Finding the perfect wedding venue can be quite the arduous process, but not so for today's couple - Martina & Philip, their Kilronan Castle wedding enabled them to stick very close to their roots and be married in the lap of luxury. Martina & Philip chose to keep their wedding celebration very local and personal, with […]

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Finding the perfect wedding venue can be quite the arduous process, but not so for today's couple - Martina & Philip, their Kilronan Castle wedding enabled them to stick very close to their roots and be married in the lap of luxury.

Martina & Philip chose to keep their wedding celebration very local and personal, with their ceremony held in Martina's parish church - Fuerty Church in Roscommon, where generations of her family have been christened and wed, followed by a grand reception in the magnificent Kilronan Castle just up the road. Photographer Carol Dunne also incorporated the local scenery to create a very Irish wedding tableau...

This sense of home and local was very important to Martina & Philip "It was a day that showcased all that is great about the West of Ireland. From the beautiful traditional music in the church, which lent itself perfectly to the beautiful rural setting of my home parish to the stop over in our cosy local pub, and ending with the splendour of Kilronan castle. Generations of my family have been baptised in Fuerty Church, including our little boy John last year, so there was a lovely sense of history about the day."

Martina chose her strapless lace gown by Novia D'Art in Ciara Bridal in Powercourt, accessorised with a tulle sash and over-sized corsage at the waist, a vine for her hair to hold a beautiful tulle veil in place, and a diamond necklace, a gift from groom Philip (Good man! Start the way you mean to go on!)

Martina was especially delighted with her bouquet..."We had a limited budget for flowers but Claire really went above and beyond.She was a pleasure to deal with and her enthusiasim and love of her job really shone through in her creations."

Most couples say that the ceremony is their favourite part of the day, but for Martina and Philip it was extra-special "There was one very special moment in the church after we had said our vows. The band was playing the beautiful Irish air 'boolavogue', a favourite of Philip's late mum. The light in the church was really beautiful and I got this sense that both she and my dad were there with us. I felt extremely happy and peaceful at that moment."

After the ceremony there was the traditional stop off for a pint or two in the local before heading on to the splendour of Kilronan Castle for the reception. But it wasn't a quiet pint "On the way from the church to the reception we decided to stop in our local pub Daltons as a way of remembering my late dad who had often enjoyed a pint there.We had thought that the bridal party and maybe some close friends would join us but the rest of the guests had other ideas (our own fault really as we had put up a sign saying a quick pint after the 'I Dos') It ended up as an impromptu party before the party! The poor barmaid didn't know where to start but luckily there was a few experienced guests on hand to help out which added to the spontaneity of it all!

For all our international readers - the pose with the pints of Guinness is a must-have for every Irish wedding, you can almost play "spot the pint" in an Irish wedding album...

After the pints and poses, Martina & Philip headed on to the reception venue - Kilronan Castle in Roscommon, who come highly recommended from Martina "the staff there were amazing in helping us prepare for the big day, especially the wedding co-ordinator Ciara and the Maitre D' David who helped us at our tasting." Martina & Philip were married in the middle of the Six Nations campaign, so the rugby mad couple had to make a little adjustment to the timetable. "we requested that the dinner not start until after the Ireland vs England rugby match .I know a lot of brides would think I'm mad but I quite like sport and it was only 20 mins extra.It really added to the athmosphere of the day, especially considering Ireland won!"

What advice would you give other brides and grooms planning their day? It's an obvious one but enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, both the day and the build up to it. In particular the the week beforehand as at that stage most of the big things are organised, and it's just the pampering thats left. Also just be yourselves. If people see you enjoying yourselves they'll enjoy themselves too. Fun is infectious that way.

Congratulations guys, hope you're enjoying married life!

Many thanks of course to Carol Dunne, for allowing us to feature this beautiful Kilronan Castle wedding, and I think it's best to leave the last word to Martina... "I just wanted to add a note about our photographer Carol. Philip and I would not be the best at posing, so it was the one thing I was a little nervous about. However, I need not have worried... Carol made us both feel totally at ease. She just let the day flow naturally which I think is very evident in the pictures. I never felt like I was posing and completely forgot there was a camera, which is very unusual as I can usually spot them from a ten mile radius!"

All the Wedding Details...