Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary to Anne-Marie and Sean who were married on August 2nd 2014 and held their wedding reception at the Lady Gregory Hotel in Galway. This GAA mad pair are totally in sync with each other – the perfect match! They even had a very special guest arrive on their big day, their photographer Gary Collins captured all the excitement and intimate details which made this affair really amazing.
Having never crossed paths despite sharing mutual acquaintances for years, destiny finally brought this lovely couple together on a night out for dinner with their pals. “Sean and I got talking and when we look back now we both always mention that we knew we would one day get married to each other. On that particular evening we never left each others side.”
The Proposal
A nervous Sean bought the ring several months before with the help of Anne-Marie’s friend James. “It is so funny looking back now that I had also been spotted in the jewellery shop by our other friend Deirdre. James kept the ring at his house and we laugh so much now – every time we called to their house, James and his wife were so afraid that they would let it slip about the ring. Every time Ann-Marie left the room the three of us would always have a good laugh that she didn’t know what was about to happen.”
On a romantic getaway to Blarney, Co Cork in 2012, Sean had big plans for his grand gesture. “On the way down we had planned to go to Blarney Castle. But Ann-Marie decided we would just go to the hotel and not bother with the castle. At this stage I felt a cold sweat come on that the plans were changing. Eventually, I talked her around to going to the castle, even though she wasn’t too impressed. When we got to the top we were walking around and Ann-Marie looked out over the edge. When she turned around I was on one knee with an entourage of American tourists taking photos. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She was in total shock. Of course Ann-Marie said yes along with being totally mortified being surrounded by people taking photos.”
The Photographer
“We knew Gary personally from his local event photography work and also his landscape work. Wanting photos taken in a number of outdoor locations and knowing his personality was a fit with our wedding, we asked would he consider photographing a wedding – I believe we were his first ever wedding booking! At the time of planning our wedding I think we spent several hours discussing the scenes and shots with Gary. He could not have done a better job for us. Gary is a relaxed, optimistic and professional gentleman who catered for all our needs.”
The Location
“The Lady Gregory Hotel really could not have offered more for us. At the time what sold us was the wedding coordinators and management: Brian and John. We have attended many weddings in the Greg and we can now truly understand why people highly recommend it. Brian and John were fantastic.”
“The Professionalism of the staff really stood out for us. We appreciate a professional approach when it comes to such important things in life, whether it be a little bit of advice, a helping hand or some reassurance. The Lady Gregory staff were always there for us no matter what time of the day, even some nights. One of our favourite photos from the day was of us with the Liam McCarthy in the reception room and its beautiful ceiling. We fell in love with the room from the very first day we saw it, the room was a beautiful, unique background for all our reception images.”
The Highlights
- “We had the great pleasure of having a special guest at our wedding. Mr. Liam McCarthy. We are both huge GAA fans and we really were delighted to have the cup at the reception.”
- Beautiful bride Anne-Marie wore a stunning strapless gown by Agnes from Belladonna Bridal in Galway. “I visited several wedding dress shops and I have to say that Belladonna won my attention outright. Rebecca was so helpful in directing me to the right dress. I found this time probably the most stressful but they really helped me along.”
- The couple’s first dance was to Jason Miraz I Won’t Give Up. “We spent a long time picking this song as we didn’t want to have a slow dance. Once again the attention didn’t last long as we had instructed the bridal party to make a quick entry to the floor. Our band ‘Half Cut’ formally the Gearoid Devanny Band were really great. They tailored the speed of the song to our liking and really got the crowd going.”
- Anne-Marie’s father walked her arm-in-arm up the aisle and it is something she will always cherish. “I have always been a Daddy’s girl and being the first girl in the family to get married, I think it was an emotional time for us (even though we never let on).”
- Sean’s highlight of the day was seeing his wife-to-be Ann-Marie finally walk up the aisle. “We had so much fun and our Priest Fr. Tony Cahir really knew how we wanted the ceremony to go. Gary shot a fantastic photo of us which really captured this.”
Wedding Details: Ceremony – Church of the Immaculate Conception, Barefield, Co. Clare; Photographer – Gary Collins Photography; Reception – The Lady Gregory Hotel, Gort, Co. Galway; Wedding & Bridesmaid Dresses – Belladonna, Galway; Flowers – West Clare Flowers, Ennistymon; Suits – Esquire Formal Menswear, Limerick City, Co. Limerick; Cake – Ann McGann; Cars – Wedding Cars Ireland, Co. Galway; Stationery – Maeve Keavy Creations, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare; Make Up – Mairead Cronin, Freelance Make-up Artist, Ennis; Hair – Mirror Mirror, Ennis, Co. Clare; Wedding Bands – Half Cut; Ceremony Music – Sarah Griffin, Ennis, Co. Clare; Wedding Video – Focus Video, Co. Limerick.
