Jacqueline and Ricky

On the eve of St Patrick’s Day, I thought we’d take a little spin across the oceans and devour this incredible Irish wedding! The landscape and architecture are so beautifully Irish and a beautiful way to lead into one of the happiest cultural days of the year!

Jacqueline recalls how she met her husband. “Ricky and I met when out with mutual friends at a fundraiser 6 years ago, and as much as he would deny it, he pursued me until I agreed to go on a date (ok, so the story varies depending on whose side you are listening to, however it’s the writer’s privilege to give their perspective of events).

Surprisingly Ricky managed to keep his planned proposal very much a secret, the reason I say surprisingly is that he showed the ring to my folks when he paid a nerve-wracking visit a few days previous  to ask their permission! While Ricky can be secretive, my parents must have struggled with keeping the impending proposal to themselves! Luckily they only had 2 days to wait before the news broke. Ricky suggested we walk on Portmarnock beach that morning with our dog Millie, it was a lovely Sunday summer’s morning so I suspected nothing. As soon as we arrived  our dog went wild whilst she waited on the ball to be thrown into the sea…Ricky got anxious that the ring sitting in his shorts pocket might not be long escaping and so within minutes of starting out he was down on one knee. The tide was in, which meant it was a little tighter than normal for Sunday walkers… so you can imagine the applause and cheers from passersby!”

Photos today are by Solas Photographers. Aren’t they splendid? They capture the moodiness of Ireland and the happiness of the day so beautifully.

Jacqueline and Ricky held their ceremony and reception at Ballymagarvey Village. Jacqueline says “Ballymagarvey ticked so many boxes that I knew it was the place for us and the guests were not disappointed on the day.”

The highlight of the day was the early morning quiet. Jacqueline recalls “My favourite moment was the wind down the night before and morning of the wedding. I was exhausted due to 10 weeks of very, very late nights (spent browsing the internet to source suppliers) and early starts with baby. I loved the casual care-free atmosphere in Ballymagarvey house whilst everyone had their hair and makeup done (including aunts and sister-in-laws). It was a special time being with my nearest and dearest. Family passed through the drawing room where we were getting ready as they checked in for the night and it was just so casual and personal – I loved it.” Jacqueline and her bridesmaid’s hair was styled by Ciara Cumiskey.

Jacqueline wore a wedding dress and shoes from Ciara Bridal. The floral arrangements were styled by Mark Grehan Weddings Flowers.

Barry Macgrath played Jacqueline down the aisle and played the ceremony tunes.

Ricky’s friends sent the couple off with one special touch. Jacqueline explains, “Those aren’t swords you may have noticed. Ricky is very proud of his auctioneering business and the day just could not pass without symbolising this, so as we left the ceremony his close friends held gavels aloft which meant a lot to him.”

Of their photographers, Jacqueline says “James was a lot of fun, professional and didn’t intrude in our day. ”

The bridal party consisted of the couple’s closest friends and family. Jacqueline’s bridesmaids wore gowns they’d found on holiday in Spain. Ricky and his groomsmen wore suits from Aston Formal Wear.

The wedding stationery was created by Rachel Koo and the sweet wedding cake by Creative Cakes.

The Sweet Treat Co. created a colourful sweet table.  Jacqueline notes “They made an appearance in Ballymagarvey creating quite the display of old favourites (check out the Macaroon bars).”

The bride had one more surprise for the guests! Jacqueline recalls, “Whilst everyone was being seated for the meal I snuck in Manila Rhythm so I surprised everyone by having them play as we entered for our meal and then proceeded to play for two hours – they were a huge hit and a tip to other bride and grooms is stretch the budget to have these guys. They had everyone up dancing during the meal so I knew our evening was off to a great start.”

Congratulations Jacqueline and Ricky! Thank you for sharing your wedding with us! Thank you also to Solas Photographers for sharing today’s photographs!