Every wedding is a love story, but some tales linger in the heart, capturing the beauty of a love shared and celebrated. For Christine Cummins and Tim Littler, the 28th of June 2024 was the day they started the next chapter of their story.
Chrissie, drawn back from the UK to her roots in Edenderry, followed the family tradition, joining her sisters in saying “I do” where love already felt like home. Chrissie works in Children’s Services within a Family Hub and Tim works as a Technology Consultant. Tim, her steadfast partner and companion, embraced every cherished tradition, as they joined their lives together at a gorgeous wedding celebration with friends and family.
We asked Chrissie and Tim to tell us their unique love and wedding story. Chrissie takes up the story…
We met on Level 10 in NewsUK at London Bridge in September 2014. I had just moved to London from Ireland and we worked together on the same team. When I first clapped eyes on him I went home and rang my sister and told her I’d met my future husband. Tim on the other hand took a little longer to get there. I think he was bewildered by this mad Irish woman yapping the ear off him all day every day. We didn’t actually end up getting together romantically until 2018 but the foundations were laid at that point and we were very good friends. As the saying goes, all things come to those who wait.
You could say we are polar opposites. Our hobbies are completely different – I love to read, watch trash TV (Think Selling Sunset & Love is Blind) and I love going out socialising. Tim on the other hand loves all things sports and is one of those people who does sport for fun. Our shared interests are, if we are lucky enough to get a babysitter, that we love going out to have a meal, go to the cinema or even for a nice walk down the beach. We also like getting a good series to watch however I sometimes (always) ruin it by stopping the show every five minutes to ask Tim what’s what and who’s who. Pretty annoying I reckon.
A Proposal with a Twist
Tim says: I had been trying for a while to find a reason to get Christine to London to propose but it kept falling through. I always knew I wanted to propose back at the building where we first met at NewsUK. At the time I booked tickets for Book of Mormon for Christine’s birthday as it was touring in Southampton (near where we live) however when I got the confirmation email, I had mistakenly booked it for London! An expensive non-refundable mistake on my part with a silver lining came as I had finally found my opportunity for us to make a trip to London. Our daughter (2 years old at the time) came with me to pick up the ring and I hid it for the next few weeks before the trip.
On the train to London, I suggested we go to Borough Market for lunch – an excuse to get us close to the NewsUK building but Christine was adamant she wasn’t that hungry and we should go straight to the show. However, I came up with a reason why we should get lunch there hoping she would not be suspicious. When we worked together we used to regularly eat there. By the time we got to Borough Market Christine decided that she would get some food and then did what she does best, took 40 years to make a decision. Normally I’m used to it, but that was not the day to delay as I nervously fumbled the ring box in my pocket mentally begging her to hurry up so I could get the job done!
“There in the freezing cold, it started to snow and I got down on one knee, opened the box and asked her to marry me.”
Finally, she chose something (the first thing she originally said she wanted) and we headed out to the benches outside our old work. On the walk there I started a badly rehearsed speech only for Christine to ask why I was being so nice. A few fumbled words later she burst out with “Oh my god are you proposing?” – “I am trying to” was my response. There in the freezing cold, it started to snow and I got down on one knee, opened the box and asked her to marry me. We eventually got to the show after celebrating with a dinner at our favourite restaurant in London (Dishoom) and a few glasses of champagne.
Choosing the Perfect Wedding Venue
We only looked at one other venue before we chose the one we went with, The Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore, County Offaly. We both decided as soon as we walked into the hotel that we would want to have our wedding reception here. Everyone was so welcoming, it was so relaxed and it’s a beautiful hotel too. As I grew up 20 miles away, I knew what a great spot Tullamore is. It has a lot of independent restaurants and coffee shops, a shopping centre if anyone needed anything in an emergency, and every amenity just a stone’s throw from the hotel.
Embracing a Relaxed Planning Approach
When we first got engaged, I was still breastfeeding, so sleep was rare and time was precious. To be honest, we’re just not the kind of people who go in for trends or themes. As a result, I think we were a relatively chilled-out couple with regard to the wedding planning. We were both on the same page as to what we felt was the most important, the food and entertainment.
“Stefano Ferrier was our photographer, he is a true artist when it comes to his work, I’m going to tell every future bride I meet to book him. Our photos are unbelievable!”
Honouring a Beloved Family Member
Unfortunately, Tim’s beloved brother Geoffrey passed away in March, just three months before our wedding so planning was put on hold. We had a special candle made for him which we lit on the altar at the start of our ceremony. We spoke about him a lot and played his favourite songs. I think this happening to our family puts a lot of stuff into perspective. Do we really need a dress-up photo box, ice cream stand or sweet cart to have the perfect wedding day? We were just so excited to get married to one another and have the craic with our friends and family. We read so many pieces about how newlyweds say in hindsight they wish they didn’t spend so much time worrying about flowers, centrepieces, favours, the bridal party etc. It can totally get out of control and take away the main focus of the day which is the couple! As long as your guests are well-fed and can dance the night away, then you’re on to a winner!
Prioritising What Mattered: Reception, Food and Music
We spent the majority of our budget on the reception and our band, The Mixtape. We are so glad we did. They played for two hours solid without a break and it was so much fun. We weren’t keen on the wedding classics – we were looking for something different and they played everything we wanted and more. They were amazing with the crowd too, really engaging which was great craic. The dancefloor was full all night. We paid extra for the brass section which was worth every single penny, they were unbelievable, listening to Beyonce’s Crazy in Love played on the saxophones – absolutely unbelievable!
We had our reception at The Bridge House Hotel, Tullamore. The food was unbelievable and nobody went hungry. I think I was 90% potato after my main meal! We had a champagne fountain for our arrival reception which looked very fancy and went down a treat with our guests! Food was very important to us as we had several friends and family members with bad intolerances to certain foods. That was one thing I stressed to the hotel. They were very accommodating and while there were a few minor hiccups along the way, everyone got fed copious amounts of beautiful food and were full to the brim by the time we were finished. We stayed at the hotel for our second night two which was lovely as most of our guests also stayed and it prolonged the celebrations. We hired a ceili band and ordered hot finger food for our guests, which was lovely.
The Special Moments They’ll Cherish
The most special moment of our wedding day was when we were exchanging our vows. We had our daughter Mabel and Tim’s son Alfie as our ring-bearers. They stayed on the altar with us while we exchanged our vows and once we were finally wed, we all held hands and turned to face everyone while all our family and friends cheered and clapped for us. It might not seem like a big thing, but after our recent heartache, it was such a beautiful moment, our lovely little family united being celebrated with love and emotion.
Another special thing was my sister Stephanie had secretly gotten Tim and me to write a letter to each other to read on our wedding morning. It was so lovely and it calmed me right down when I saw Tim’s scribbly handwriting!
“As long as your guests are well-fed and can dance the night away, then you’re on to a winner!”
There’s always a Funny Wedding Moment or two!
A funny moment happened when we were about to exchange rings. Our daughter and 3-year-old ring bearer was coming up onto the altar when our photographer captured the most beautiful moment when I was reaching out for her. It looks like the most special moment when in reality she whispers into my ear “Stephanie didn’t bring me any snacks and I’m hungry.” It made me laugh. Her parents are about to tie the knot and all she’s worried about is her bag of snacks!
Stephanie my sister was my Maid of Honor. I’m one of 7 kids, 5 girls and 2 boys, so it’s always hectic in my Mam’s house. I wanted Steph to share this special day with me because she is one of the most wonderful people with the biggest heart you will ever meet. She was a phenomenal help to us with babysitting when Geoffrey was ill which took a lot of stress off Tim and me. We are forever indebted to her. She also planned the best hen party ever for me which was no easy task! We have been two peas in a pod our whole lives and will no doubt still be Double Trouble when we’re in our 80s!
Gareth (Gaz) was Tim’s best man, they grew up together and are the best of friends. Gaz is an amazing fella, hilarious and he lights up any room he enters. He is friendly and was fantastic on the big day, rounding up the troops for photos and he never left the dancefloor all night – he couldn’t talk the next day! Tim had his 16-year-old son Alfie as his groomsman, Alfie is turning into the most lovely, gentle, clever and thoughtful young man. Tim also had his brother-in-law Sam as groomsman. Sam has been in Tim’s family for well over a decade and it was a complete given that he would be part of our bridal party. Probably one of the handsome men at the wedding was Tim’s youngest brother Joe, who was the last of the groomsmen. Joe was a great help and gave it socks on the dancefloor that night too. Joe is the youngest of the Littler clan and as the saying goes, they saved the best till last!
Finding “The Dress” and the fit
I wore the most stunning dress which I bought at The Bridal Outlet which is the outlet from their main store – Chameleon Bridal. I tried on a few different dresses in the main Chameleon store but couldn’t make up my mind between the two. I asked my Mam what she thought and she said neither one was my dress. I was a bit miffed but she told me that because I couldn’t make up my mind then neither one was my dress. She said that when I put on “The One” I’ll know it is for me. And she was right! At The Outlet, I found my one, tried it on and that was it. It was love at first sight and 50% cheaper – a bargain!
Tim’s suit was from Suits Direct and believe it or not, his waistcoat and shoes were from Vinted! Tim went into over 30 stores to try stuff on but couldn’t find anything he wanted, so he went onto Vinted and found them both, both brand new with the tags on which was brilliant.
I told Stephanie to buy whatever she felt fabulous in and believe it or not we ended up getting her dress from ASOS! We tried on at least 75 million dresses but nothing was giving us that wow factor. Steph was keen to cover up her tattoos for the day and originally I had wanted her to wear a deep forest green colour however we figured that was more of a winter colour, so we went with sky blue instead. Stephanie ended up being my Something Blue as well! The best man and groomsmen all wore suits from Hawes and Curtis. The flower girl dress was from Next, it was gorgeous and very cute!
Our family friend Joanne Kelly of Josie Hearts did my hair. She’s done all the Cummins girls’ weddings and she is absolutely brilliant. She will kill me for saying this but she’s done some famous hair so I was delighted she managed to turn my mane into something beautiful. She only lives around the corner from my Ma’s house as well so we had the best craic getting ready. For my makeup – I found Anne Marie Doherty through Instagram and she was great, she’s very good at giving you that lovely natural look. I don’t wear a lot of makeup every day so wanted to look relatively natural.
A Beautiful Church Ceremony in Edenderry
We had a religious ceremony at my church back home in Edenderry. All my sisters have gotten married there and we’ve all had our communion and confirmations there, so it was only natural I got married there too. The church is stunningly beautiful as well. Tim is not Catholic and was born in the U.K., so we had quite a bit of paperwork to get set up, but it was an easy process and nothing to be daunted about. Our local priest Fr. Liam Lawton married us, and he was very patient with us reminding us of where to stand and what to say!
Capturing Every Precious Moment
Stefano Ferrier was our photographer, I have no words to describe him. He is a true artist when it comes to his work, I’m going to tell every future bride I meet to book him. Our photos are unbelievable. Honestly, they look like something out of a magazine. So beautiful, all of them! There are too many photos that are special for us to choose from, but he took two of the most stunning photos of our daughter, one of her hugging my leg and the other on Tim’s shoulder and she is looking directly at the camera. Everyone we have shown has literally gasped when they’ve seen it. We had photos taken at my brother’s house and he has some beautiful gardens around it and those photos we got back, just wow, they are incredible.
Chrissie and Tim’s wedding at the Bridge House Hotel was unforgettable, with so many beautiful moments that truly captured their love and joy. The hotel itself set an elegant yet warm backdrop, with a grand entrance complete with a bagpipe musician who welcomed everyone into the festivities. The champagne tower was a fantastic touch, bringing guests together right from the start for a celebratory toast.
I photographed some portraits using analogue film without any filters, which allowed for an honest, timeless feel to the portraits, especially of their daughter. She was such a little star! The photos of her hugging Chrissie’s leg and looking over Tim’s shoulder turned out beautifully, capturing her natural sweetness in a way that just felt real.
The energy carried on throughout the day, and I’ll never forget the moving speeches. There were moments of laughter and heartfelt tears that had everyone in the room connected. And that dance floor! Chrissie and Tim dancing in a circle surrounded by loved ones was truly a scene of celebration and love.
“It was a privilege to be a part of their day and capture such authentic, joyful moments.”
The Power of Video
Our videographer was Stephen Power of Signature Weddings. We’ve received our trailer video and it is beautiful. I cannot imagine how the full video will be. Stephen was fantastic on the day. It’s very easy to get distracted throughout the day so we would’ve missed heaps of what could be videoed. He kept us on track and we would absolutely recommend him for your special day. He was amazing and such a down-to-earth guy as well and slotted in with us with no problem at all.
A Floral Vision Brought to Life
We had all our flowers, bouquets and pinholes from a wonderful florist in Edenderry, Laura Fennessy. Everything was easy. I sent Laura a couple of photos of the type of flowers I would like in my bouquet and she really delivered! They were the most elegant bouquet of flowers I have seen and so many guests complimented them. Stephanie had a similar bouquet and my daughter had a little basket full of gorgeous flowers to match mine. She felt very important walking up the aisle with them.
Saving on the Cake – A Clever Wedding Hack
Would you believe we didn’t have a cake? You can pay over €1000 for a wedding cake which to us just wasn’t logical. We asked the hotel if they had a fake cake which they did and they let us use that for free. Not one person noticed it wasn’t real either. Stefano and Stephen had me, Tim and the two kids pretend to cut the cake and the photos look great. A big tip to any future brides and grooms, ask your hotel if they have a fake cake and use that, saves a lot of money and they always look great!
Adding a Unique Touch with Irish Dancers
We hired Irish dancers from Reel Irish Dancer Entertainment to perform after the meal and before the band started, we thought that would be good to avoid that post-dinner slump. It was a fantastic idea, they were unbelievable. We have videos of them and some of our English guests are in the background and their jaws are on the floor watching them. They did a few dances and then got a few of us up to join in. Tim was a bit hesitant as he can be quite shy but he did and the photos are fantastic. One of my favourite photos of the night is Tim and I holding hands spinning in a circle of everyone, it just captures the absolute craic we were all having. The dancers danced with music and then danced with no music, just their hard shoes and the noise that came from them on the wooden floor. Everyone was clapping and whooping along, it was an unbelievable way to get everyone ready for the band.
A Day to Remember
Chrissie says: Our day went brilliantly and we just had so much fun. When we first got engaged we promised each other we wouldn’t get worked up about the little things. The main thing was we were so in love and we devoted ourselves to getting married to one another and it would be such a special day for us both, and our two gorgeous children. We have been through quite a lot the past few years with a difficult pregnancy on our daughter during the pandemic, the continuing effect of being in lockdown and nobody getting to see her or us, and then of course losing our beloved Geoffrey earlier this year. These challenges put a lot of things into perspective. Everyone loved that our day was so full of love and emotion, exactly what we wanted. We will look back on our wedding day with happy memories that will last forever.
—————————–
Capture Every Special Moment with Stefano Ferrier
Don’t miss out – book Stefano to create memories you’ll treasure for a lifetime!
