When telling a story there's nothing as heart-warming as a happy ending - or happy beginning in this case. You may remember that a few weeks ago we featured the engagement photos of Tara and Raul, taken by Mary Brown last Spring, where they looked so cute together with the tulips and a bicycle. Today we are very excited to show you the second part of their story - their beautiful winter wonderland wedding in the snow at the Leixlip Manor.
Tara is Irish, but Raul hails all the way from Mexico, so his family flew all the way to Ireland for the big day and in fairness the blanket of snow that awaited them must have been quite a shock. But the beautiful celebration was totally worth the dip in temperatures - a warm and loving atmosphere clearly awaited them...
A Little Inspiration
We're always curious about how a wedding comes together, so what inspired Tara & Raul in designing their day, and how did they add their own style and personalities to the wedding?
I wanted a warm, intimate day, with a country feel and a focus on quality food. I didn't want the traditional mix of red, greens and golds on my day. One of my favourite colours is purple - so I worked the day around the theme of old Hollywood glamour - with a splash of deep purple! I was thrilled with how both the church in Tallaght, the Liffey Valley House,the choice of vintage car helped us create this on the day.
We chose to personalised all of our stationery, invites, mass booklets, menus and guestbook, using the engagement shots from Mary Brown Photography; these helped us set the personal and intimate tone. They were perfect and even managed to include a bicycle trip as homage to Raul's love of cycling!
The Golden Age of Hollywood...
The style I wanted was old Hollywood glamour rather than a very traditional bridal look. My dress was a slinky satin number by Ronald Joyce with an ostrich feather jacket and birdcage veil to complete the look! The bridesmaids wore deep, rich purple floor length gowns, with black fur stoles to keep the cold out!
The Powderoom Girls were brilliant on the day and arrived early despite the snow - the results were amazing for the whole bridal party - it took the stress out of the preparations as Rhona and Susan worked their magic on us - all 7 of us!
The wedding ceremony was held in the pretty church of St Anne’s in Bohernabreena followed by the wedding reception in the Leixlip Manor and Gardens (formally known as the Liffey Valley House Hotel).
How gorgeous are this couple? Tara looks the epitome of old school Hollywood glamour, I wracked my brain for ages and then it came to me - she's just like Vivien Leigh (Gone with the Wind). One word: Beautiful.
Love
At last the secret of how Tara managed to keep her poise and elegance while negotiating snow and compacted ice - check out the hilarious pink & leopard print wellies, glamorous + practical = this bride.
These intimate and relaxed shots are just what wedding portraits should be about - Mary Brown is an amazing talent, and knows just how to capture the essence of a couple. And I know that Christina Brosnan accompanied her on this shoot, so Tara & Raul had two of the very best on hand to capture their winter wonderland wedding.
Snow Joke!
Friends and Favours...
Nothing adds that personal touch to a wedding than having friends and family contribute to the day by using their talents and creativity. Tara and Raul were very lucky to have some talented people to call on to lend a hand.
A talented family friend, Monica Daffy, took care of all the flowers and church decorations. Sadly now retired so this was a huge personal favour! Another talented family friend, Tina Cosgrove, made our wedding cake. I decorated the venue with lots of my own purple Christmas decorations and had lots of twinkling candles to help create the atmosphere around the whole house.
The Sweetest Things
I spy with my little eye - a sweet bar (see we told you last week this was becoming a big 2011 wedding trend)
The first dance
To observe our Irish and Mexican union we had 2, one in English and one in Spanish! First was "By Your Side" by Sade - which I love for a few reasons, I love Sade's smooth voice and love the moment this song features in SATC - when Richard melts Samantha's heart. Then "Beseme Mucho" by Luis Miguel - this is the song that was playing when Raul proposed to me in Mexico.
What a pair of romantics...
What Are Your Favourite Memories From the Day?
It' s so hard to pick out moments from the day - I enjoyed it all! I loved having everyone in the hotel that morning to get ready, family and close friends. After a morning of pampering and drinking bubbly, leaving with both of my parents in the vintage Rolls Royce - that's when it really hit me that I was going to get married!
Seeing the Dublin mountains under a blanket of snow, making our way up the winding mountain road and turning into the narrow church gate of St Anne's in Tallaght, they were special moments with my parents - there were a few tears! After that it was walking up the aisle and having Raul meet me at the top with a huge smile! I really enjoyed the dancing too - the dance floor was full all night - the band had everyone on their feet! The latin sounds of the DJ really hit the spot for the travelling Mexicans.
And Any Wise Words For Other Brides & Grooms?
Have a budget and agree what are the top three areas, which will help give you the day of your dreams. Shop around and negotiate - if you don't ask you won't get!
If you are lucky enough to have talented friends - they may be able to offer their services to you in lieu of wedding presents.
So all there is to say now is a Big Congratulations to Tara & Raul, hope you had an amazing time on honeymoon in Cuba and the Riveria Maya in Mexico, and are well and truly settled into married life now...
And a huge thanks to Mary Brown for sharing these gorgeous wedding photos with us, we are honoured as always. Mary has lots more over on her own website and on her facebook page
The Wedding Suppliers
Make-up: The Powder Room Girls
Bride's Dress: Ronald Joyce
Bride's Shoes: Marks & Spencers
Groom's Suit: Kenneth Cole
Bridesmaids' Dresses: Romantica from Hickey’s Bridalwear
Groomsmen's Suits: Black Tie
Ceremony Musicians: Catherine Byrne
Band: The Midnight Specials
Cake: TÃÂna Cosgrave - 01 4513220
Vintage Car: Cassidy Chauffeurs
Stationery: Modern Printers, Kilkenny
