Today's real wedding is just plain gorgeous from start to finish. A glamorous bride, her beaming groom, a stylish bridal party, romantic decor and a beautiful venue - this one has got the lot! Rebecca & Eugene started planning their wedding at Ballymagarvey Village all the way from Canada, but moved back home to settle down ahead of their big day. Their celebration was beautiful, intimate and full of laughs, and the talented Carey Nash Photography came all the way from Canada to capture all the joy and excitement.
Eugene met Rebecca at her best friend Clodagh’s 18th birthday in the local GAA club, “Eugene had come along as wing man for his cousins (Conor, a groomsman) and we ended up chatting all night long.” Rebecca tells us.
But they didn’t go on a date straight away, “Eugene was very shy back then, and after months of texting he finally asked me out on a date. Roll on 10 years later and we married on the anniversary of our first date!”
Personalised Champagne - love it!
Rebecca says they crammed a lot of fun into their first decade together, “We've been pretty inseparable over those 10 years and took the plunge and moved to Canada in 2012 not knowing a soul, we lived there together for four of the best years but the draw for home was too much and we moved home 10 months before the wedding and set up home.”
How stunning is Rebecca's dress - what a babe! The bouquets are beautiful too.
The couple got engaged while on holidays in Mexico, “On the first night Eugene suggested a walk on the beach, I gave off about the seaweed (little did I know I scuppered his plans of a romantic beach proposal), explains Rebecca, “He got his courage back and later that night proposed on our room’s balcony.”
The couple describe the look and vibe of their day as floral, vintage and relaxed.
Rebecca got to walk down the aisle to one of her favourite songs, “I am a big Beyonce fan, and some how was able to convince our priest to let me walk down the aisle to Halo, which our church singer Sionan Mullan did an amazing version off.”
Rebecca & Eugene wanted their wedding to feel intimate and laid-back, “We wanted to share our day with our nearest and dearest, we only invited family and close friends. We wanted them to have a great day, so a venue with great food and a good band were our priority. A venue that we could relax in and enjoy the day was also so important.”
Love the neckline on the bridesmaids' dresses - and the colour really adds to the romantic feel of the whole day.
The couple did the initial stages of their planning from afar, “As we were living in Canada, we didn't actually get to see Ballymagarvey Village in person before we booked. We researched a number of venues online and both our mums went to view them for us, as we knew we could trust them. The second they left Ballymagarvey they rang us to stop looking it was our perfect venue, which it really was. The staff were amazing from start to finish.” Looks like their mams had pretty great taste!
Wow - this room! It's like something out of a fairytale.
Rebecca & Eugene say it’s important to enjoy the planning process, “We made sure to do as much as possible together, and although there where some stressful times we laughed through it all. Try and get most of the big things booked early and if there are any DIY elements don't leave them to the last minute.”
The couple made the lettering themselves, "Handy to have a joiner as a fiancé," Rebecca joked.
Rebecca & Eugene named their tables after iconic couples - give me the Duckworths' romance over Romeo and Juliet any day!
The couple loved having everyone in their lives in one place, “We were lucky to have great friends fly over from Canada to be a part of the day, which we loved, and got to show them a real Irish wedding which they loved.”
The speeches were another highlight of the day, Rebecca tells us, “We have a running joke among
our friends about Build a Bears that we made on our first anniversary, Brendan our best man produced them as part of our speech which was hilarious!”
The couple stayed close to home after the wedding, “We did a minimoon tour of Ireland right after the wedding, as we realised when living in Canada little we had actually seen of Ireland. We are heading on our big honeymoon to Dubai and The Maldives.”
Such a beautiful wedding, I'm officially obsessed! Thanks so much to Rebecca & Eugene for sharing their story with us, and to Carey Nash Photography for sending these stunning photos our way!
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- Reception: Ballymagarvey Village
The Wedding Details
- Photography: Carey Nash Photography
- Ceremony: Church of St Michael, Carlingford Co. Louth
- Wedding Dress: Anna Campbell
- Bridal Boutique: Pearl & Dot
- Veil from Elody Bride
- Bridesmaids dresses: Ghost London
- Shoes: Jimmy Choo at Brown Thomas
- Flowers: Mille Fiori Florist
- Groom(smen)'s suits: Red Groomswear
- Eugene's waistcoat: Suitor Brothers
- Bridesmaids earrings: Betty and Biddy
- Bags: Accessorize
- Cake: M&M Cakes
- Cars: Unity Wedding Cars
- Wedding Favours: Donations to Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust
- Make Up: Fiona Murphy
- Hair: Kay Burns
- Reception Music: The Seducers