A Ryanair Relationship: Lorraine & Antony's Clonabreany House Wedding
When your future husband plans not one, not two, but three proposals, you know you've struck spousal gold. But when he finally pops the question on the viewing deck of the Eiffel Tower - treating you to a weekend in Paris filled with flowers, chocolates, and Champagne - and doesn't chuck you off the top […]
When your future husband plans not one, not two, but three proposals, you know you've struck spousal gold. But when he finally pops the question on the viewing deck of the Eiffel Tower - treating you to a weekend in Paris filled with flowers, chocolates, and Champagne - and doesn't chuck you off the top for telling him you're not entirely surprised, well, he probably deserves some kind of medal!
Today's real wedding stars Lorraine & Antony, and Irish bride and British groom who've been through a lot on their journey to aisle, most notably a seven year 'Ryanair relationship' - Michael O'Leary would have been the guest of honour at this wedding!
Their Clonabreany House wedding, decked out with pretty vintage details and fabulous florals, was captured by Johanna King Photography. You're in for a treat with this one (and I'm not just talking about the ice-creams!).
Antony tells us the story of how a chance meeting in a London nightclub way back in 2003 sparked their long-term long distance relationship, “We ended up sitting beside each other and got chatting, at the end of the night I asked Lorraine for her number. On the following Wednesday, I phoned Lorraine and we got on great, so she decided to play hard to get and two weeks later she arrived at my house from Dublin to stay for the weekend!
This soon turned into a Ryanair relationship and every month we would alternate a weekend between England and Ireland for the next seven years, thank God (or Michael O'Leary as he likes to call himself) for those penny flights.”
Antony moved to Dublin in 2010 so the couple could start their lives together, without all the airport drop-offs. But it wasn’t until five years later that he decided to propose, “A lot of people were worrying things were moving to fast, but I threw caution to the wind and after a mere 12 years together arranged a surprise weekend away to Paris.”
Antony says it wasn’t his first time planning a proposal, “I had actually planned to ask Lorraine to marry me in 2014, twice. I had booked hotels and trips away and both times Lorraine had scuppered my plans at the last minute, one time deciding to cover a friend at work for the weekend.”
He finally got to ask the big question after dinner, on the viewing deck of the Eiffel Tower (how romantic!) on their final night in Paris, “She said yes and a huge smile beamed across her face and then admitted she had kinda expected it, but if I had asked her the year before she would of never expected it. There was a split second at this point where I considered throwing either myself or herself off the tower!”
Yep, I think I'd feel the same way!
Antony had flowers, chocolates and Champagne arranged as a surprise back in the hotel room, though it was a struggle to get Lorraine back there, “She kept suggesting we go to a bar to celebrate, I just could not get a break! We had a fantastic weekend and I'd never felt happier and was looking forward to our future together.”
Check out the beautiful back detail on Lorraine's dress. Her bouquet was stunning too.
Lorraine's bridesmaids looked gorgeous in grey!
Antony & Lorraine went with their gut in choosing Clonabreany House as their venue, “Even though it was raining on the day we viewed it, it still felt wonderful and they had a black cab outside which made us feel this was the place for us, a little Irish/UK mix.”
The couple describe their wedding as colourful, with a bit of a vintage vibe to it. “We just wanted it to be the happiest day with friends and family. We were blessed with the weather, I think it was the hottest weekend of the year.”
Ice-cream cones are always a hit at a wedding!
Loving all the fun, vintage details.
This pair are too sweet!
Lots of sweet signage was dotted around Lorraine & Antony's reception.
How beautiful is this flower-laced table plan?
Pretty coloured lanterns and floral centrepieces give this blank canvas space a touch of personality.
Lorraine’s advice for other couples tying the knot is short and simple, “No matter what, your day will work out and it will be the best day of your life enjoy.”
The couple opted for a double whammy for their honeymoon, going to both the Maldives and on a Bahamas cruise. Nice!
Looks like all those years of airport drop-offs were worth it - what a special couple. Thanks so much to Lorraine & Antony for letting us in on their beautiful wedding, and to Johanna King Photography for sharing these beautiful pictures.
