Personally I love starting off a real wedding feature with this sort of portrait. It's the perfect sort of teaser image, because you know instantly that the couple are fun and stylish, not afraid to do things their own way and not taking it all too seriously. In short, you know it's going to be a great wedding...
And so it was. Helen and Liam were married in the majestic beauty of Multyfarnham Friary and celebrated in the lakeside retreat of Cromleach Lodge in Co. Sligo. They asked Amy from Rubistyle Photography to join them for the day to do her magic and make sure their wedding album is a perfect keepsake of all the hard work, attention to detail, fun, emotion and love that went into their day...
So how did Helen & Liam get together? Helen filled us in..."We met in a local pub. A friend twisted my arm to go for a drink after work rather than doing some last minute Christmas shopping. Not looking my best after a day dressed in old clothes surveying in the cold Christmas weather, it was then we bumped into Liam, an old schoolfriend of the friend I was with. We got talking and didn’t stop, we just hit it off straight away. It was his kind eyes that stole my heart that day." Awwwww
Doesn't Helen look gorgeous? Sigh...
After 3 years together, including six months travelling around the world, we knew we were meant to be and moved in together. On December 5th 2009 Liam tricked me into going to Wexford to collect a “stove”. (Wexford was the place we went on our first weekend away together.) Of course, we got lost looking for the nonexistent stove shop and ended up at Curracloe beach. Liam insisted I left my brown bread sandwich behind in the van and join him in a walk in the rain on the beach. It took a lot of convincing but he finally got me out of the van and onto the beach, and then he got down on one knee. He had my suitcase packed in the back of the van, and a hotel and a lovely French restaurant booked for that evening. It was all a total surprise. Being a true romantic he had even asked my Dad for his permission, which really meant so much to me.
And Dad was there by Helen's side for that special moment which was the couple's highlight of the day "Seeing each other as I walked down the aisle and then becoming husband and wife in front of all our close family and friends." (I love that bit!!)
We are huge fans of involving friends and family in all aspects of the wedding, so it's lovely to how much it meant to Helen and Liam having their friends Ray and Nicola, and Liam’s cousin Gillian to do the church music. "It was a big ask, but they were fantastic and totally exceeded our expectations. It made the ceremony so special and personal, and having them on the altar beside us totally calmed our nerves."
After the ceremony, and Helen and Liam were declared husband and wife, their chariot to Cromleach Lodge awaited...
Helen and Liam chose a volkswagen van from Lazydays to set the tone for the day - to make sure their guests knew they were in for some fun times, and it also provides a great prop for some offbeat wedding portraits...
Helen and Liam chose Cromleach Lodge in Sligo as their wedding venue because "we wanted something with a homely feel by the water and the minute we visited Cromleach Lodge it just felt right." And it's easy to see what swayed them - the lakeside location is hard to beat in terms of capturing beautiful romantic images, even on a grey and overcast day...
Helen put her own stamp on the wedding decor at the reception, choosing each item with care, to work within the rustic theme they had chosen to work with the beautiful setting of Cromleach. I am particularly loving the antiquated metal table numbers and burlap table plan - burlap is huge in the US right now, but this is the first time I've seen it at an Irish wedding. And Helen made it herself!
Putting her own stamp on the wedding was very important to Helen "We wanted to make the day as personalised as possible by making the invitations, table plan, table centre pieces, favours, toilet baskets and flip flop baskets ourselves and of course my mam Jane and sister in-law Marie made the cake."
You remember how I said Helen and Liam wanted their guests to realise they were in for a Fun Day (yes, that's with caps) well they were breaking them in gently, because they fully expected them to get up and earn their dinner - they set up a Marryoke with videographer Martin Devaney, so they had a videographer's dance room for groups of family and friends to dance to “I Got A Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. But they didn't leave it just to their guests, they had a "unique first dance of a melody of songs and crazy dance moves" - those moves look pretty good to me guys!
So after organising such a special and memorable day, what would be Helen & Liam's golden piece of advice for other brides and grooms? "Listen to your photographer they know what will look best. We really trusted Amy (from Rubistyle Photography) and knew she would tell the story of our day the way only she does best!"
All the Wedding Details
Ceremony: Multyfarnham Friary | Reception: Cromleach Lodge, Sligo | Wedding Dress: Duane Bridal Couture, Ballinasloe |Bridesmaids dresses: Coast | Shoes: Irregular Choice, Schuh | Flowers: Nixon Florists, Mullingar | Groom(men)’s suits: Wilfs, Mullingar |Wedding Cake: Made by my mother Jane & Sister in law Marie. | Wedding Car: 1973 Volkswagen Van from Lazydays, Wicklow | Wedding Invitations: DIY from Daintree | Make Up: Ann-Marie Carey, Mullingar | Hair: Sinead Gaffney from The Hair Mob |Wedding Band: Bumblebee Honey |Videographer: Martin Devaney, Athlone
