It's not every day that a librarian and circus performer wed, and it's not every day we get to share such a magical wedding celebration. Librarian Colm and circus performer Aisling married in the magical Marsh's Library, Ireland's oldest public library, followed by 2 separate meals in two equally unique venues. This charming wedding was captured beautifully all across the city by Aoife O Sullivan Photography and we're delighted to share it with you today.
Kindred souls Colm and Aisling met online, before Tinder or the surge in popularity of sites like Plenty of Fish. Having chatted online for weeks about their love of history and various shared interests they arranged a date in St. Stephen's Green. Both anxious they wouldn't click, they soon found they got along just as well in person and began to see each other more and more.
Aisling sweetly remembers..."Within 5 weeks of meeting we went to Paris together head over heels in love. Within 8 months we travelled to Australia together for the summer and moved in together as soon as we got back. It’s been domestic bliss ever since."
Both big lovers of history and literature it was only fitting that Colm and Aisling marry in one of Dublin's oldest, and most beautiful libraries. Aisling told us..."Two historians (one of whom is a librarian) could not visit Marsh’s Library without falling in love with it. The beauty of the building itself, the soaring shelves, the echoing silence filled with the weight of 300 years, and the smell of parchment permeating everything. Heaven."
An incredibly intimate ceremony Colm and Aisling has just 45 guests and chose each reading and vow carefully. Aisling remembers..."We spent a lot of time writing our own ceremony with the help of our celebrant Emma Sides. We wrote our own vows to one another one of which the groom promised the bride that she could always warm her cold feet on his stomach at bedtime, as I often do! We also spent a lot of time choosing our readings, in the end we chose the passage from Bill Bryson's ‘A short history of nearly everything’ where he goes to some length to illiterate how improbable it is that we are all here now which just goes to show how incredibly lucky we are to have found one another. Our second reading was from Terry Pratchett’s Thief of Time in which Wen, the Eternally Surprised tells us that the perfect time is always right now."
Such a magical setting...
After their library vows and Dublin city portraits Colm, Aisling and guests lunched in The Winding Stair, before joining more guests for a proper party and more food at The Chocolate Factory.
Echoing the literary theme Colm and Aisling decorated the space with their favourite quotes. Aisling describes the décor..."We spent a lot of time making little bits and pieces for the day itself. We collected wine bottles (an arduous task...) and sprayed them with blackboard paint so we could write our favourite quotes about love on them. Colm’s favourite was Pip's ‘I loved her without reason’ quote from Great Expectations while mine was the single word ‘Always’ which can bring people to tears if given the attribution – ‘Snape’.""
As a special after dinner treat Aisling's friends who perform in the circus, performed a special live circus piece. Aisling recalls..."As part of the evening there was a circus show on the second floor in the Taking Flight aerial school space. My friends Ronan Brady (beyouranomonly), Dee Casey, Niamh Creely & Jonathan Walsh (Ether Productions) and Jenny Higgins and Benny Cryan (Taking Flight) all gave a performance as a wedding present." Following the act, another close friend DJ'ed for the night.
Huge congrats to you both and thanks so much for sharing your wedding with us all. A big thank you also goes to RubySky Photo for sharing her work with us. To see more from RubySky visit www.rubyskyphoto.com
The Wedding Details
- Ceremony: Marsh’s Library
- Dinner: The Winding Stair
- Reception: BLAS at the Chocolate Factory
- Wedding Dress: Folkster
- Groom's Shoes: Genius
- Bride's Shoes: M&S
- Flowers: Johnstown Garden Centre
- Groom’s suits: Topman and River Island
- Hair Band and Feather: Penneys
- Cake: The Cake Cafe and The Wildflour Bakery
- Cheese: Sheridan’s Cheesemongers
- Wedding Bands: Jonathan Daly of O’Dalaigh Jewellers
- Ceremony/Reception Music: Jym Daly
- Photographer: Aoife O Sullivan Photography
- Live Circus Performance: Ronan Brady, Dee Casey, Niamh Creely & Jonathan Walsh, Jenny Higgens and Benny Cryan
