There's something so thrilling about perusing the photographs from a pre-Covid real wedding these days. With restrictions gradually lifting, it's exciting to think of all the beautifully buzzy parties that will soon be taking place around the country, and Aisling and Kevin's Clonabreany House wedding is a stunning example! Their big day was exquisitely styled, using the dreamiest all-season colour palette (looking at these light and airy images, you'd never think the wedding took place in October!), and featured lots of fun details, including a gin and tonic station, as well as a very cute canine guest of honour! The talented Claire from Studio Brown did an incredible job of capturing their big day, so let's take a closer look at the photographs!
Aisling tells us that she and Kevin first met in September 2007, when they were both studying Chemical Engineering in UCD. "We met on the very first day," she tells us. "We were in the same orientation group! We became friends straight away, but it wasn’t until October 2008 that things became romantic and we shared our first kiss on a student night out. We dated for a couple of months and, on the 20th February 2009, Kevin asked me to be his girlfriend at a college ball. We made things official and the rest is history, as they say!"
We'll get to the couple's engagement story shortly, but, before we do, I couldn't help but stop and take a moment to swoon over Aisling's incredible engagement ring! Kevin proposed with a promise ring by Irish brand Juvi, but, a couple of weeks later, they chose Aisling's engagement ring from a selection at Bespoke Diamonds in Dublin. Aisling tells us, "It was such a lovely experience to do it together and I would definitely recommend it for any couple."
Aisling describes Kevin's proposal as "absolutely perfect! We had been together over 8 years when we got engaged, and we had talked about getting married so Kevin did really well to organise a surprise proposal. We were in the process of buying our first home, and I was totally preoccupied with that, so when Kevin produced the ring, I was totally shocked, but obviously delighted!"
Kevin popped the question during a holiday in Dingle. "One day, just the two of us headed off to do the Slea Head drive," Aisling remembers. "We stopped at all the viewing points along the way and Kevin said he was getting more nervous as the day went on, but I honestly never noticed. Later in the day, I was getting very hangry as Kevin drove past lots of lovely looking places for lunch, but, little did I know, he had packed a picnic of all my favourite foods, which was hidden in the boot of the car! Eventually we arrived at a secluded beach in Feohanagh, and Kevin produced the gorgeous picnic. At this stage I started to think to myself, 'This would be a nice spot for a proposal!' Just as we finished our picnic, Kevin got down on one knee and proposed! To this day, I’m not entirely sure if I actually said yes through all the tears!"
When it came time to plan the wedding, this couple had a clear brief. "From the very beginning, we wanted to create a day that was in every sense a celebration!" Aisling says. "A celebration of our love, our relationship and of our family and friends, who had played a part in our relationship and helped us in creating our dream wedding day. We think we really achieved it, it was a day so full of fun, joy and love, I don’t think we stopped smiling all day and our guests really enjoyed themselves!"
From the beginning, this pair prioritised food and entertainment. "We knew the quality of food in Clonabreany was exceptional so we had no concerns from that perspective, and so many of our guests commented that it was one of the best meals they had ever had. We spent a long time choosing our wedding band and went to see so many of them, but we really couldn’t have been happier with The Best Men. They did an amazing version of our first dance song, ‘Eve the Apple of my Eye’ by Bell X1, and the dancefloor never emptied from then on!"
Aisling tells us that they were also determined to find an amazing photographer and videographer. "I honestly don’t think we could have had a better team in our photographer, Claire Brown from Studio Brown, and our videographer, Andrew Cummins from Eye Capture Weddings," she says. "They are both so exceptionally talented at what they do and made us feel so at ease in front of the camera, which we were a little nervous about."
One of Aisling's top pieces of advice for engaged couples is to figure out which suppliers are the most important to them, early on in the planning process. "I would definitely recommend booking early as the best suppliers book up quickly!" she says. "Also invest in these areas and make savings elsewhere and you won’t regret it."
How gorgeous is the couple's wee doggo!? Aisling says, "We knew we had to have our little furbaby, Maud, make an appearance on our big day. She is our pride and joy and it was so lovely to have here there for cuddles. She was definitely the cutest guest to attend, and the star of the show on the big day!"
The couple tell us that choosing their venue was one of the easiest parts of wedding planning. Aisling says, "We had attended a wedding at Clonabreany House before so we knew the food was exceptional and the service was second to none. When we attended the open day, we got such a warm welcome from all the staff and that was the atmosphere we wanted to create for our guests on our own big day."
Music was another top priority for this pair. "We spent a long time thinking of the songs we wanted to include on our wedding day," Aisling says. "I think it really set the tone of the day and made both the ceremony and reception very personal to us. We also love going to gigs and named our tables after gigs we had gone to together down through the years!" What a great idea!
Another of Aisling's top tips is to set a budget in the early days of planning. "I would definitely recommend that couples set a budget from the outset and try to keep it in mind as much as possible during the planning process, as it's so easy to overspend, especially the closer you get to the day!"
How sharp does Kevin look in his wedding-day attire?! He chose a gorgeous blue three-piece suit by Magee 1866.
Aisling's stunning wedding dress is by Enzoani, and she found it at one of our all-time favourite bridal boutiques, The White Room in Mullingar.
Aisling tells us that she had a very strong vision for the aesthetic details of the day. "I had a very clear view of the look I wanted to create – lots of foliage and unstructured floristry, with touches of gold and dusty blue," she says. "The marquee in Clonabreany House was the perfect blank canvas to allow us to create it and we couldn’t have done it without VP Flowers. They were absolutely incredible to deal with and Vita is such a talented florist! I will never forget walking into the marquee on the wedding day before everybody had been seated for dinner. I was blown away. It was wonderful seeing all the ideas brought to life!"
Aisling has got another sensible tip to pass onto engaged couples - don't stress about the weather! "There is absolutely nothing you can do about it other than buy some back-up umbrellas and hope for the best," she says. "The week of our wedding, storm Lorenzo was due to hit, and, on the morning of the wedding it absolutely poured rain, but someone must have been looking down on us, as it turned out to be a beautiful day with the sun even making an appearance."
This couple also speak highly of the run up to the wedding. "The days leading up to the wedding were so special, we loved getting pampered and spending time with family and friends," Aisling says. "On the day itself, all the little details I thought I would worry about never even crossed my mind. We had done all we could and surrounded ourselves with incredible suppliers who we trusted completely, and they took it from there, so we could soak up every second!"
For their honeymoon, Aisling and Kevin went to South Africa. "We would absolutely recommend it," Aisling says. "We started the trip in Cape Town and then took a road trip along the coast to the Eastern Cape and finished with a safari which was such an amazing experience. South Africa is an incredible country and as soon as we can travel again, we will absolutely go back. We are so grateful we decided to go straight after the wedding and not postpone it, as we had no idea what lay ahead in 2020!"
Thanks so much to Aisling and Kevin for sharing their gorgeous Clonabreany House wedding with us, and to Studio Brown for providing the beautiful imagery! There are lots more in the gallery below, so be sure to take a peek.
