Winter weddings typically conjure up images of cozy fires, and laughter by twinkling candlelight. Standing on the Cliffs of Moher for wedding photographs being buffetted by the wind doesn't quite fit with that image, and not many couples would be up for it in January. But Triona and Robbie decided to trust their photographer Mrs Redhead and have their first look in an epic location and the results are treasured memories they will have forever. Their gorgeous wedding epitomises their home in the West of Ireland, with a ceremony and celebration in the lovely Hotel Doolin, and breaks the mould for winter weddings, which is so inspiring.
Triona and Robbie have one of those amazing falling in love stories tinged with just a bit of magic, as Robbie recounted...
When I was celebrating my birthday back in May 2013 with my friend Mick, I never thought I would be lucky enough to meet my future wife, but that’s exactly what happened. When I was introduced to Triona by Mick, I was captivated from the first moment. Triona, (who we all know is so generous and caring,) heard it was my birthday, offered to buy me a birthday drink, but I, ever the gentleman, politely refused, instead offering to buy her one. And so it was: we ended up chatting and laughing for the whole night. We got on so well that I knew he had to meet Triona again so before the night ended I had already secured a second date the following week...
May 2013 was the start of one of the hottest summers most of us will ever remember. I had just moved to Lahinch and Triona was living in Liscannor, so we spent some amazing times together. Triona would drive home from work and we would have a picnic of cheese, crackers and wine, and would spend hours down at the beach together eating, drinking wine, listening to Ben Harper, Gomez and other great bands, all the while laughing at all the revellers coming out of the nightclubs and going for late night swims. Triona didn’t have any late night swims. She has a fear of jellyfish, crabs and any type of sea creatures that could appear to frighten the life out of her. We had an unreal summer, it was nearly too good to be true. One evening the crackers went to Triona’s head and she put a very temporary end to the fun. This blip lasted around 12 hours before she decided that what we had was the real deal.
Fast forward a few years and Robbie wanted to secure the deal, but getting the proposal organised proved more than a little tricky...
We had been living together for around two years and I was very keen to pop the question. I had been planning it for some time, but circumstances kept getting in the way, mainly the unpredictable Irish weather. For example we were staying in a glamping park in Mayo and I had planned to propose after we hiked Keel hill overlooking beautiful Keel Beach in Achill Island, but as luck would have it, when we got there, a damp fog covered the hill and we literally couldn’t see each other never mind the ring I had brought with me. I was disappointed but it didn’t deter me.
So on March 25th we went out to Loop Head, the furthest point on the Clare Coastline and we went for a walk to the Bridges of Ross. For those who aren’t familiar with the area, there are plenty of rocks and crevices so I decided to wedge the ring box down a crevice to surprise Triona. I got Triona to the exact spot while beginning to explain how rock is formed, which infuriated Triona as I never studied rock formation. Given the fact that she came from Clare and living in Liscannor, she has a pretty good idea how things work on the coastline! Anyway it was all part of the plan. While going on about rocks, I pointed down to where I had hidden the box and Triona was like... “what’s that”. Next thing, I’m on one knee and safely managed to retrieve the box ( I could think of a hundred things that could have gone wrong) and asked Triona “if she would marry me”. She said yes!
The couple chose to have a winter wedding in a part of Ireland usually associated with surfing and summer lifestyle, but they didn't let that deter them, but engaged the services of some great wedding pros to help guide them and make the entire process so much easier...
We knew that getting married in January was going to be risky, especially when you consider the changeable weather we get here in Ireland. However, with Mrs. Redhead’s vast experience, our minds were put at ease as she suggested a number of options if the weather didn’t go our way. Luckily, it did and we managed to get the photos that we so desired. We decided to do ‘The First Look’ prior to the ceremony as we were advised by Mrs.Redhead that daylight hours would go against us, it gets dark around 4pm in winter time on the west coast of Ireland. This worked out perfectly, even though it was a little cold at our chosen spot on the Cliffs of Moher but it was so worth it! The photos were outstanding with many destined for the frame, our only problem now is which ones to chose? I just wish we had more than mantlepiece!
I can only imagine the relief when it was time to head back to Hotel Doolin, get warmed up and start the celebrations. The couple chose Hotel Doolin just down the road as the location for both ceremony and celebration which simplified everything for their guests and meant they could maximise their time during the short winter daylight hours.
We chose The Barn at Hotel Doolin as it ticked all the boxes for us, the design of the barn is amazing and it has a very warm feel to it. The staff and management went over and above for us and we couldn’t thank them enough. Everything from the layout, the decor, tables, food was outstanding. One particular highlight for us was the effort that was made at the entrance to the main room, the decor planners must have spent hours creating this very unique flower arrangement that hung above where we stood thanking our guests at the end of the wedding ceremony and also where we waited before re-entering the room for dinner.
It was such an amazing day, we took a gamble having the big day in early January but it certainly paid off. The whole day went without a blip, everything was exactly how we wanted it and our guests seemed to have enjoyed it as much as we did. Hearing my sister and the band play ‘At Last” by Etta James and ‘Cosmic Love’ by Florence and the Machine and also having ‘Liscannor Bay’ written by Micko Flynn as the song for our first dance. (It was also important to) make sure it was an inclusive wedding for all our guests. Bringing both hearing and Deaf cultures together made it a unique experience for everyone. 
So having organised a winter wedding and taking a few risks (that paid off) what advice would Robbie and Triona give to other couples planning their day? Don’t stress about the small things but pray the weather is on your side, especially in Ireland where four seasons can occur in a day, we were lucky though.
The couple were married in January last year so honeymooning in an exotic location was still possible...
We decided to just have a ‘mini-moon’ right after the wedding due to our workload in January. We spent two nights in lovely Inchydoney in Cork and three nights in the beautiful city of Lisbon in Portugal. Had the best of both worlds and some good weather too. We had the official two week honeymoon Mauritius in April-May and it was spectacular.
Thank you so much to Robbie and Triona for sharing their beautiful winter wedding with us all. So fabulous! Huge thanks too, to Olga of Mrs Redhead Photography for sharing her lovely photographs.
