If music be the food of love, then Gillian and Alan's wedding was a feast and not just for the ears either. Alan was the musical maestro in charge of the tunes, while Gillian brought a sense of style and elegance to the decor. The entire wedding was a symphony of love, not just for them as a couple but the family they have, as their adorable son Theo took centre stage (following his musical Dad's footsteps) as the knot was tied and the celebrations were enjoyed in Ballinacurra House. A truly personal celebration captured beautifully by SOSAC Photography...
Gillian and Alan's story wasn't a whirlwind romance, more a slow burn leading to a lifetime of love as Gillian explained..."Alan and I have known each other for a very long time (13 years)! We met in secondary school - he was my first kiss! We went on a few dates throughout the years and at one point my mom actually introduced us not knowing we had been on any dates. We eventually got serious about six years ago and then had our son Theo." With Theo as his helper Alan then proposed in the most adorable and imaginative fashion. "Alan decided to make up 3 T- Shirts. So we were at home one day and Theo walks into the room wearing his T-shirt that said “...a bit late” and I was a little puzzled. He handed me a t-shirt that said, “yes” and I still didn’t get it until Alan walked into the room wearing his t-shirt that said “Marry me?” It all, very quickly, started making sense, and I had my t-shirt on before he could ask me himself! He had the ring ready, and all so we set off in the car to show everyone our “new “ t-shirts and watch their surprise! It was a very happy time, and the excitement about the wedding started nearly straight away!"
An important day call for some special shoes to walk in, so Gillian chose a pair of Jimmy Choos.
Gillian went for an understated glamour for her bridal look, choosing a gorgeous gold lace adorned wedding dress from Irish designer Caroline Atelier. She accessorised with Swarovski earrings, a bejewelled headpiece made by the lady herself and an elegant veil.
Not to be outdone by mum, little Theo looks utterly adorable in his braces and bow tie combo. Both his and Alan's bowties were handmade by Gillian, to compliment the subtle pink colour scheme.
Theo and his teddy plus one, so sweet!
As they hail from Cork, Gillian and Alan chose to have their ceremony at the iconic St. Colman’s Cathedral. The weather wasn't exactly kind but when Gillian arrived in her uncle's red Saab convertible her pretty in pink flowergirls were there waiting dutifully to protect her from the rain.
Once indoors and surrounded by stained glass it was easy to forget the rain. A truly gorgeous building this ceremony space needs very little if any decoration.
To add personality to the ceremony Gillian and Alan enlisted some friends to sing throughout the ceremony. "Music is a very big part of Alan’s life and so he has a lot of friends who are musicians and singers. It was so special that a lot of them took part in our wedding at some part of the day. We had a trumpeter and violinist accompany our organist Dominic and the Carrigaline Singers (a choir Alan conducts) sang three pieces which had people frantically looking for hankies to dry their eyes."
Knowing Alan wanted to have “Song to the Moon” sang at the wedding. Gillian secretly organised for Cara O’ Sullivan to sing it at the signing of the register. The first of many musical surprises throughout the day.
What a stunning bride and groom...
Thankfully by the time the ceremony was over, the skies had cleared and the couple could actually enjoy the trip in the convertible together with a special third wheel of course..
Could this little lad have something to do with the sunshine? Sure it's no harm to have an insurance policy!
After the ceremony there was time for a few quick portraits and glasses of champers before heading to Gillian and Alan's venue of choice: Ballinacurra House. An avid musician Alan had actually played with his band at Ballinacurra a few times before and always said it'd be the venue for him and Gillian. After the proposal Gillian and her mum paid Ballinacurra a visit and fell in love with the charm and the character of the house, as well as the amazing food and hospitality from wedding planner Dee.
Very dapper indeed, Alan accessorised his navy blue suit with a delicate baby peony and boutonnière.
The weather and style aside, the main priority on the day was that everyone had a great time. To achieve this Gillian and Alan made sure they had great food and great music. For the food, Gillian and Alan depended on Ballinacurra's chef David to provide and they weren't disappointed. "Our major priority on the day was that our family and families would have the best day ever. We really wanted to treat them and give them a day they would remember forever. To make this happen we decided a few things would need to be of a very high standard...the food, the venue and the music. The food was dependant on the venue and so was a very important factor in choosing the venue. The food in Ballinacurra was outstanding. Our guests are still talking about how mouth-wateringly amazing it was."
The music was a much more personal affair and Alan took care of most of the organising "The music in Ballinacurra was very varied and again provided by some of Alan’s close buddies! Our drinks reception had a very cool jazz vibe with music provided by Tr3ble Clef. We also had two fabulous bands after dinner (The Frets and Cookie and the Vaudvilles) which were just perfect for the vibe of the whole day. The Frets kept the fun going in the bar and then Cookie and the Vaudevilles played our first dance and a few of their own originals."
Keeping with the music Alan decided to surprise Gillian at the end of his speech with a song he had written for her. His friends joined in on harmony and then jumping out of their seats as a flash mob - cue lots of tears, and lots of laughter.
The surprises weren't over yet with Alan's mom singing a song of her own and two different slideshows done by a niece and friends - what a talented and thoughtful bunch of guests!
Table decor was kept simple and pretty with blue tinged glass jars and and assortment of lush pink flowers. The yummy looking cake table was lined with Croque En Bouche, a classic French wedding dessert.
After planning such a personal day Gillian and Alan have some words of wisdom "Stay true to yourself and what you want the day to be. Focus on getting your priorities right and don’t worry about the small things. Remember that it’s a celebration that you are planning so try not to get too overwhelmed by the planning of it all... it’s supposed to be a happy time, so enjoy every minute of it. We made a conscious effort on the day to spend as much time together as we could and really that’s what it’s all about!"
A huge congratulations to Gillian, Alan and little Theo and a big thank you to SOSAC for sharing your gorgeous work with us. www.sosacphotography.com
