Real Weddings: Ana and Kevin’s city wedding filled with love

THE PROPOSAL

I (Ana) have always dreamt of getting married, celebrating love with our favourite people in the world and building a strong base for our family. After four years together, we decided to move in together and, in Kevin’s mind, we were already married because of it. However, I always told him we were just testing the waters to see how it would be; we were not married yet. One year later, I told him I wanted to tie the knot, and during our summer holidays in France, he proposed when we were in Nice – a beautiful sunset, on his knees, asking if he could be my forever because no matter what, I was his forever already, while holding the most perfect engagement ring that represents exactly how we are as a couple: informal but full of love and beauty.

THE WEDDING ATTIRE

My dream dress is from the Italian designer Taller Marmo, and it was rented at HURR. I always knew that I didn’t want to buy my dress or wear a traditional wedding dress; I wanted something that felt like me. Our guests were calling me a modern princess and, if I’m honest, I felt like one. Kevin rented his gorgeous three-piece brown suit at Tangos. He thought about wearing a tuxedo because that’s what people expect from the groom, but our promise was always: “We will make it our day, our way!” And no regrets.

THE CEREMONY

Having an intimate ceremony with 40 people was always a dream of ours, and it was a perfect fit at the Dublin registry office. It’s intimate, gives that city wedding vibe we were looking for, and the aesthetic was also something we love.

THE RECEPTION

The original plan was to go from the registry to our lunch with no stops in between, but my lovely mother-in-law, Hellen, suggested having a prosecco hour nearby so we could do speeches, take family pictures, gather everyone together for the big congratulations cheers, and she couldn’t have had a better idea. It was perfect! The Hoxton Hotel accommodated us perfectly at their ground-floor bar. The staff were really helpful, and we couldn’t recommend them enough.

THE ENTERTAINMENT

As a couple in their 30s saving for a mortgage in Dublin, our wedding budget was limited, but we still wanted to give the best experience ever to our guests. With that being said, food is something we really care about, and Fallon & Byrne was the place a lot of my virtual friends voted for on my Instagram stories poll (@itsmeanab_). And let us tell you, it was hands down the best part of our day! Everyone said it was unbelievably good. The place is cosy, the staff is 10 out of 10, and it’s something we’re still talking about. The cherry on top was that we left personal letters for each of our guests at their seats, and this is a moment we will always remember.

THE DECOR

If you are also a couple getting married on a budget, Shein is your girl. We didn’t have a lot of decoration, to be honest, but from candles to personalised napkins and a cute welcome sign, it was all from Shein. They have a nice wedding selection; you just need to be patient to find it.

THEIR TOP TIPS

We couldn’t recommend enough having an intimate, small wedding. It can still be stressful because, at the end of the day, we want to give everybody a good experience, but our mindset was always: “We love you, but this is our day, the best day of our lives, and not to please anyone else but the two of us!” And it worked. The comments about our day were about how the love was overflowing at the venues, how we managed to mix both cultures well — Brazil and Ireland — and how amazing it is to have just your family and really best friends with you on that day. A few couples felt inspired by us and even proposed after, because it’s possible to be a modern couple and have a modern, non-traditional wedding. Also, buy disposable cameras and give them to a couple of guests. We have beautiful pics through their eyes.

THEY WISH THEY HAD

 We would have loved to have had a little bit more budget for a videographer. This was our biggest regret! Even though we had a wedding creator, it’s not quite the same. It feels like a piece is missing, and we have amazing vendors in Ireland doing it.