We often see smaller, more intimate Dublin city weddings, but what's to do if you would like to plan a bigger bash in the capital? Today's gorgeous real wedding should give you some answers. Allison and Matt had the task of combining their large Irish and Canadian families for a big wedding in the heart of Dublin, and wowee did they do it in style. They chose the opulent surroundings of the grand ballroom of The Westin as the venue for a beautifully designed celebration, after a ceremony in the Unitarian Church on St. Stephen's Green. Their Canadian guests were truly treated to a gorgeous version of the best party on the planet (honestly, what can compare to a good old Irish wedding?). Tara Aherne caught it all on camera and we're thrilled to share with you such beautiful inspiration and love...
Both passionate travellers, Canadian Allison and Irish Matt met while they were wandering the globe, Allison gave us the deets... "I’m from Vancouver, Canada, and Matt’s from Stranorlar, Co. Donegal and naturally, we met backpacking in Brazil. I often tease him that I was only interested in his good looks since I couldn’t understand his thick Donegal twang. I was planning on moving to the UK and when I arrived six months later he got in touch and we started dating then. The rest, as they say, is history!"
Zip forward a few years, and the couple were back in Allison's home of Vancouver where she was performing bridesmaid duties for a friend. A few days before the wedding Allison and Matt snuck off on a mini-holiday to a beautiful beach town, Tofino, on Vancouver Island. Matt had something special in mind. As with many proposals he had a good plan, but things didn't run quite as smoothly as planned... Allison told us what happened after dinner one night "As we walked down to the beach, he said 'we’ll have to do this tomorrow' and I said 'No, I'm on holidays, I’m not cooking AGAIN'. He freaked out because, unbeknownst to me, I had scuttled his plans to propose the next night. He then pretended to feel cold, so he could call my Dad to ask permission. Way to leave that to the last minute Matt! He hurriedly asked my Dad (the sun was about to set at this point) who thankfully said yes, but did check with my Mom first (take your time Dad!). In the end he proposed by writing Marry Me? in the sand as the sun set and of course I said ‘Are you joking? This is really mean if you are joking’ to which he replied ‘are you going to say yes’. So I said yes!" Definitely a case of all's well that ends well!
Before walking to their ceremony (sure it's only a short hop across town), the couple opted for a romantic first look. Lovely to calm the nerves beforehand.
Being from different countries Allison and Matt wanted their wedding to be a fusion of Canadian and Irish traditions. They chose Ireland as the location, so for all their guests visiting for the first time, they wanted to ensure they would have a really great experience. Allison explained their plans... "We had about 35 people come from abroad for our wedding so we tried to make their trip to Dublin a memorable one. We had events from Wed – Sun, including my hen do and out of towners stag for Matt; a mystery tour where we took everyone to the Wicklow Mountains; dinner and a show at Johnnie Foxes and finally the Guinness Factory." Quite the itinerary! Allison and Matt invited all of the Irish guests along too, so when it came time for the wedding everyone knew everyone and could let their hair down to have a proper good time. Such a good idea, and something to think about if you're having a wedding with lots of guests who might not have met each other before.
Walking across town in a wedding gown is quite the experience: cute pics and a host of admiring onlookers, and shouts of congratulations from well-wishers. Everyone loves a bride!
Making the ceremony even more enjoyable for them was " the very humorous and kind minister Keigh Troughton who had everyone laughing and crying through the ceremony."
How adorable are these two?
With lots of guests from overseas Allison and Matt really wanted a venue that was in Dublin, was large enough to fit both Irish and Canadian friends and family, had a little bit of history and a real wow factor. The Westin ticked all the boxes "The Westin ballroom has instant wow-factor! Even from the website it was my number once choice – I was so excited when we actually visited and the pictures weren’t just some crafty photography, it really is that beautiful. Finally the staff (from the doorman to the wait staff) made us feel incredibly welcome and went out of their way to ensure our guests were well care for throughout their stay."
Combining elegance and fun before heading to the ballroom Matt, Allison and their guests had a cocktail reception in the atrium with the Carolan String Quarter playing non-classical songs to entertain.
All of the little details dotted throughout The Westin were thanks to Allison's crafty Mom, who even from 7000 km away, got super involved with wedding DIY projects as Allison explained... "She used a craft cutter to stamp out thousands of pieces of custom confetti for our tabletops in shamrocks and maple leafs, she sprayed 130 maple leaves gold for our napkin details, created our gold glitter Mr & Mrs chair signs and put together our traditional Irish road sign with signs pointing to all the places our guests arrived from. " Allison used her stationery suite as an opportunity to merge Canada and Ireland. She worked with Anne from Citrus Ink to design an intertwined maple leaf and shamrock motif to use on all the stationery.
In such grand and beautiful surroundings as the Banking Hall in the Westin, the emphasis should always just be on tables, and so Allison asked Stephanie from The French Touch to create beautiful arrangements of white and pink, to complement the mint and gold palette she had designed. The gold maple leaves were arranged on mint napkins, and the table names were places the couple had visited, while simple white taper illuminated the whole to create a magical atmosphere.
The dinner was relaxed with the speeches peppered between the different courses, and a Canadian wedding game where tables can choose to sing the chorus of a love song (at any point during the meal) to get the bride & groom to kiss. Allison and Matt also opted not to have a top table and instead sit with the wedding party in the centre of the room. Their parents each sat with their family and friends.
Managing a wedding like this with guests coming in from abroad and a host of decorative details to organise, Allison and Matt are quite the pros, and have some essential advice to share "Be organised – consult wedding task lists and then divide your tasks up month by month. It’s easier on your budget this way (paying for stuff as you go along) and doesn’t leave you with loads of tasks to do the week before. I bought some of the bridesmaid gifts/accessories in a Boxing Day sale, and we weren’t getting married for nearly seven months. Do things how you want to do them and not just cause that’s how they’ve always been done: we didn’t rent a car and decided to walk down Grafton Street so we got a photo-booth instead – and it was a huge hit. Making the day a reflection of you both as a couple is what people will remember."
Splitting their honeymoon in two Allison and Matt first had an Irish minimoon in Inchydoney and of course the intrepid travellers are currently planning a big trip in South East Asia for the end of the year. Enjoy you two!
A big thank you to Tara Aherne for sharing her work with us. To see more of Tara's work head over to www.weddings.taraaherne.com
The Wedding Details:
- Ceremony: Dublin Unitarian Church
- Reception: The Westin Hotel
- Wedding Dress: Aire Barcelona
- Bridesmaids dresses: Donna Morgan
- Shoes: LK Bennett
- Flowers: The French touch
- Groomsmen’s suits: The Formal Suite, Michael Barrie
- Groomsmen’s Accessories: Mrs Bowtie
- Accessories: Etsy
- Stationery: Citrus Ink
- Make Up & Hair: Aoife Callaghan & Michelle Grimes
- Wedding Bands: Berganza, Hatton Gardens,King of Diamonds at Hatton Gardens
- Ceremony/Reception Music: Carolan String Quartet & Bentley Boys
- Wedding Planner: Claire Barry, White Sage Events
- Photobooth: Lulabelle
