The summer is officially over and we are currently looking for pretty distractions to help us forget about the frosty weather ahead. Fortunately for us, Magnus and Catherine’s wedding that took place very recently (30th May this year) in Blackrock Castle, Cork, is just the fix we need!
“I grew up in Blackrock and always thought the Castle was beautiful. There was a book that I loved when I was little called A Storyteller’s Childhood by Patricia Lynch and it mentions Blackrock Castle, so it felt like living in a story whenever I visited. When I found out that you could get married there, it was my first choice for a venue! Magnus didn’t take much persuading once he had seen it.”
”Apart from the fact that it is an actual Castle (which is a big plus), we really liked that we had the whole place to ourselves. Another thing we appreciated was how much help we got from everybody there (in particular Ria and Donna), how friendly and enthusiastic they all were and that they stayed and helped us prepare and decorate the room the evening before – it was nearly as much fun as the wedding day itself!”
”We were planning the wedding for about a year. The hardest part was trying to do everything from Sweden but we got a lot of help from family and friends in both countries. It was actually surprisingly stress-free and enjoyable, especially the two weeks in Cork just beforehand.”
”We didn’t have any particular theme – we just picked places that we liked, clothes that we liked, colours that we liked etc. and hoped that everything would fit together. We did try to incorporate some Swedish traditions into the day, like having birch trees outside the doors of the castle and walking the last part of the aisle together.”
”There are so many great photos of the day! We took some pictures on the battlements and also went down to the shore just outside the grounds to get some pictures with the Castle in the background. There were also some nice shots on the spiral staircase in the tower.”
”It took me a while to find a dress that felt as good as it looked, which has always been an important thing for me. And when I did, I loved it! It’s made of silk, lots of layers, with real buttons up the back and pockets. I saw a picture of it online but it wasn’t easy to actually get hold of the dress as there were no stores in Europe that carried it. In the end, I had it delivered to a friend who lives in Chicago and she brought it over. It was well worth all the trouble – and it felt wonderful too. I didn’t want to take it off!”
”The whole day was lovely but I think that the ceremony was the part that we both enjoyed most. We had been friends for a very long time before we got together so for me, it had been hard to believe that we were actually getting married – but there we were in Blackrock Castle, all dressed up, saying our vows and exchanging rings. I remember thinking – this is really happening! It was very relaxed and fun but also very special.”
”If I could relive just one moment, I think it would have to be standing outside the Castle after the ceremony as people came out. Everyone seemed to be either laughing or crying, or both. There were some friends I hadn’t seen in a very long time and one surprise guest who booked last minutes flights to be there on the day – there’s a wonderful (if slightly undignified!) photo of me yelling when I spotted him!”
Many thanks to Catherine, Magnus, Blackrock Castle in Cork and the lovely work of Shane at Sosac Photography for supplying these lovely images!
