Real Weddings: Olivia and Gary’s dazzling Dublin wedding

THE CEREMONY
We had the best morning getting ready in The Westin. I was lucky enough to know all of the insanely talented people getting the bridal party ready. My brother Andew who flew back from LA walked me down the aisle and did my hair and the icon Sue Brophy who did my make-up is a friend. I felt the most beautiful I ever had in my life. Elaine Cruz and Stephanie Nwambu did the most incredible job with the bridal party. 

We had the most stunning venue in Dublin City Hall; it was the only place we wanted to get married. A gorgeous string quartet called Bohemian Strings played our favourite songs for us which was magical in that setting. I can’t say enough kind words about our celebrant Ruth Scott – she kept us at ease as we knew how prepared she was during the whole lead-up, and we had a good laugh through it, exactly what we wanted.

THE RECEPTION
After the ceremony we wanted to have a pint in my dad’s favourite pub so when taxis wouldn’t stop for the girls to go down the road, we ended up walking down Dame St to O’Neills and had such a laugh. It ended up being one of my favourite parts of the day.

The Westin on Westmoreland Street has always been very special for my mam and me, so when it was free on our wedding date I was over the moon! The Banking Hall is one of the most beautiful spaces I’ve ever been in and with personalized decor, it was out of this world. The staff there go above and beyond and I have to mention Eilish and Kelly who made the day absolutely seamless and helped me so much in the planning and details. We had John Byrne sing at the reception which got everyone hyped up and ready for the party.

THE ENTERTAINMENT
After our gorgeous meal, we had SoulPower as our band, they were so professional and started bang on time. I couldn’t recommend them more, from the song list to the fun they brought playing saxophone on the chairs at the tables with our guests. I literally didn’t sit down once from when they started playing and the dancefloor was packed with all ages throughout. They stayed on to DJ and we had the best night we could have asked for!

THE DECOR
We were so lucky with the day we got, it was absolutely beautiful. I had picked bright florals and accents and the sun just brought it all together. When I met with Heather from Flowerpop she listened to every idea I had and was really honest about what area was best to focus on with our budget. Apart from being the nicest and soundest person you’ll ever meet she is so talented and she recommended Grace Cahill to style our day.

I hadn’t thought about this at all and was just going to use everything the hotel provided but I do highly recommend going the extra mile and hiring a stylist. From city hall to the banking hall, the extra touches elevated the whole day and I’m so happy we had Grace. We also had personalized handmade place names made by d8 makers with gorgeous glass hearts that were great mementos. Ciara from Dabble Creatives did all of our signs and menus and gave me so many beautiful options and was a dream to work with.

THEIR TOP TIPS
Listen to the professionals! Pretty much every idea I had turned out differently to what I had initially thought it would be. I had complete faith in the team that does this day in and out and it worked out. It looked a million times better and more personal than anything I would have done by myself. I also ordered a Polaroid guest book off Etsy and Gary’s two cousins took charge of getting the guests in it and it’s one of my most prized possessions.