An elegant silhouette wedding cake and a little one who was the star of the day…
Family came first for Helena and Brendan on their special day. Being able to exchange vows with their three-year-old daughter Kara present, meant the world to this pair – and she stole the show with her adorable antics all day long!
Love and luck were on their side as they were blessed with uncharacteristically hot sunshine as they celebrated surrounded by family and friends.
“It was really special leaving from my parents house before the church and I know Brendan felt the same way leaving from his. We are very close to our parents.”
“My brother Alan has lived in New Zealand for the last two years and was fortunately able to come home for the wedding. He was one of Brendan’s groomsmen and his son Céilum was an usher for us. Brendan’s brother John was his Best Man. We got some lovely pictures of the two of them on the morning of the wedding, he was so good to us and really helpful during the run-up to the big day. It was so amazing to have all the family together again.”
The Beginning…
“Myself and Brendan grew up not far from each other and had the same group of friends in our late teens. We were together 11 years when we married!”
The Proposal…
“Brendan is mad about motorbikes, so we went to Oulton Park for the British Superbikes in August 2014. At the hotel, Brendan went down to book a meal for one of the evenings. It was a mild night so we went out into the hotel grounds and I was pushing Kara around in her stroller. The hotel had lovely grounds, the trees had fairy lights in them and there was a little stream with a bench beside it. Brendan was sitting on the bench and I walked over and sat down beside him. Then he just said “will we get married?”. I turned around and he was holding a ring with a big smile on his face. I kept looking from the ring to his face, I was so surprised! And, of course I said yes!”
On The Venue…
“I had always planned on getting married in a different hotel but then I went to a wedding at the Clanard Court Hotel, I absolutely loved it! It’s so airy and bright, the food is amazing and the staff just can’t do enough for you. When we got engaged, we went to see two hotels and the Clanard Court came out on top in every aspect. Our Wedding Planners, Emma and Claire, were brilliant.”
“It was a really hot day when we got married and the doors of the room opened out into the lovely gardens, the kids could play outside and you knew they were safe which really put us at ease. The ballroom itself was just so pretty and beautifully laid out. Everyone commented on how nice the food and the staff were. The staff really make the venue – we loved the special treatment we got and the luxury of the bridal suite!”
On The Photographer…
“Our photographer, Finn Mooney, was really amazing. I loved that we also had a second shooter; Finn came to my mother’s house to be with the bridal party for the morning and his colleague shot the morning with the boys. They captured some truly personal and special pictures, memories to last a lifetime. My favourite thing was that each image was a little bit different and not just your ‘typical’ wedding pictures. We got some lovely shots taken in the field between our house and Brendan’s parents. Finn was extremely professional and so easy to work with.”
On The Dress…
“My gown was a Mori Lee and I absolutely loved it. I had a bit of a hiccup when I picked it up as the bridal shop had ordered it two sizes too big!! I was devastated. I brought it to a Bridal Designer called Aideen Cross in Rathangan, Co Kildare and she had a lot of work to do, but she managed to fix it so it fit perfectly. I really can’t thank her enough, she reassured me right from the start. If I could do it again, I would have commissioned Aideen to make my dress from scratch. She is amazing!”
A huge thank you to Helena and Brendan for taking the time to share their special day at Clanard Court Hotel and to their photographer Finn Mooney for allowing us to publish these beautiful shots. You can see more of his work at www.finnmooneyphotography.com
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Supplier Information
Venue:
Clanard Court HotelPhotographer:
Finn Mooney PhotographyBand:
The Favours who were brilliant and had everyone on their feet all nightFlorist:
Coopers Florist PortarlingtonHair Stylist:
Chief Bridesmaid Paula Kirwan, Bridesmaid Tara Dowling and Shay from Chez ShayMakeup Artist:
Patrice Rice Makeup ArtistCake:
House of Cakes Portarlington Bernie GormanWedding Dress Alterations :
Aideen Cross Bridal Designer
