For a couple whose engagement happened smack in the middle of a set at a music festival, it's no surprise that Gearoid and Anne Louise were totally focused on making sure music was a priority at their wedding. Along with music and food, Gearoid and Anne Louise wanted to make sure their guests had a rocking time at their celebration, and they managed to do just that! Photographer Christine Burns was at King House in Roscommon for their big day and captured the beautiful details for the happy couple!
Anne Louise and Gearoid met while they were both studying architecture, albeit in different countries, at a mutual friends party for St. Patrick's Day in Dublin - although Anne Louise says 'As Gearoid was wearing a hideous Meath GAA jersey, I didn’t take much notice.' A few years later, the two met again when they were both working at the same architecture firm, and sitting side by side, they became friends. Two years later, Anne Louise finally agreed to go on a proper date!
Fast forward nearly ten years from their first meeting, and Gearoid finally popped the question, or rather, made a suggestion that the two get married... It was June bank holiday 2012, we were at Forbidden Fruit music festival in Kilmainham, it was cold and a bit wet, we were in wellies and raincoats surrounded by friends and some of his brothers and my sisters. New Order were on Stage and everyone was very excited, emotional and a little drunk to finally get to see New Order live. Just before they played Joy Divisions ‘Love will tear us apart’ Gearoid was hugging me and whispered ‘why don’t we get hitched?’….and that was it. I didn’t really believe that he actually meant it for a few days after. The idea of us getting married had become a bit of a joke in my family, they thought that we had been together so long that at this late stage a wedding was never going to happen.
In fact, Anne Louise's mother was so shocked at the engagement that she gave the couple a family heirloom to use as an engagement ring... My mother was so excited she gave me my grandmothers old engagement ring to have, having 3 other sisters this caused a few raised eyebrows, as they all had there eye on that ring over the years! Thankfully it didn't cause any real rows!
Anne Louise and Gearoid chose St. Attractas Church in Ballinameen to have their ceremony.
The wedding was an emotional time for Anne Louise, whose parents and grandfather had recently passed away... Both of my parents and my grandfather passed away in the last 18 months so it was emotional day for all the family. It was nice to be back in the church and altogether for a happy occasion. My eldest sister, my bridesmaid made a lovely speech on behalf of my family. My mother gave me the earrings that she wore on her wedding day, to wear for my wedding a few months before she passed away. My father's older brother, who is also my godfather walking me up the aisle.
Aw, don't they look happy!
When it came time for wedding planning, the couple had their eye on King House in Boyle, Co. Roscommon... As we both live in Dublin now, we really wanted to have the reception locally and not far from church where the marriage ceremony was to be held, so guests would not have to far to drive. King House had the spaces for a great wedding and was located in the centre of town. It is owned by the County Council and usually operates as a museum, with tours of the house where you can learn about history of the local area and the house. It has amazing long Gallery room, with large windows either end, beautiful stone floor and fireplaces on the ground floor which is used as exhibition space during the Boyle Arts Festival.
But because the King House isn't typically used as a wedding venue, it lacks a few key elements that the couple had to sort out - for example, the house had no kitchen or dishwashing facilities or suitable furniture or even a bar! But the two put their heads together and overcame the logistical obstacles...They initially thought we were crazy and taking on too much, but as organising of the wedding progressed, they could see he potential the house had to offer. In the end, the caterer set up shop in a small marquee outside and managed to make dinner for 150 guests!
Anne Louise's bridal look is fabulous, don't you just love her head piece from Dirty Fabulous and her stunning gown is from Vintage Bride.
Gearoid and Anne Louise focused on their priorities when it came to planning the rest of their big day...We just wanted to have a nice party for all our friends and family, which would be elegant but relaxed at the same time and ensure the best of craic could be had by all! We decided that key to this was great food, great band and -being a wedding in Ireland- an endless supply of booze! We tried to do as much as we could ourselves so that we could spend more on food, band and booze. We thought the space in Kings House would be perfect for a wedding dinner banquet. It also has a large square room upstairs which overlooks the river which would be perfect for dancing the night away! An added bonus? When it came to decorating, Anne Marie and Gearoid didn't need to worry too much about the rooms as they were stunning just on their own!
We wanted to keep it simple and elegant, one bridesmaid, one best man, wearing nice outfits and not too matchy matchy. This is what we had in mind with flowers, cake and stationary and even wedding menu.
The best part for this happy couple? Having all our friends that we had met in different stages in our lives altogether in the one room, having a great time, was fantastic.
Anne Louise says her biggest advice to couples planning their weddings is not to get carried away with worrying about the little things that will only have little impact on the big day... We tried to do as much as we could ourselves so that we could spend more on food, band and booze. We made all the invitations and stationary, Anne Louise did all the flower arranging, a friend made the cake, Gearoids brother was DJ, and an uncle provided the wedding car.
Of course, Anne Louise and Gearoid had planned their honeymoon to be at a music festival! But at the last minute, a friend offered them a house in Connemara for the week after the wedding. So the two spent the week relaxing before capping off their honeymoon at the Longitude Festival in Dublin!
Thanks so much to Anne Louise and Gearoid for sharing their special and sweet day with us today. It's been a blast seeing a wedding in a space that isn't usually used for weddings - but we bet it might be more in the future! And thanks to Christine Burns for sharing such wonderful photos! To see more of Christine's work pop over to www.christineburnsphotography.ie
The Wedding Details:
- Ceremony: St. Attractas Church, Ballinameen, Co.Roscommon
- Reception: King House, Boyle, Co.Roscommon
- Photographer: Christine Burns
- Wedding Dress: Vintage Bride
- Bridesmaids dresses: Ted Baker
- Shoes: LK Bennett, Brown Thomas
- Flowers: Done by the bride
- Groom(smen)’s suits: Reiss
- Head piece & bird cage: Dirty Fabulous
- Cake: Karen Keaveney, the brides friend
- Stationery: DIY by the bride
- Make up: Grainne Caldbeck, Enhance Beauty
- Hairdresser: Celine at Grafters
- Ceremony Music: Riona O’Duinnin on flute
- Reception Music: The Ratzingers Band
- Caterer: Relish Cuisine