A festive rock theme, a vivid red coat, a romantic jaunt around Dublin City in the December rain (snowflakes even fluttered for a few whimsical moments) and an after party in Bad Bob’s that ended with a power-cut. This wedding is what Christmas miracles are made of…
Ruth and Peter married in the Dublin Unitarian Church at Stephen’s Green on December 12th 2015. Its ethos of acceptance won the pair over after a visit following their engagement.
The newlyweds took a stroll along the famous Grafton Street and were greeted with well-wishes from strangers and a bottle of champagne from Mr Appleby himself as they passed Appleby Jewellers. Elaine Barker Photography snapped a series of stunning shots at their favourite locations such as the rooftop of The Clarence Hotel before heading to the Smock Alley Theatre, where their extra special celebrations kicked off.
Of course, the proposal was absolutely spectacular! Ruth’s best friend and Maid of Honour, Elena, lives in London. “We’d planned to celebrate New Year’s in London with her at a Masquerade Ball.”
After a very fancy evening of entertainment including a fantastic burlesque show, tarot reading, a delicious four-course meal and meticulous fashion, midnight was soon approaching.
As the countdown neared, Peter asked his girl what she thought 2015 might bring. She suggested that 2015 might be the year they got engaged and Peter scrunched up his face and said ‘No, I don’t think we’ll get engaged next year’.
And then he spoke again: ‘I thought it might be the last thing we did this year’. And from his pocket, he pulled the ring!
“Our photographer Elaine Barker – working with her was just so simple. Apart from the absolutely incredible shots she produced for us? The first of which arrived within 48 hours! Elaine met us a couple of weeks before the wedding and we did a walk-through of the places and shots we wanted. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and her ideas for the photographs showed that she absolutely understood what made us tick and what we wanted. I am absolutely NOT a fan of photographs in general, but Elaine has managed to cure this.”
“She was very efficient on the day, and moved around the place completely unnoticed by the bride and groom, getting some incredible shots. We just can’t convey how delighted we are with the pictures – they really capture the elation of our day.”
Ruth looked simply breath-taking in a fitted La Sposa gown with fishtail end and cathedral style veil. Her daring red coat made quite the impression, and certainly captured the essence of their personalities. After braving Storm Desmond and the battering rain, the pair stole a tender few moments grinning with delight on the rooftop of The Clarence Hotel.
A huge amount of work went into making their reception at Smock Alley Theatre truly unique and personal to them as a couple. In keeping with their hybrid theme, their table names were called after Queens of the Stone Age albums.
They combined this with their love of Christmas with additions such as bouquets containing tiny pine cones and berries from Dublin House of Flowers and DIY little gold trees with tiny copper strung fairy lights.
“Peter designed the wedding stationary, and every aspect of it meant something to us. Our band, We Were Giants, who played the reception, had been involved with Ruth when she worked for a small record label. They were also the band we went to see on our first date! For an extra special twist, they let Peter play the drums for a few songs too. Our cake, chocolate biscuit cake base, red velvet second tier and fruit cake top tier was baked by the bride’s younger cousin, Shona – which was very special.”
“Smock Alley Theatre was always our first choice for the reception. The deal was sealed when we went to visit the Events Manager, Conor Byrne. Conor was incredibly accommodating and helpful, and we just got a great vibe. We booked on the spot and didn’t look back.”
“He was very upfront about what was and was not possible – and as a general rule he was happy to do whatever we wanted. We dropped off boxes of DIY decorations and centre pieces the day before the wedding, and Conor and his team dressed the venue for us. The serving staff were incredible – they were the warmest bunch of people we have encountered in years.”
A huge congrats and thank you to Ruth and Peter for sharing their magical wedding day with us and to Elaine Barker for allowing us the pleasure to share it with you! You can see more of her fabulous work at www.elainebarkerphotography.com
Photographer: Elaine Barker Photography
Venue: Smock Alley Theatre
Flowers: Vivian – Dublin House of Flowers
