Muireann & Chris set out to create a wedding that was a joyful celebration for them and their guests, and as you'll see from this real wedding post today, their day was nothing but beaming smiles from start to finish. The college sweethearts celebrated their nuptials with a personalised church ceremony that was laced with contemporary music, followed by a glamorous reception at Castlemartyr Resort with ceilí dancing until late. From Muireann's stunning vintage wedding day style (her whole look is amazing!), to the gorgeous lavender florals and bridesmaids' dresses, and the elegant reception decor to the sweet stationery, there are lots of ideas to borrow, and advice to take, from this intimate occasion. I defy you not to start smiling yourself, with these beautiful photos by IG Studio Photography.
The excitement on Muireann's face!
Chris & Muireann met as students in UCC when Chris was living with one of Muireann’s friends, “I fancied him from the moment I clapped eyes on him but I thought that he was way out of my league! Shortly afterwards, we crossed paths on a night out and Chris asked for my number and the rest is history!”
Muireann & Chris’ engagement was an emotional one, with Chris popping the question in Chichester, West Sussex, a place the couple had visited the year before with Muireann’s dad. “Unfortunately my dad became terminally ill in June 2014 and died just a few weeks later. I learned after Chris and I got engaged, that Chris had shown my dad the engagement ring in hospital just a few days before he died and that my dad had been incredibly happy to know of the imminent engagement. It has been really nice knowing that my dad knew and that his memory was included in our engagement story.”
On the day of the proposal, Muireann had noticed the Chris was in top form but she wasn’t expecting what came next, “He chose a spot next to the cathedral that had very happy memories. I was surprised and delighted and of course said yes!”
The detailing on Muireann's dress is just divine - I love the vintage feel of her bouquet and flower crown too.
A beautiful bunch of ladies, in their personalised lavender gowns.
Chris and the lads looked the part too, in their sharp blue suits.
Muireann said attention to detail was important for the couple, so they concentrated on adding lots of personal touches to their day, “The wedding stationery mattered a lot and we were incredibly lucky to have found such a talented artist as Kitty of ‘Till Dawn Dear’ who was able to incorporate so many aspects from our memories and childhoods to create a beautiful series of illustrations for our wedding invitations and stationery. Chris and I are both mad about dogs and Kitty was even able to include my family dog, Harry, in a top hat as well as a ‘family portrait’ of all the dogs from my and Chris’ childhood! Our guests loved the invitations and so did we!”
Muireann & Chris describe the feel of their wedding day as, joyful, love-filled and relaxed with plenty of very personal touches. The couple say their number one priority was for their guests to have fun, “And for the whole day and night to feel like a happy celebration of our relationship with each other and of our love and friendships with our guests.”
Check out Muireann's antique-style lace gloves - how elegant! Her shoes were fab too...
These two came up with a really thoughtful way to include their loved ones who are no longer with them in their ceremony, “I had a picture of my dad in a heart shape frame that I could wear on my wrist so that he could walk me up the aisle. We also had a heart shaped framed picture of Chris’ mom and we hung both of these pictures at the end of the pews that our families were sitting on so that they could ‘sit with us’ for the ceremony.”
Muireann & Chris carefully selected the music for their ceremony to set the tone they wanted for their day, “The church was filled with cheerful, joyful music that we loved and that made the ceremony very much ‘us’. The guests are still commenting on the beautiful music and how awesome it was to hear contemporary pieces in the church like Coldplay and Muse! It was made even more special by the fact that our wonderful friend Ronan arranged the music and that our friend Carol-Anne who has the most beautiful voice, sang for us.”
The couple say limiting the guest list was key in creating the atmosphere they wanted from their day, “We were both clear from the start that we wanted to keep the guest list to strictly close friends and family only, so that we were surrounded by people we know and love. We wanted the ceremony to be very personal and so the choice of music and readings reflected this.”
Muireann & Chris have lots of wedding planning wisdom to pass on to other couples’ planning their big days, “Enjoy all the planning from the start as it really is a fun time and a wonderful opportunity to get creative! Put in your own personal touches, disengage from politics and what people think you ‘should’ do. Only inviting people we knew and loved made a big difference to the day. We would also recommend accepting offers of help as that helped us lots, especially towards the big day when there are lots of little tasks that can be delegated.”
The couple also recommend investing in great photography and videography, “We have loved looking at the photos and footage from the day. Our pictures were taken on the reception grounds which meant we were able to maximise the amount of time we spent with our wedding guests which was great.”
The couple saw lots of wedding venues in their hunt for ‘the one’ but felt a spark the minute they walked in to Castlemartyr, “We knew that we wanted a summer wedding and that we wanted the reception area to be bright, light and cheerful. A lot of reception rooms felt either dreary or too small. The staff at Castlemartyr are so professional and were so kind and welcoming to us and to our guests. They went out of their way to make our guests feel welcome and it made such a difference to our experience.”
Muireann isn’t a fan of wedding bands, so was eager to find an alternative for the reception entertainment, “We had considered just having a DJ for the duration of the night but my sister suggested a ceilí. Chris and I immediately loved the idea, spent a lot of time searching to find the right one and it went down a storm! The ceilí was a great way to get everyone dancing and to bring some Irish tradition into the wedding. Who doesn’t love a ceilí?”
The couple recruited the gifted bakers in the family to help with their cake, “My uncle Peter made our main wedding cake for us and Chris’ sister Ciara made a special dog-themed creation in a nod to our dog-mania!”
The couple went on a mini-moon to Dubai straight after their wedding before jetting further afield for their proper honeymoon a few months later, “ We went to Nepal for two and a half weeks at the end of October for the Tihar festival. We had an incredible time on both!”
What a sweet couple, and what a gorgeous day. I have a feeling lots of brides will be pinning Muireann's elegant bridal style, don't you? Thanks so much to this fabulous bride and groom for sharing their day (and their sage wedding planning advice!) and of course to IG Studio Photography for capturing such beautiful pictures.
