We've a very special engagement session to show you today, it's a real cultural melting pot with a transatlantic couple, a bicycle and lots and lots of tulips. First of all, to introduce the happy couple - Raul & Tara. Raul is from Mexico and Tara is Irish and to celebrate their engagement and get them ready for the big day, they organised a lovely engagement session during the summer with their wedding photographer Mary Brown. Mary is a very talented reportage-style wedding photographer whose work we've long admired and we are super grateful that she sent us Raul & Tara's lovely story to share with you...
Tara and Raul's engagement session took place at Liffey Valley House Hotel, where they got married in December, and incorporated a few of Tara and Raul's favourite things... Tara loves tulips and Raul is a keen cyclist. The gorgeous bike was on loan from Cycleways , where Raul works (great to have connections eh Raul!)
Tara filled us in on how their courtship (I'm a granny at heart...)
"Ours is a very modern romance - we met on a blind date in June 2008. We met at "The Spider" - otherwise known as the "Spire" to us locals! Raul was new to Dublin & was here for 6 months to learn English as part of a planned career change. I was just out of a long-term relationship. Neither of us was looking for anything serious - so it was perfect - a summer romance & cultural exchange!
I had arranged the classic "emergency call" an hour after the start of the date - just in case I needed a reason to leave. I didn’t need that call & the date went very well. We ended up salsa dancing until the wee hours. Weeks turned to months and Raul kept extending his stay in Ireland - we were having a great time.
We had been on lots of holidays in Europe together & planned to take a trip to the States to meet his family in December 2009. After the family conference in Dallas - we went to Mexico to see the "auld country" in the New Year. We travelled around & ended up in Puerto Vallarta, which is amazing. Halfway through the stay there, after swimming with dolphins & watching fireworks over the Bahia de Banderos - we were listening to Luis Miguel & relaxing in our apartment & Raul produced a black box - I was totally shocked!
He had been carrying the ring around since we arrived & was waiting for the perfect moment. He had. It was wonderful. I rang my family back home in Ireland - to find out they all knew & were waiting for my call!
Tara and Raul got married in December in a snowy Liffey Valley House - the perfect end to 2010! Many friends and family were travelling all the way from Mexico & the US so hope they had a wonderful time. Though I'd say it was pretty chilly for them!
Congratulations to Tara & Raul! Such a gorgeous story, we are honoured that you shared it with us. And the engagement photos are a beautiful momento of your wonderful year. Muchos kudos (see what I did there?) to Mary Brown, they're a triumph - for more of Mary's work head over to see her gallery of lovely wedding photography.
