We did it. We had our Christmas Wedding and it has taken me too long to put this blog together! It was undoubtedly the best day of my life, and I can honestly say we were just on such a high for the entire day. I am so grateful to our fabulous wedding suppliers that made everything go so perfectly for us, and of course all our friends and family who braved Covid to be with us. Yes, it was still Covid times so you will see the odd face mask here and there throughout the photos.
Hope you enjoy reading further details about our Christmas Wedding day, the good bits and some of the oops moments.
The Venue Search
We didn’t want an overly formal day, we wanted to keep it very chilled and relaxed as we both don’t like the focus being on us.
We viewed a number of venues but it was very difficult because of Covid. In the end we loved the vibe of The Dean and it had just opened in Cork about a month before we got engaged. We booked before seeing the finished room. It was still under construction when we went there! It was the perfect choice for us. We love Sophie’s and had a small dinner with our immediate families there the night before.
We opted for a church wedding for many reasons, in part to keep our parents happy, but the church also held a lot of significance for me as my uncle had been the priest there for many years. And, fortunately it just happened to be straight across the road from our venue. In the end, I guess it was all meant to be. We were also very lucky that my other uncle is a priest so he was our wonderful and witty celebrant.
Our Wedding Suppliers
Straight away I knew there were suppliers that I wanted to have around us on the day, and of course I needed Donie’s (the husband) vote! We (I) opted for the fabulous Dawn of Glamour by Dawn (no question!), my wonderful Makeup Magician, and Lynsey O’Leary for hair. Both made the morning so relaxed. Some of our other suppliers Donie would have met before e.g. House of Ren , our videographer and Ger O’Donnell (people are still talking about the music!) and Traffic Wedding Band our ceremony, drinks reception and band musicians.
And last, but by no means least Fionnuala of Earthly Elegance, our florist. I had worked with Fionnuala many times for clients weddings and she really nailed the brief. I was so so happy with the flowers and her creations on the day.
Bride and Groom Attire
Donie and his brother were styled by CT2 Suits and the wonderful Jan looked after them so well. I had a very clear idea on what I wanted for my dress, it had to be higher at the front and lower at the back with a scooped neckline and I found my dress online through designer Atelier Emelia Paris. I was so lucky that they had one stockist in Ireland – Alice May Bridal so I was able to order the dress to Alice May and try it on there. My jewellery was from MoMuse. And, the shoes was another story…. I had my shoes custom made with this idea I had in my head, they were an investment piece that have yet to be worn. But I loved my gold backups on the day!
Our super fun and talented photographer was Egle of White Cat Studio. The Cake was crafted by Tara of Brokenspoon Cakes and the wonderful Amy Daunt (stylist extraordinaire) came along on the morning to bring my vision to life. This was huge for me. I had spent an extortionate amount of time (and stress!) on the styling and Amy being as wonderful as she is offered to set it up on the day. Natalie Moriarty did our invitations, and our on the day stationery.
Christmas Wedding Styling
I will admit I lost myself a little bit through the styling process! But, I am so happy with how it all turned out on the day. As it was a Christmas Wedding, I wanted it to be slightly darker, romantic, lots of candles and tying in with the fabulous colours of The Dean. Our Colour Palette was Navy, shades of blue, grey and a touch of orange. I sourced napkins from France, dyed my tablecloths to get the exact shade I wanted, and our candles were of course Ester and Erik. The menu’s were personalised so doubled as place name cards, and the flowers had touches of blue, lots of greenery and a splash of orange – perfect. I hired coloured wine glasses to enhance the styling and did lots of other little touches e.g. added dried rose petals to the bubbly!
The Wedding Cake
We had only 50 guests so didn’t need a large cake and I loved working with Tara on the design. I sent her over my ideas and she created the most perfect cake for us. This is one of my favourite photos! It was one tier, square, floating gold balls and splashes of gold. The flavour was carrot cake.
A few things I learned along the way…
- It is impossible to eat on the morning!
- The day really does go by so quickly.
- You need a Wedding Coordinator (independent of your Venue Coordinator!).
- Walk slowly going down that aisle.
- Planning your own wedding is very stressful.
- You need a Videographer.
- It will be the best day of your life.
The End (or is it the beginning…)
And that’s it! Our Christmas Wedding in a nutshell. We loved it. Thank you to everyone who helped us bring the day to life. Take a breath and some time to yourselves on the day. We loved our First Look time together and the moment before the dinner. Sitting at the table looking around the room was so special. That moment when you realise that everyone is there for you both and you are listening to your favourite music, eating the food you have chosen at the table of your dreams, sipping on your favourite wine – just magic.
Hire a Wedding Planner, and a Videographer – there is nothing better than hearing those voices and seeing your loved ones, laughing, dancing and enjoying themselves.
A snippet of our video: