All to often it’s the bride who chooses the theme and colours for her wedding day, but todays very thoughtful bride, Edel let her man in on the act too by surprising him with the Liam McCarthy cup! She even donned her welly boots and headed for the pitch for a little game during their portrait shoot. Edel we salute you, that’s one way to a long and happy marriage! Thanks to Yvonne Vaughan for sharing this classic vintage wedding day with us.
Edel and Martin first met in December 2008 in the school hall of Cratloe National School where Edel was a teacher and Martin was doing his teaching practice. The couple instantly felt at ease with each other, feeling like they had known each other for years.
Martin proposed on their fourth anniversary in the Clarion Hotel in Limerick.
“He had spelled out Will You Marry Me? in red Christmas bows on the bed and when I turned around he was down on one knee!” said Edel.
The couple dived in to the wedding planning process by attending a wedding fair where they picked up a checklist and planning timeline to help them, and also gathered an idea of the costs involved. They were married in St Patrick’s Church, Parteen, County Clare and moved on to the Bunratty Castle Hotel in Bunratty for their reception.
After choosing her bridesmaids dresses in a bold purple shade their vintage wedding began to take shape with Edel choosing a vintage style bouquet by Ruffled Ruby, chair covers, wedding cake and reception decor to reflect the purple scheme and added touches of decadent glass.
For her own wedding gown Edel was keen to give her business to a local bridal boutique and after hearing lots of great reports about Amore Mio in Killaloe she visited the salon;
“The girls were so friendly and gave me great advice. The dress I bought was actually chosen by one of their staff. I was sure I didn’t like satin but she picked one out for me to try on with a matt satin skirt and a lace bodice. It was beautiful and I knew it was the dress,” said Edel.
“The day went great! Everything went off as planned and we had great fun! We were a little late arriving in Bunratty as we had gone to visit my Grandmother after the ceremony and photographs as she was too unwell to attend. Visiting her on my wedding day was very special. My highlight of the day was walking up the aisle with my dad, seeing Martin’s face at the top and getting photographs with my two grandmothers. Martin says his highlight was seeing me in the church and just have all those people who are important to us, sharing in our day and making it perfect,” added Edel.
Advice for other couples
I would try and book everything early so you can cross it off your list and enjoy the build up to the day. Enjoy every second of the day itself – everyone tells you it will fly and it really does. Also a surprise is nice! I surprised Martin with the Liam Mc Carthy cup and he surprised me with a Photobooth at the reception.
Wedding Suppliers
Ceremony: St Patrick’s Church, Parteen, County Clare.
Reception: Bunratty Castle Hotel, Bunratty, County Clare.
Photographer: Yvonne Vaughan Photography.
Wedding dress: Amore Mio, Killaloe.
Bridesmaids dress: Brown Thomas, Limerick.
Grooms wear: Tony Connelly Menswear.
Vintage bouquet: Ruffled Ruby.
Cake: Confetti Cakes Ireland.
Flowers: Audrey’s Flowers, Limerick.
Bridal cars: Irish Diamond Limousines.
Entertainment: Arkadia.
Sweet cart: The Be Sweet Candy Company.
Photo Booth: Perfect Photobooth.
