I’m delighted to be sharing the wedding of Arts Project Co-ordinator Aisling and Scientist Gary with you all today. My mother was actually a guest at this wedding so I can tell you it really was a brilliant wedding! I have long been an admirer of This Modern Love and when I heard Tim shot the wedding I knew it was going to be amazing and happily Annabel agreed.
The Ceremony on the 4th of July 2014 took place at Carlingford Heritage Centre and the reception a short walk away at Ghan House in the picturesque coastal town of Carlingford in Co. Louth, Ireland. The amazing Armagh Rhymers led the guests in a musical procession from the ceremony to the reception creating a wonderful atmosphere and making for some great photos. Despite the outdoor ceremony being brought inside due to the rain, the ensuing mist made for some strikingly beautiful couple shots.
“We loved the informality of Ghan House – it seemed the perfect venue to host the vision of our wedding day – a relaxed, outdoor celebration similar to the ‘backyard weddings’ you see in warmer climates – and with a few traditional Irish customs included too.”
Photography Copyright (c) 2014, This Modern Love
I just adore the little flashes of those amazing Vivienne Westwood shoes at the hem of Aisling’s beautiful Ghost dress. A very last minute purchase just one week before the wedding, the dress looked absolutely gorgeous with fresh pink blooms and soft gypsophila at the top of her flowing veil.
“I liked my dress but I wouldn’t recommend buying one online the week before your wedding! I found dress shopping very stressful and actually had another dress made but didn’t really like it when it was finished. It was very important to me to feel like myself on the day. In the end the rain had completely destroyed my dress so it really wasn’t worth all the stress.
I bought my veil on eBay and absolutely loved it! I wasn’t going to go for a veil but I’m so glad I did because it added a bit of drama to my otherwise very plain outfit. I wore a gold necklace I have had for years and a gold bracelet with a little blue sapphire for my something blue. I also inherited my grandmother’s wedding ring, which is a real honour.”
“Photography was the single most important expense for me and I would highly recommend This Modern Love. I really can’t say enough about these guys, they are so lovely and their pictures are amazing. After your wedding day is over, the pictures are really what you are left with. It’s also a brilliant way to capture your friends and family looking their most fabulous!”
“We met through a mutual friend at a house party. Gary was dressed as a bunny and I think I may have thrown a paper aeroplane at him – we are very mature! Gary proposed to me while on holiday last year at Tabletop Farm on the Antrim Coast in front of two donkeys. When we got home I found a postcard my grandmother had sent her parents when she had been engaged with a picture of two donkeys on it. It was obviously fate so we used that image for our wedding program.”
Aisling’s bridesmaid wore a stunning teal 50’s style dress with a pair of Vivienne Westwood shoes and fresh flowers in hair. The gorgeous little flower girl wore an adorable little flower crown to match the bouquets.
“My dad walked me down the aisle to ‘Mo Ghile Mear’ and passed me to my mum who ‘gave me away’. The song hilariously, is the song used in the Specsavers ad where the old man shaves the sheepdog. You have to laugh!”
“I loved seeing Gary’s face when I got to the top of the aisle. I was very nervous and it was reassuring to see him with a big smile on his face. We are not religious but we do believe in the importance of a heartfelt ceremony so we contacted a humanist to marry us. We were able to put the ceremony together ourselves, which was really lovely. It also meant I could say my vows in Irish, which was very important to me.”
“Gary’s nephew Taig read an English translation of ‘Grá’ (Love) by Colm Breathnach. My brother Lucas and cousin Clare who is practically my sister read an extract from ‘Oh, The Places You’ll Go’ by Dr. Seuss. The book contains so much hope, fun and celebration which we thought was pretty fitting.”
The sharply dressed boys all wore their own clothes with Gary wearing a grey Hugo Boss 3-piece and navy blue tie.
“A lot of our guests commented on how special of a moment they thought the musical procession with The Armagh Rhymers was.”
“My mother made our cake which made it very special for us. She worked so hard on it and it really looked fabulous. She also collected crystal containers for us leading up to the wedding. Gary and his brother Mark arranged flowers into them in the morning, which I loved.”
“We had a céilí, which I personally believe no Irish wedding should be without. Our first dance was the Waves of Tory during the céilí and it was brilliant. It was so much fun for those who participated and hilarious to watch. We had the most amazing caller, Máire Ua Bruaider, who I have known since I was in primary school. I highly recommend her!
Later we had Belfast Funk & Soul DJ for us who along with The Armagh Rhymers had just done Glastonbury the week before so we had a pretty good line-up!”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Hire a fantastic photographer, This Modern Love if you can. Don’t spend a fortune on your dress, I wouldn’t have spent so much time worrying about it, it’s a waste of time. Have a little get together the night before to ease any nerves you might have of people meeting up and don’t share a room with your husband to be the night before the wedding. Mine had a few too many and woke me up because he forgot his key!”
What a beautiful wedding, congratulations to Aisling and Gary and thank you so much for allowing us to share your day with our readers. More of This Modern Love’s photography can be found on their blog.
Love Caoimhe xx
Photographer – This Modern Love
Venue – Carlingford Heritage Centre + Ghan House, Carlingford, Ireland
Dress – Ghost + Veil eBay
Bride’s Shoes – Vivienne Westwood from Cruise, Belfast
Bridesmaids Dress – House of Fraser + Shoes Vivienne Westwood
Flower Girl’s Dress – Zara
Hair – Aisling Ó Hanlan, Omeath + Make-up Pearl Beauty, Carlingford
Groom’s Suit – Hugo Boss
Entertainment – Armagh Rhymers + Belfast Funk & Soul
Stationery – Dúch Duchais
Groom’s Ring – Joseph Rea
Caoimhe Anderson View all Caoimhe's articles
Caoimhe will never tire of beautiful wedding dress and a blooming flower crown. When she's not lusting after a gorgeous wedding she will be trying new vegetarian recipes, knitting very slowly or capturing a pink sunset from behind a camera lens.
