groom full names: Mairéad and Jonathan Wills
Length of engagement: 1 year
Wedding Date: 27 April 2018
Wedding location: Palmerstown House Estate, Naas, Co Kildare
Photographer: Emma Russell
We met… in the Market Bar, Fade street Dublin 2.
Our proposal… One of our first weekends away together we went to Kerry and while driving along the Ring of Kerry enjoying the scenery and listening to music we lost blue tooth connection in the car and decided to pull over to resolve.
However, we realised the spot we pulled into had exceptionally breathtaking views over the bay, and the islands so we took some time here to take it all in. We both knew it was a special place that we would always remember.
A year later we ventured back to Kerry and Johnny had organised a picnic in this exact same spot, despite a few hiccups i.e. torrential rain this was where I said YES!
My dress… High-Neck Satin Dress, with a square cut lace back and A-line gown by Justin Alexander.
My Make Up: Lyndsey Cavanagh Make Up.
My Hair: Christine Keegan Mane Hair Salon.
His suit… A contemporary lambswool navy 3-piece suit with raspberry check from Magee clothing.
What our bridesmaid wore… Briar-Rose Navy Maxi Dress from Monsoon.
Our ceremony… The first day we entered the Manor House in Palmerstown House Estate we knew it would be the perfect place to have our wedding ceremony. We had an intimate spiritual ceremony surrounded by family and friends. It was a really special feeling to have everyone gathered together to celebrate our love and commitment to each other. Our celebrant, Ann Marie Colton who was a fantastic support to us leading up to the wedding and on the day.
We chose our photographer because… We discovered that Emma had previously photographed a wedding in Palmerstown House Estate and thought her photos were beautiful, and arranged a meeting with her. We are a couple that wouldn’t be the most comfortable in front of a camera but after meeting Emma we knew that we would be very relaxed with her on the day with her down to earth and fun nature, but also professional manner. Emma really engaged with us and asked us what photos were really important to us and took a list of all our requests.
We chose our wedding coordinator because… Sinead was fantastic to deal with from start to finish. You could tell that she was an experienced wedding planner and was able to talk us through all our options in great detail and answer any questions. Her help and advice in the preparation of the wedding was invaluable. Also the days coming up to the wedding having Sinead as our wedding planner made life much easier. Sinead and the team looked after so many things for us nothing was too much trouble. This really took the pressure off and put our minds at ease.
Sinead’s help and organisation made the day much more relaxed and everything ran smoothly because of her and the team.
We chose our venue because… its pure elegance from the beautiful Manor House and the surrounding gardens. We also knew there would be very little for us to do as the venue speaks for itself. We didn’t want a large wedding and the numbers involved meant we could have the entire day in the Manor house. People were able to enjoy the outside, because we had great weather. But we knew the drawing rooms would make a perfect reception area even if it had rained.
Our honeymoon... We spent two weeks in Croatia – one week relaxing and unwinding in Hvar and the next week in Dubrovnik. In Hvar we got to rent a boat for private island excursions and we also rented a scooter so we could explore the rest of the island. The main tourist season was just starting as we arrived so all the best-hidden restaurants that are normally booked out were available so we got to enjoy some amazing nights out and relaxing quiet days by the waterside.
In Dubrovnik we spent some time exploring the lapad area and the famous Old town and we also rented a car and got to experience 24 hours in Bosnia exploring the kravice waterfalls, some spectacular scenery and then ended up in Mostar. The Stari most bridge and surrounding markets convinced us that we should stay the night and so we found a nearby hotel and spent the rest of the day exploring, talking with locals and enjoying the area, It was a really unexpected and enjoyable experience. After a day or two back in Dubrovnik we hired a car again and spent another day in Montenegro exploring Kotor, Budva and the breathtaking scenery coming back down into Kotor from the Lovcen national park.
My favourite part of the wedding day… My favourite part of the day was when we decided to take some photos on the rooftop and Johnny played one of our favourite songs “Nick Cave – Into My Arms” on his phone and we ended up having a romantic slow dance together. This was a really special part of the day where just the two of us enjoyed together.
My piece of advice for other brides… If you are getting stressed about the event just bring your thoughts back to what it’s all really about – you and your fiancé celebrating your love and commitment to one another. It’s easy to get caught up in taking care of other people and making sure you get to see everyone but it’s important to have some time alone together so if you set some private time into your schedule it makes the day even more amazing.
Lastly, one piece of advice we got from a wedding co-ordinator was that the bride and groom set the tone for the day and I think she was right. If as a couple are relaxed and enjoying yourself everyone tends to follow suit.
Suppliers
Venue: Palmerstown House Estate | Celebrant: Ann Marie Colton | Photographer: Emma Russell Photography | Wedding Dress supplier: The Bridal Venue | Headpiece: Emily Jean | Grooms Suit: Magee of South Anne Street | Band: The Hitmen Trio
