Although today's real wedding couple Caitríona & Ruairí were forced to make major adjustments to their Ashley Park House wedding due to Covid-19, including reducing their original wedding guest numbers from 170 to just 45, the end result was no less magical for it! Their effortlessly elegant soirée, which took place in August 2020, strikes a perfect balance between chilled and luxurious, as well as being oh-so-romantic. After months of stressful planning, you can really feel their excitement when the big day finally arrived in the gorgeous photographs below by Syona Photography!
Caitríona, the bride, is Limerick born and bred. Ruairí, the groom, is from Dublin originally but moved to Limerick when he was a child. The pair are childhood sweethearts, meeting when they were both in their last year of secondary school and just shy of 18. Caitríona fills us in, "We met at a friend’s 18th fancy dress birthday party at Shannon Rugby Club in Limerick. Ruairí was dressed as a pirate (complete with a fab smokey eye) and I was dressed as a mime. I spotted him and approached him. We spent the whole night chatting and had a cheeky kiss or two. Ruairí apparently 'lost my number' but we reconnected on a night out about 2 months later and the rest, as they say is history!"
Years later, Ruairí popped the question on Christmas Eve in a a very stylish manner! Caitríona tells us the story, "It was Christmas Eve 2018 and I was at home watching RuPaul’s Drag Race on my phone in my parents’ house in Limerick while Ruairí was out at his parents’ house. He kept messaging me asking what time I was calling but I kept swiping his message away as it was rudely interrupting that week’s episode of Drag Race! Eventually I put some clothes on and made my way out to Ruairí with gifts for his family. Ruairí had bought me a new phone earlier that month as my Christmas present so I wasn’t expecting anything. He whisked me out to the extension in his family home and leaned down and picked up something hidden behind the couch (my initial thought was a puppy). I quickly realised it was a Brown Thomas bag and I opened up the packaging with the most beautiful Mulberry bag inside. I was so excited as I had wanted one for years and talked about it a lot! I spent the next few minutes parading up and down the room admiring my new bag, taking photos and sending them to my mam. Ruairí kept insisting that I take the tissue paper out from inside the bag. Eventually, I did as he suggested and I found the ring box tucked just inside. Ruairí got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Our families burst in the door. I had been texting my mam not knowing she was in the next room! Ruairí had come over earlier that day and arranged for my parents to follow me out to his family home shortly after I had left!"
Caitríona's utterly dreamy wedding gown is a Willowby by Watters design which she sourced at Alice May Bridal. She completed her bridal look with a matching soft tulle veil by Joyce Jackson, which she also picked up at Alice May Bridal, earrings by Lily&Roo, a bridal handbag from Glitzi Bitz, and white heels which were a clever New Look find. I think we can all agree that she looks incredible!
We love a proud parent moment!
Ruairí and his groomsmen looked suitably dapper in suits from Dorian Black.
Caitríona and Ruairí tell us that their top priority for their wedding day was the comfort of their family members and friends. "From the very beginning, our priority was planning a day that was 'easy' for Ruairí and me and also for our guests. We wanted a day where we didn’t have to stress about travel, timings, accommodation and all the little extras. We wanted somewhere where guests could arrive and relax and enjoy the day and not have to travel between ceremony and reception or worry about getting accommodation. We also wanted somewhere that was accessible to Limerick and the rest of the country."
When it came time to find a venue, Ashley Park House ticked all the boxes. "Once we saw the Boathouse in Ashley Park we were sold. That setting is just breathtaking and so unique for an Irish venue. We felt Ashley Park ticked all the boxes of what was most important to us in planning our perfect day," Caitríona says.
That 'Just Married' magical feeling!
The couple had some really special moments and memories created for them by family and friends. The couple's stationery was designed by friend and bridesmaid Katie Hession which included a beautiful sketch of Ashley Park House and Ruairí’s granny Patsy made an heirloom Mountmellick Lace monogram ring pillow for the ceremony which Caitríona says, "we’ll treasure forever". She adds, "My mam also gave me her wedding coin which she had when they got married over 30 years ago (an old Irish tradition) which I kept in my purse for the day."
Caitríona describes the couple's big day as, "totally relaxed and fun with good music and food." She adds, "We didn’t feel the need to spend on anything to add to vibe/look as Ashley Park is such a gorgeous setting. It was also the party of the summer, as we had just emerged from some severe Covid restrictions, so, for most, it was the only event people attended that year (although this obviously wasn’t in our initial vision!)."
Ruairí’s late Grandad Al O’Donnell was a renowned Irish folk singer and friend of Luke Kelly, and he regularly played with the Dubliners. As a tribute, the couple's musician, Graham Coe, played Raglan Road during the ceremony, which Caitríona describes as "a gorgeous moment."
Caitríona's advice to engaged couples is to, "(not) stress over the little things! I know it’s cliché but nobody is going to notice small details. Focus on food, drink and good music. For Covid couples; we ended up having less than 50 guests and still had the best day ever. We got to spend so much time together and actually chat with our guests."
After the wedding, Caitríona and Ruairí managed to steal away for a few nights close to home, and are planning to honeymoon abroad in the near future. "We went to the Europe for a few days and to the Wineport Lodge. We're hoping we can get away somewhere more exotic at some stage – we haven’t quite decided where yet. Just have to wait and see! We would definitely recommend the Europe in Killarney."
Thanks so much to Caitríona and Ruairí for sharing their gorgeous Ashley Park House wedding with us, and to Syona Photography for providing the beautiful imagery! There are even more photographs to swoon over in the gallery below.
