Ian and Suzanne recently got married with a fabulously intimate ceremony despite COVID-19 restrictions – here’s their story:
Tell us who are you, and how did you meet?
Ian says: Suzanne and I are both primary teachers. We were introduced by the principal of Suzanne’s school where I used to work before she started. I had called in one Friday to visit the principal for a catch up. He told me the inspector had been in that week to see one of the teachers who was doing her probationary year in 4th class, the same class I had done mine in. Suzanne was working late, so he introduced me and I gave her some USB resources. It wasn’t until eight months later that we met outside of work in a local pub. Following an evening of chats we arranged our first date for the following week, a trip to the drive-in cinema in Fairyhouse to see the Omen. The rest is history.
Tell us about your proposal
Having dated for six years I decided it was time to take the plunge. Having first received permission from Suzanne’s dad, I then purchased the engagement ring in Crystal Jewellers in Blanchardstown (with the help of my parents!). We decided to travel to London during our Halloween midterm break. As I am a huge Chelsea supporter I travelled on the morning flight to London alone with the engagement ring in my pocket in order to attend a Chelsea match. I spent the entire match with my hand in my jacket pocket gripping the engagement ring for dear life. Thankfully that night after the match, Suzanne arrived to the hotel. After a drink in the hotel bar we retired to our room where I told Suzanne to close her eyes. I dropped to one knee and popped the question. Suzanne was in complete shock but thankfully quickly answered yes!
How did you decide on the Station House Hotel?
Suzanne says: Ian was very prepared before he proposed and had made a list of possible venues to visit. He had come across the Station House Hotel, which was not only minutes from my Granny’s house but also had the “enchanted woodland” look, he knew I would love, so had added it to the list. It turned out they were having a wedding showcase the following week so it was the first venue we looked at. We fell in love with it straight away. From the moment we walked in we were made to feel at home by each staff member we met. From the tea and homemade scones, to the vintage China, lit res and cosy classic furniture, the whole place had a beautiful, rustic, homely feel and we could just see our family and friends relaxing and enjoying themselves on our wedding there.
What most impressed you about the venue?
One of our favourite aspects of The Station House Hotel was the grounds. On our first visit we went for a walk and to say it had a romantic feel would be an understatement. The fairy lights, the lanterns and the beautiful decor throughout the trees, pathways and arches makes you feel like you’re in your own fairy tale. We were transported into the future, seeing what it would be like, making this walk on our wedding day and it was even more magical on the day. The grounds were one wow factor. The food was another. After we had our food tasting, we couldn’t wait to sit down to our wedding meal. Ultimately, a factor we will never forget regarding The Station House Hotel is kindness. They went above and beyond to ensure that after two postponed wedding dates, we still had the dream day we could never have imagined.
What was your favourite thing about working with your photographer?
We chose David Wall as our photographer as we were impressed with the work we saw he had done at other weddings through his Instagram posts. It also helped that David is my cousin. He was a pleasure to work with. From our pre-wedding discussions on the type of photos we would like to his professionalism on the big day, David was a joy. He is calm and relaxed and has a real eye for detail in his photography. David allowed us to decide when we had enough photographs and our family and friends commented on his discretion throughout the ceremony.
Describe your wedding attire.
Bride: I got my dress in Dublin Bridal House in Rathfarnham, Dublin 16. They could not have been nicer or more helpful. Alterations were done by Celine O’Donnell in “All Alteration Services” and she was fantastic. I was always reassured my dress was looked after at all stages of the pandemic and a beautiful face mask was made to match. As my feet always let me down within the first hour of wearing heels, I knew comfortable footwear was a must. I was so relieved to find my beautiful “Rachel Simpson “Ophelia”” heels which I bought in Frilly Frocks Drogheda.
Bridesmaid: Dresses were bought in La Bella Sposa in Swords, Co. Dublin. With my sister living abroad, Áine was so helpful in finding the right dress.
Groom and groomsmen: The groom and groomsmen wore blue three-piece suits, white shirts and oral ties from Diffney in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. They also wore tan shoes and Sam Maguire trophy cufflinks.
What was your most special moment on the day?
The entire day was special from beginning to end. Despite only having 25 guests, the atmosphere throughout the day was lively. The smaller number of guests enabled us to mix with all of our guests throughout the reception and also allowed both of us time to spend together. Our guests all rightly commented on the quality of the food as one of the highlights. One of the funnier moments of the ceremony was when Suzanne arrived at the church before the priest did. Suzanne was waiting to walk up the aisle and the priest was still in his house. Thankfully his house is only across the road from the church! In terms of the reception one of our highlights was a video which Suzanne’s sister had put together in which friends and family who couldn’t join us on the day sent video messages to us. There were laughs and tears aplenty during this video.
Anything else to add?
As we were only able to have 25 guests attend our wedding, we decided to live stream both the wedding ceremony and the speeches. This service was provided by Wilson Porter and his company Webcast Ireland. A URL and password were provided to us which we then shared with friends and family unable to attend. The ceremony and speeches were filmed in high definition and were also recorded for us to watch again at a later date.
Music: Simon Casey
Cake topper: Global Cake Toppers
