Real Weddings: Sarah and Liam’s autumnal Waterford wedding
From meeting on Bumble to getting engaged at sunset in Rome, Sarah and Liam planned their perfect autumnal wedding in Waterford Castle. Surrounded by their friends and family, they even had their fur baby Bruno bring up the rings!
THE COUPLE
Food Buyer Liam Kearney and Solicitor Sarah Noonan.
THEY LIVE
in Dublin.
THE VENUE
Waterford Castle, Ballinakill, Co. Waterford.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Adrian O’Neill of Stay Wild Images.
THEY MET
On Bumble!
THE PROPOSAL
We went to Rome, Italy on holiday and it was our anniversary while we were there. On the evening of our anniversary, Liam brought me to the Orange Gardens, overlooking Rome, for sunset, which was beautiful. The place was busier than he had anticipated and he started to panic as he knew I wouldn’t like a public scene!
I was oblivious to the whole thing but did start to wonder why he was getting so nervous all of a sudden. He found a quiet corner eventually and popped the question! It was the best surprise and lovely to celebrate in Rome afterwards.
THE DRESS AND THE SUIT
I loved the designs of WONÁ Concept — a Ukrainian fashion label — and had my eye on a few of their dresses. I was looking for a bridal shop in Ireland that stocked WONÁ Concept dresses and I found Forever Bridal Boutique in Belfast. I went to them and tried on just a couple of WONÁ Concept dresses and quickly chose the one!
Liam had decided early on that he wanted to go with a timeless black-tie suit. We went to Patrick Sheary Menswear in Dublin and Patrick really looked after us. He gave great advice and made sure the suit fitted Liam perfectly.
THE CEREMONY
We had our ceremony in the lobby of the beautiful Waterford Castle in front of their impressive fireplace. It was a personal ceremony with close family and friends. Aine McKenna of Celebrate Love was our celebrant and she did a great job.
We even had our furry baby Bruno bring up the rings!
THE RECEPTION
The reception was also at Waterford Castle and they pulled out all the stops. From the drinks and canapés at the drinks reception, to the evening meal and midnight supper, everything was just delicious!
THE ENTERTAINMENT
Music was very important to us and we wanted to keep the entertainment going. We had Clara Hutchinson singing at our ceremony and this was beautiful. We had Ukebox Music playing/singing for our drinks reception and they really got the crowd going (people dancing and singing along by 4.30pm!). During the meal, we had Joe Kenny playing the piano which went down really well – he can play anything! Lastly, we had Bluemoose as our evening band and they had the dance floor full for the night!
We also hired a selfie mirror with props from Acorn Party Hire and this was a big hit! It’s lovely to have the album of selfies that they give you at the end of the night.
THE DECOR
Waterford Castle is so beautiful as it is, so we were lucky we didn’t have to worry too much about décor. It was an autumn/Hallowe’en wedding, so we wanted to have pumpkins and the colour rust in our flowers. Liz Fitzgerald of Bizzy Lizzies Flowers did a fantastic job with our flowers and we loved the table centres she did with the flowers, pumpkins and ivy on the candelabras.
My aunt Anna also was a great help with the décor and put her creative stamp on the entrance to the castle.
We also wanted to stay with the autumn/Hallowe’en vibe for the wedding cake and Ann-Marie of Cherub Couture Wedding Cakes really nailed it!
THEIR TOP TIPS
Enjoy every moment of the day and try to take it in – it goes so fast. Try to be organised well in advance so you can really enjoy the week running up to the wedding.
THEY WISH THEY HAD
We wouldn’t change a thing! We would say to stress less on the run up to the wedding but this is probably only natural.
THEIR BEST MOMENTS
We loved it all!
THE FIRST DANCE SONG
Always Remember Us This Way – Lady Gaga.
THE CREW
Dress designer: WONÁ Concept. Venue & Food: Waterford Castle. Photographer: Adrian O’Neill of Stay Wild Images. Videographer: Cathal Farrelly Wedding Films. Florist: Liz Fitzgerald of Bizzy Lizzies Flowers. Cake: Ann Marie of Cherub Couture Wedding Cakes. Hair: Jamie Eve Garbutt. Makeup: Ellie Murphy. Bridesmaid dresses: Folkster. Celebrant: Aine McKenna of Celebrate Love. Ceremony Singer: Clara Hutchinson. Entertainment: Ukebox Music, Joe Kenny Pianist, and Bluemoose. Selfie Mirror: Acorn Party Hire.
See more photographs from Sarah and Liam’s wedding in the gallery below.
Photography by Adrian O’Neill of Stay Wild Images.
Want to see your Real Wedding on IMAGE.ie? Email shayna.sappington@image.ie with the subject line ‘Real Wedding’.
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