Real Wedding: Mary & John

If you're looking for wedding ideas, you're going to love this traditional and romantic Irish affair. John and Mary celebrated their big day on the beautiful West Coast of Ireland, at Spanish Point. Featuring an historic castle, a stunning sea-side view and a gorgeous princess gown, you're going to love this wedding. The strawboys even paid the happy couple a visit, keeping an ancient Irish tradition alive and kicking! For centuries these original wedding crashers have arrived uninvited at country weddings and entertained the guests. Their presence is thought to bring good luck for the happy couple, and despite their slightly messy appearance, they're always welcome. Other stealworthy ideas include Mary's matching bridesmaids dresses and ushers' ties, her gorgeous long veil, and her simple half-up, half-down hair style. Don't miss the hilarious caraicature cake toppers, and all of Mary's other vendors detailed below. Fantastic pictures published with thanks to Mary Brown Photography.

The Before the Big Day Bridal Q&A - Mary was kind enough to fill in our bridal questionnaire, aimed at helping other brides with their planning process. Feast your eyes on her answers for helpful hints and tips from someone on the other side of her big day!

Where and when did you get married?
Carron in County Clare in Ireland on 7th June 2010

What was your thinking behind choosing the venue and the decoration of the reception?
We chose the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point because the view of the sea there was beautiful. The hotel took care of all the decorations so one less thing for us to think about.

Did you have a theme, colour or motif in mind?
Purple – my favourite colour

Who made your wedding outfit (dress, veil, shoes and accessories), and how did you come to that decision?
My dress was from the Ella Bridals Collection, which I purchased from Aphrodite Bridal in Newcastle West, Limerick. They were extremely helpful and the dress just felt so soft and light that I loved it. My sister-in-law lent me her tiara. I purchased simple silver sandals from a local shop and I already had a necklace and earrings.

What about your husband’s outfit? Where was it from?
We rented it from Mike O’Connell’s Menswear in Limerick

And how about your bridesmaids’ outfits?
They were purchased from Brides First Choice in Limerick.

What type of cake did you go for, and how did you come to that decision?
We chose a four-tier topsy-turvy cake from the Cake Gallery in Ennis. My husband-to-be was in charge of choosing the cake because he has a sweet tooth. He saw a picture in a magazine and thought it looked cool and different. Each tier was a different flavour! The personalised figurines were from Anita Caricatures.

Did you have any favours? What were they? Was there any particular reason why you picked them?
Yes, lotto tickets. They were used in a wedding we had been to previously and we thought they went down very well and added a little excitement to every table.

Who was your florist, what flowers did you choose, and how did you come to that decision?
Mulqueens Flowers in Ennis. I wasn’t too bothered about the specific flowers, so I just showed the florist a swatch of the bridesmaids dresses and told her our budget, and she did everything else.

Who was your photographer and how did you choose them?
Mary Brown Photography in Dublin. She is married to a friend of my sister-in-law and came highly recommended. We viewed her website and loved her natural style. We arranged a meeting with her, loved her personality and knew she would fit in well on the day.

Did you have any entertainment at your wedding?
We had up-and-coming Irish indie band O'Emperor. They had a busy summer recording their debut album, Hither Thither (out 1st October) and playing the festival circuit, but since their lead singer and guitarist, Paul, is John's cousin, they made an exception to play at our wedding.

Did you enjoy planning your wedding?
It was a little stressful to say the least as we didn't leave ourselves a lot of time to plan it, but it was nice to work on things together.

What advice do you have for brides planning their big day?
It’s never too early to start planning – don’t leave everything to the last minute. You want to be nice and relaxed on the lead up to the wedding, not stressed out. When sending off RSVP cards with the invites remember to write a number on the back of them and keep track of what name matches what number as people will reply and forget to put down their names. Put some time into planning your honeymoon – it tends to get a back seat compared to the wedding – remember the wedding is just one day, the honeymoon will be a lot longer. Packed for your honeymoon before the wedding – there may not be a lot of time afterwards. Get a good nights sleep the night before – it is a long day. Also eat a good breakfast – there is not much time for eating until you get to the meal.

If you have a lace up dress give yourself extra time to get this tied – it may take a few attempts to get it right! Have water and a few snacks in the wedding car – you will be hungry after the ceremony. Have baby wipes in the car in case your dress gets dirty. Bring extra hairpins as your hair or veil might fall down. Wear comfortable shoes. Keep a list of all the gifts you received and from whom on Excel so you know who to send thank you cards to. Cherish every moment of the day – it passes very quickly.

Supplier List
Hair: Evelyn Tigue at Ev’s Hairdesign, Quin Tel: 086 845 2278
Make-up: Keane for Beauty in Ennis
Church Musician: Singer and harpist, Jean Wallace
Videographer: SES Digital

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