A big wedding full of hundreds of guests can be great fun for some of us, but is not everyone's cup of tea. If a big wedding isn't your style then an elopement might be the perfect solution. Meg and Andy decided to go it alone and elope, just the two of them, to New York city to say their I dos. Not wanting to go completely against tradition Meg and Andy followed the traditional structure of a wedding day, but with lots of surprises that really only could happen in New York. Cyrience Creative Studios was on hand throughout the day (she even acted as their witness!) and captured each moment perfectly.

A total pair of sweethearts Meg and Andy's first encounter reads almost like a novel. Fresh from a breakup Meg was visiting her parents for a little weekend away from it all. A lover of traditional music Meg joined her parents for an evening of music in a local pub in the village of Glencolumbkille Co. Donegal. At some point Andy arrived, on a mission to sell tickets for the local GAA club (can't get much more rural Ireland than that.) Andy sat down beside Meg and tried to talk her into buying a lotto ticket from him. Fresh out of another relationship Meg didn't pay much heed and instead her dad bought a ticket (which turned out to be a winner.) Andy came back to chat some more but Meg really wasn't having any of it. Luckily Andy is a persistent kinda guy..

The next night our Andy and Meg met again, with Andy trying his best to woo Meg and Meg remaining not so sure. A little time went by and Meg couldn't stop thinking about her nights in Glencolumbkille with Andy. Taking a chance she paid another visit, their paths crossed again and this time each was as smitten as the other. Meg began visiting regularly and the pair have been together ever since.

When it came time to propose it once again wasn't quite straight forward. "Andrew says that he asked my folks for their permission to marry me back in January and that he had come up with several ideas of how he wanted to propose. We are frequently walking mountains together, either for fun, or checking on sheep so he envisaged a romantic mountain side proposal. I had mentioned wanting to hike “The Poisoned Glen” in another part of Donegal and he thought this would be the perfect opportunity. And so we set off... only for Andrew to realize he had forgotten the ring! Cue Plan B... Andrew travelled to Dublin however my grandfather became ill and passed away, which meant Andrew abandoned Plan B." In the end Andrew decided to “wing it” on the night of his birthday and the anniversary of when they first met. As Meg presented Andrew with his birthday cake he turned around and got down on one knee and proposed there and then to a resounding yes. Proving sometimes simple really is best...

For their wedding Andy and Meg planned an elopement to New York, for just the two of them with plenty of handmade touches. Not only was this a wedding trip, but it was also Andy's first ever holiday and most definitely one he won't ever forget.

From beginning to end Andy and Meg kept things simple, starting with a first look at their hotel followed by an intimate ceremony in Central Park. "We met our Officiant, Deborah at the Bandshell and with a quick hop skip and a jump we were quite literally dancing our way up the steps behind the Bandshell to Wisteria Pergola as a musician played Pharell Williams - Happy. Andrew had suggested that we write our own vows, I had tried hard not to cry as Andy read his out (though I think a few may have leaked out!) and as he read them, a Saxophone player below the pergola stopped and played Stevie Wonders “Isn’t she Lovely” while another man stopped and sang the words beautifully." Only in New York...

Meg's entire outfit was handmade by herself, and inspired by both her mum and grandmother, who both also made their own wedding dresses. Meg loved carrying on the tradition so much she began her own label called Love Ezra designing headpieces, accessories and unique bridal creations.

After their ceremony Meg and Andy took advantage of their New York surroundings capturing some gorgeous portraits, indulging in cupcakes and then catching a water bus to Jane’s Caurosel in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

"Jane’s Caurosel in Dumbo was a real treat and we made some magical memories there. The lady working there gave us our tickets for free as their wedding gift to us. Living in such a rural community at home in Donegal, getting on a carousel on your wedding day is not something that would be expecting to do! But we really had our hearts set on it and are so glad to have made the trip over to Brooklyn for it."

To end their day Meg and Andy dined on the Bateaux Dinner Cruise with beautiful night views of New York City from both the Hudson and the East Rivers, followed by a jazz/Motown band on board. How storybook romance is that?!

If you're thinking of having an elopement wedding, Meg and Andy have some advice: "All through our journey of planning our NYC elopement and our wedding reception/celebration (which happened when we got home to Donegal) whenever I was worrying about something Andy kept saying “we are only going to do this once” – something which is definitely worth keeping in mind. This is a once in a lifetime moment, there is no point getting caught up in stressing about things or worrying (like worrying about chopping a chunk of your hair off the night before the wedding or the “small intimate and informal” reception/celebration you planned turning into a massive traditional wedding reception with numbers that forever seem to be spiralling upwards...) these things are no big deal in the greater scheme of things."

Huge congratulations to you both and thank so much for sharing your New York elopement with us! A big thank you also to Cyrience for sharing your work with us, to see more of her work pop over to www.cyrience.com

The Wedding Details:

• Second Shooter: Sarah Day-Boodhoo Photography
• Getting Ready: Hotel Giraffe
• Ceremony: Wisteria Pergola, Central Park
• Reception: Bateaux Cruise
• Wedding Dress, flowers & Accessories: Love Ezra
• Shoes: Red or Dead at Schuh

• Groomsmen’s suits: House of Fraser
• Cupcakes: Billy’s Bakery
• Wedding Bands: Weir & Sons
• Ceremony Officiant: Deborah Day at The Wedding Promise