Annie at Kilronan Castle
This month i am so delighted to share the real wedding of Annie and Geoff Claffey. I had the pleasure of working with Annie and let me tell you, this girl knows how to plan a good shindig. They are such a gorgeous couple which you will see in the photos. By the end of this you will have wedding envy!
They met in college and were the very best of friends. College came to an end and they drifted apart but they eventually realised that they both lived in Dublin and met up. Now Geoff wouldn’t be a man to jump in to the fire too fast. It was nearly 8 years to the date from when they first met to when Geoff asked Annie on a date. Annie happily agreed and they have been together since.
After a couple of months of dating, both Annie and Geoff knew that they would be together forever, but of course Geoff is not a man to rush things, took his time and after 3 years popped the question.
They say good things come to those who wait and the engagement really proved this. Annie arrived home after a hard days work to find the hall covered in rose petals, (their baby pooch Holly was of course eating them). Now here is the best part…..I could actually cry…….Holly had a pink jumper on which said
“Mammy, will you marry my Daddy?”. Dear lord Geoff, you’re killing us!
In the living room there was Geoff on one knee in a three piece suit (even though it was one of the hottest days of the summer). He had candles lit everywhere, roses and a bottle of champagne. Of course Annie said yes and that brings us to the wedding.
They didn’t mess about, they got stuck in to planning straight away and started looking at venues, they chose the stunning Kilronan Castle in Ballyfarnon, Roscommon. I personally love this venue, it’s a stunning castle estate located on a lake and surrounded by a forest and mountains. The staff are amazing from start to finish. They treat you like royalty & they really make all guests feel at home for the weekend.
There was a military precision extensive wedding plan. They booked the big things/ date sensitive items first – venue, church, band, church music, photographer and videographer. Once all of the heavy lifting was done, Annie chose a little number from David Fieldon in Myrtle Ivory. Soon after; bridesmaid dresses, style of suits, wedding stationery, DJ and honeymoon were all boxed off.
The ceremony was very special as Geoff’s uncle was the celebrant. The church music was by Maria Fitzgerald and Kenneth O’Regan (a classical singer and tenor). They sang a mixture of classical and modern music.
They opted for some very special favours for their guests, they had little thank you letters placed on the tables. The letters shared thanks to all of their guests for their friendship, love and support over the years and a little memory they have of them. They took a lot of time to think out and write but people were really touched by them. They also had personalised match boxes and blankets for the smokers outside and designed a personalised guest book with images of themselves throughout.
The Bentley Boys were the band of choice and they brought the house down. They had everyone on the dance floor within the first two songs. The DJ is a good friend of the couple and knowing their love for dance music played dance and drum n bass music until 5am!
They honeymooned in the stunning Secrets Hotel, Los Cabos, Mexico for 6 nights, The Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas for 4 nights and the Clift Boutique hotel in San Francisco for 5 nights. They managed to relax, party, eat, drink and take in some culture in every location.
Finally, some of the couples parting advice for those about to start their wedding planning journey:
“I would not get so stressed in the lead up to it. I would make my decisions on things and put them to bed. At the end of the day, it’s the best day of your life so the planning should be fun. Take breaks throughout the process. Do a lot of work over a two week period and then take a break for another couple of weeks. It’s very easy to get completely consumed by it.”
Enjoy the pictures from Peter Rowen Photography!
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