Today's real wedding is a gorgeous one! But I also think it's going to be hugely helpful to lots of couples too. Back before Christmas, beautiful bride Rosie got in touch with us with an idea of creating some content for brides and grooms planning a wedding with disability, and so our Accessible Weddings series was born! And today, Rosie, and her dashing groom Niall are sharing their romantic wedding at Markree Castle. From the chic style to the pretty details, and the extravagant setting to Rosie's amazing tips for managing MS on your big day, this wedding is laden with ideas and advice - oh, and the photographs by Darek Novak are pretty fabulous too!
Rosie designed the stationery herself - isn't it pretty, we're loving those bold hues!
Rosie & Niall both met when they started studying journalism at DCU, “Niall sat down beside me and disguised the fact he was a computer whizz kid just so he could ask for my help and strike up conversation.” explains Sligo-native, Rosie, “He then spent the next three months showing me the sights of Dublin and walking me to the train station every Friday before eventually plucking up the courage to ask me out properly.”
Seriously swooning over these bridesmaids in blue - the pink sunnies are giving the dresses real retro vibes.
Rosie tells us about the emotional proposal, “I had just been diagnosed with MS and a month later when we were visiting my family home in Sligo, he got down one one knee at my favourite spot overlooking Lough Arrow. I started crying so much he had to remind me I still hadn’t said yes! After such a difficult month, the proposal couldn’t have come at a better time - we suddenly had this amazing thing to look forward to.” And… now we’re welling up too!
Rosie describes her and Niall’s wedding day as magical, “There are no other words for Markree Castle, it’s such an enchanting place and everything about it takes your breath away. I designed the wedding invites with this in mind too, taking inspiration from the beautiful flowers and grounds of Markree Castle to give guests a taster of how the day would feel. We wanted a relaxed and enchanting summer vibe and we just so happened to be blessed with a scorching July day.”
Niall was one stylish groom, rocking a grey plaid to stand out from the rest of the wedding party.
Rosie had two clear priorities in planning her wedding, “Marrying the man I love and that I would be healthy on the day. My MS dictated how we planned most of the wedding but it also made me focus on the most important part of it all. I had a bad MS and pain flare-up up two months before the wedding and we came very close to having to postpone it but I decided that, at the very least and if I managed nothing else, I was going to make it up that aisle.”
Rosie explains how determined she was to not to let her MS get in the way, “I played that moment over and over in my head whenever I felt unwell so I remember, as clear as day, being finally sat outside the chapel, waiting to walk down the aisle, and thinking: “I did it. My MS didn’t stop me and I’m finally going to walk down the aisle and into the arms of my best friend.” In the months previous, I’d barely dared hope it would come true, so when it did, well, it was the most amazing and meaningful experience - I think I sobbed happy tears for the first part of the ceremony!”
The bride and groom have some jewels of wisdom to impart on other couples, “The ceremony really is the most precious part of the day so cherish it. When stress levels start to soar in the months leading up to the wedding, concentrate on that image of walking down the aisle to your partner and all the other little wedding stresses will melt away as it puts all those worries into perspective. The day goes so fast so cherish every moment and remember to build in some time for just the two of you so that you can take it all in together.”
Rosie tells us a bit about how she & Niall worked their day around her MS, without letting it ruin her fun, “My MS meant that I had to consider the day in terms of how best to manage my pain and fatigue levels. Having a later ceremony start time and getting married in the same place as the reception and the pictures cut out on a lot of tiring travel between locations. Everyone from the hotel to those doing hair and makeup were briefed on my MS and they were all fantastic on the day in helping me minimise stress and manage my MS.”
The staff at Markree Castle deserve a particular special mention as Rosie explains, “They went above and beyond on the day - little things like, whenever a member of staff saw me standing for more than a minute, they would appear behind me with a chair so I didn’t have to stand for too long. I get a lot of neck pain too so I bought along a microwavable hot pack and they heated that for me regularly throughout the day. They were even the ones to suggest that I should head back to the room for a rest after the main meal and they’d drop the dessert down. They’d thought of everything!”
As well as the ceremony, Rosie and Niall worked the timeline of the day so Rosie would feel her best, “We had our photos taken immediately after the ceremony as I knew my pain levels would be at their best at that point. It also gave us time together to take the whole thing in. We then went back inside where we sat down to greet our guests. This meant we didn’t have to stand around immediately after the ceremony, as is often done at Irish weddings, which kept my pain levels in check but it also made the whole day feel more relaxed as we had more time to spend greeting our guests after the photos were taken. For the afters, the hotel reserved a big couch beside the dancefloor for us so I was able to sit and chair dance to give my legs a rest at points during the night.”
The couple had got a scorcher for their wedding day, so their guests were able to spend time outside after the ceremony.
The venue was the couple’s first choice, and a long-time fave of Rosie’s, “I’m from Sligo originally and I’ve loved Markree Castle since I was a child so in the end we didn’t even view a second venue. Markree had just been sold when we got engaged and it was going to be closed for two years for renovations. Knowing the castle as it had been before, we totally trusted them to do an amazing job and the end result is totally breathtaking - it’s like stepping into a real-life Disney castle.”
Rosie & Niall’s wedding day was a real family effort, “I designed the invitations and stationary, my talented mum made the beautiful cakes and all the favours, while Niall’s dad, brothers and cousin, played a song during the ceremony - including world bodrán champion Aimee Farrell-Courtney,” Rosie tells us. “As we were lucky enough not to have to pay for the favours my mum made, in lieu of what we would have spent on them, we instead made a donation to MS Ireland and CanTeen Ireland, Ireland’s young people’s cancer support group - two charities very close to our hearts. All these little touches along with plenty of old photographs, made the day feel very personal."
Rosie's mam is one talented baker - this spread is beautiful!
What a beautiful room!
Rosie's dress is so elegant - that train is just beautiful, and her set waves are straight off the red carpet.
Rosie had a clever trick for finding gorgeous shoes that still met her needs, “I got the shoes from Jasper Conran at Debenhams, then had ribbon and fastening alterations carried out by Crilly Shoe repairs, in Ashleaf Shopping Centre, Dublin.” Her other tip for brides or wedding guests with mobility issues, “Pretty walking sticks are available from Shopmobility Dundrum and Johnstown Garden Centre.”
There's those happy tears again!
Rosie and Niall had an epic honeymoon after their big day, “We did a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Alaska. Because of my MS, I’m unable to tolerate very hot climates and I’m not allowed some travel vaccinations so with the help of our amazing travel agent, Helen Kelly of Travel Counsellors, we planned the most perfect disability-friendly honeymoon. We did a few nights in Seattle before getting a cruise to see some of Alaska’s top spots, where we enjoyed countless chances to do some whale watching.”
Thanks so much to Rosie & Niall for sharing their day, and of course to Darek Novak for capturing it so beautifully!
For more insights and tips into how Rosie managed her MS while wedding planning, visit her site, sherunswithms.wordpress.com, she also runs a Facebook group, Weddings with a Difference. Stay tuned for another feature from Rosie, coming next week, and read our guide to planning a wheelchair accessible wedding.
