All The Way From Aberdeen: Audrey + Stephen At The Twin Trees Hotel

You never know where you’ll meet your true love…

When Audrey and Stephen left Ireland for the university in Aberdeen they had no idea that they would meet and fall in love. It seems some things are just meant to be, as they had only lived 30 minutes away from each other their whole lives!

Once the pair became engaged, Audrey knew straight away that they would be celebrating their special day at the lovely Twin Trees Hotel, as both the bride and groom-to-be had strong ties to the Ballina hotel.

Take a peek at this sweet pair’s cheerful wedding day captured by Marriage Multimedia at the Twin Trees Hotel.

The Beginning

“Stephen & I both left Ireland to go to Aberdeen University, Scotland, to further our studies in 2007. Although we lived just over 30 mins away from each other in Ireland we had never met before until we started in Aberdeen University. There was quite a large Irish contingent starting university that year and luckily, between studying, football matches and parties we all became, and still are the best of friends..”

The Proposal

“It was March 2016 we booked a holiday to Dubai to visit Stephen’ sister Nora, who was teaching there at the time. It had been a difficult few months prior to that as Stephen found out he would have to move back to Ireland for work and I was working long hours and still studying for exams in Aberdeen, so we were really looking forward to the break away together. I’ll never forget the day he proposed as I remember thinking (before he even popped the question) how lovely the day was and how happy we were instead of stressing about work and exams. That evening Stephen had booked dinner for us in a lovely restaurant on the waterfront and access to the restaurant was via an abra boat.  There was just myself and Stephen on the boat when halfway across the water the driver stopped the boat so we could take in the beautiful views of the Burj Al Arab all lit up in the background behind us. It was such a beautiful setting. I turned to take a picture and when I turned back Stephen was down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I was really not expecting it and burst into tears with joy and excitement. It was bittersweet because I knew on his move back to Ireland I would be losing him for a while but it cemented the fact that after my exams and training I would be eventually spending the rest of my life with him.”

The Wedding Attire

“I had been looking at wedding dresses in several locations between Scotland and Ireland but found nothing really that gave me that wow factor. I liked the top of some dresses and the bottoms of other dresses but nothing that came together for me. Christmas 2016 was when I visited a local bridal shop Ourania, in my home town that I found a dress that was almost perfect. I loved the top of it and the fact that the lace top could come off to reveal a strapless dress for later on in the evening but there were one or two things I wasn’t so keen on. Not to worry though…….Thomas Heverin the owner of Ourania bridal was able to make my dream dress for me, incorporating the things I loved and making changes where necessary to make the most beautiful dress for me. It was so exciting going out to visit him on my return visits home from Scotland to see my dream dress come together.”

“My bridesmaids’ dresses were from Coast and were a deep purple with navy insert. I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them.”

“Stephen and his groomsmen got their suits from Oliver’s menswear, Ballina, Co.Mayo. Oliver and Eddie were a pleasure to deal with and did a fantastic job at helping us pick the suits, ties and pocket squares to match perfectly with the bridesmaids.”

The Ceremony

“For both of us, we felt the ceremony was the most special part of the day. It took place in St. Muredach’s Cathedral Ballina and was officiated by Fr Liam Reilly. The church was decorated beautifully by Enchanted wedding company and our breaths were taken away when we saw how magical it looked. The music was provided by Flat Out a local 4 piece traditional band who really added to the ceremony. Myself and Stephen were so relaxed throughout the whole mass and at times felt like we were the only two in the church. As we said our vows and turned around to face the crowd, it really was overwhelming knowing all these people had come together to celebrate our wedding.”

The Venue

“The Twin Trees Hotel was actually where myself and Stephen both had our communions,  confirmations, and where my own parents got married.  It was the venue Stephen had asked my dad for my hand in marriage so it goes without saying that it was already a special place for us both. As I had been living away from my home town for 12 years I knew that that was where I wanted to get married and The Twin Trees had everything we were looking for.”

“From the very first day we met with the wedding coordinator, Rachael to the day we got married everybody at the Twin Trees was a pleasure to work with and they made the whole process so easy and enjoyable.  Any requests we had were met without fail and the service, the food and hospitality over our wedding weekend were next to none.”

“On the day of our wedding, the hotel looked fantastic; the sun was shining, the gardens and lawns were manicured and we were able to have our drinks reception and canapes outside which really impressed our guests. We had Manilla Strings (3 piece band) playing outside and everyone was sitting around, chatting and soaking up the lovely atmosphere.”

“Rachael, Davy and the rest staff at the twin trees hotel made sure everything ran smoothly on the day and we cannot thank them enough. We would most definitely recommend the twin trees to any future couples.”

The Photographer

“We chose Marriage Multimedia for our photographer and videographer as they were recommended to us by a friend. It was also very handy having the photographer and videographer come as a package as they knew how each other worked and were so efficient on the day.”

“They captured some amazing pictures but also made sure we had plenty of time to catch up and mingle with our guests during the wedding reception which was important to us.”

Trends & Themes

“We didn’t follow any themes or trends as such but I knew I wanted a soft romantic feel and this was given to us by Finesse weddings. They helped to decorate the hotel for us, supplied us with the most amazing flowers and centrepieces as well as soft draping and lighting.”

“Having met and lived in Scotland for several years, our table names were places in Scotland that meant something to us.”

 Special Thoughts

“We’re so thankful to everyone who helped us with our wedding day and we were delighted with how the day went. Special thanks to both our families as without them this would not have been possible. We were so delighted with all our suppliers and would recommend each and every one of them, especially our venue, the Twin Trees Hotel, Ballina.”

Supplier Information

• Venue:

  Twin Trees Hotel & Leisure Club

• Photographer:

  Marriage Multimedia

• Band:

  The Curly Bobs

• Bridal Shop/Designer:

  Thomas Heverin, Ourania

• Florist:

  Enchanted Wedding Company and Finesse weddings

• Hair Stylist:

  Martha Galvin, Allure Hairdressing

• Makeup Artist:

  Charlene Flanagan

• Wedding Cake:

  Cakes by Angela

• Ceremony Music:

  Flat out 

• 3 Piece Band:

  Manila Strings