A Dublin bride has shared details about her beautiful city centre wedding.
Aoife got married in September of last year to her husband Matthew after four years together. The big day gave the couple a rare opportunity to have both of their families in the same room, as Matthew is originally from Liverpool.
The couple's young daughter Freya was also a flower girl for the special day and received loads of attention. Aoife said that having a city centre wedding was important to her, as she wanted the photos to reflect her memories growing up in Dublin.
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Aoife explained: "I always wanted a city centre wedding so we got married in City Hall on Dame Street, and then across to Morrisons on the quays. No one had to travel too far which was great. I loved the City Hall building so I knew it had to be there."
One of the highlights from Aoife's big day was the photoshoot her and Matthew did after their ceremony, made possible by their wedding photographer Aidan Beatty. The couple did a circuit around Temple Bar and Grafton Street before heading over to their reception.
Aoife said: "It was really important to take that time for the two of us during the big day. It was so special to have that, as the day really does go by in a blink."
Here is Aoife's testimony about her big day in full.
Who is your partner and where did you meet?
We met in the most romantic of ways-through Bumble! It was a dating app so we didn’t meet in the traditional way like a pub. I’d say it’s fast becoming the traditional way now. That was back in 2018.
When did you get engaged?
It was in December 2020, mid pandemic. We couldn’t really do much so we used to go on a lot of walks. We went with our daughter on a walk to the Botanic Gardens and he popped the question in there, with our four month old daughter there with us. We went there on our second date originally so it had some significance. It was really quite there when he popped the question and there weren’t many people around so it was a lovely moment, nothing too over the top!
Tell me about the wedding.
We got married on September 9 2022. It had been lashing the two days beforehand so I had been really nervous about the weather but it was fine. My husband is from Liverpool so all his family came over. I’m from Dublin and I always wanted a city centre wedding so we got married in City Hall on Dame Street, and then across to Morrisons on the quays. No one had to travel too far which was great. It was a fantastic day and I can’t believe it’s been six months already. I loved the City Hall building so knew it had to be there.
My daughter had just gone 2 and she was my flower girl. That was really special. When you’re getting married and you have a little child, it’s lovely knowing they’ll be in those photos. Everyone was so obsessed with her on the big day, she got loads of attention.
What was your favourite thing about the big day?
We did our photoshoot all around town with just my husband and myself. We went around all the back streets of Temple Bar and up around Grafton St, all the areas where I lived and grew up. It was really important to take that time for the two of us during the big day. On the way back to the hotel, we got a vintage Rolls Royce. I booked it with a family friend and he drove us around town. It was so special, especially when the day is so busy! The car is amazing and we joked that it was the best part of the day.
Talk to me about the dress and the bridesmaids dresses.
It was a lacey design. It wasn’t completely white, it was more of a mocha colour. It wasn’t your typical bridal design and it didn’t have a crazy big skirt. I felt very comfortable the whole day. I got it in O’ Brien’s bridal in Wicklow. It was the first shop and the first dress that I set eyes on.
I had two bridesmaids and a maid of honour, while my husband had two groomsmen and a best man. The bridesmaids wore sage green. I bought those in Wed to Be. They have their own styles and do dresses in all different colours and with 8 or 9 different styles. I picked separate styles for the girls and they said they were very comfy.
Best thing about the build up?
It was the pure excitement. There was something to look forward to after a hard few years. My husband’s family didn’t get to meet my daughter until she was 10 months old because they lived in Liverpool and Covid restrictions were in place. Knowing everyone was going to be in the same place for one day was really special and that was what I looked forward to the most.
What advice would you give to other brides?
It’s cliche but don’t stress the small things. The day goes by in a blink and even if something happens, you’re so busy you hardly notice. If something is going mad in the background, someone else will sort it.
Anything you would have done differently?
Not really. It was better than what I expected if anything. I was worried something would go wrong but it went off perfectly.
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