Destination Castle Wedding Ireland

Where we Met?
As told by Ryan!
Unlike many other cliché couple-meeting stories, the narrative of how we met is astonishingly unique and unprecedented. We met….wait for it…..wait for it…..at an Irish bar.
But not just any bar; we met at arguably the greatest Irish dive bar on Park Avenue between 29th and 30th Streets in New York City – the infamous Desmond’s Tavern. And it took over 2 years of random
encounters with one another before finally sealing the deal.
I moved to Manhattan in August of 2013 with my buddy Castor to pursue my Master’s Degree at the City College of New York. On our first weekend in Gramercy, we decided to explore the neighborhood, and happened to stumble into Desmond’s for a beer and a burger. The bar was quiet, dark, and empty; the only other person aside from the two of us was the lone bartender. A very cute, yet angry looking, Irish lass. She gave us a quick death-stare, and proceeded to ask us what the f*** do ‘ya want?
I was simultaneously frightened and intrigued. This was my first encounter with Saoirse. Or her alterego, Winnie, for those who know her
In the next few weeks after our first encounter, I took a bartending job a block away from Desmond’s at Les Halles Brasserie. And it just so happened the Les Halles staff’s favorite post-shift drinking spot
was, lo-and-behold, Desmond’s Tavern. After one of my first shifts, we went over to Desmond’s, and Saoirse was behind the bar. While she didn’t remember me from our first encounter, she was friendly with some of the Les Halles staff, who introduced me to her. And for the next 2 years, we would go into Desmond’s after our shifts, and I would occasionally get the chance to chat with Saoirse. I took a liking to her, but was always too shy to ever make a move. Little did I know, she had taken a liking to
me too, presumably due to my boyishly good looks and chiseled features and exquisite diction.
Then in May of 2015, I took a full time job at an architecture firm and gave my notice to Les Halles that I would be leaving the restaurant. One of my co-workers, Carol – knowing I was leaving and might lose my chance with Saoirse – went in to Desmond’s and spilled the beans to Saoirse that I had a big crush on her. So on my very last day at Les Halles, Saoirse walked in for brunch with our pal Sandra. After my shift ended, they joined me at the bar for a drink to celebrate my last day. Afterwards, we decided to go over to Desmond’s for one more.
While walking over to Desmond’s together, it suddenly started to downpour. As we took cover under the Desmond’s awning, a mysterious man on roller skates (the 1970s roller disco type) skated around
the corner, holding a box of golf umbrellas and asked us Free umbrella ,Why this lunatic was roller skating in a thunderstorm carrying a box full of golf umbrellas remains a mystery to this day. But we graciously accepted his offer and as I went to open the umbrella to cover us from the rain Saoirse graciously accepted his offer, and as I went to open the umbrella to cover us from the rain, Saoirse went in for the kill and leaned in and gave me a big kiss (aka ‘the shift’) The rest as they say is history!

Tell us a little bit about the proposal?
The original plan was to have all of Ryan’s family over to Ireland in June of 2020 and Ryan was going to propose on a boat in Killarey Fjord / Leenane in front of all of our families. Unfortunately COVID put a wrench in those plans. So on our 5 year anniversary, we went on a Covid picnic date on the waterfront in Long Island City overlooking the Manhattan skyline, and Ryan proposed then while exchanging anniversary gifts. So we ended up getting engaged in the same city that we met, and that was very
special to us.

Your wedding theme/colours?
Rustic yet simple theme with white and green colors mostly.

Hair and Makeup?
Fabulous hair and make up, loved by all!
Hair by Eimear at Little Scissors Hair Salon
Make Up by Selina G Make Up Artist

His Suit?
Forrest green 3 piece suit by Studio Suits with a black shirt, no tie, and black loafers

What your Bridal Party wore?
Chic off white pant suits from the suit shop with a simple black top underneath to pick up the groomsmen black shirts.

Your Ceremony?
Our ceremony at Belleek Castle included the following: Unity candle – where we invited our mothers to light the outer candles and we used the candles then to light the unity candle together.
Readings – readings selected by us (3 out of 4 were material received from Anu Celebrancy) and read by members of our families.
Ring blessing – before our wedding rings were exchanged the guests were invited to close their eyes and provide their own blessing/wishes on the rings.

Handfasting – a Celtic tradition with ribbons fasting where we actually tied the knot, the ribbon colors were individually selected by us where we choose colors meaningful to us.
Personal vows – we created our own vows, as challenging as it seems it proved to be a fun challenge on the build up to the wedding and allows you to share a true insight to our relationship on our wedding day.

We choose Wedding Moments because?
I came across Wedding Moments on Instagram when looking for a local wedding videographer, we booked Wedding Moments for two reasons

Johnny is so professional yet easy going from the very first email, chatting with him feels like chatting with someone you have known for years. To no surprise on the day he continued with that
easy going and professional behavior.

Having watched some of the wedding videos posted on their Instagram the work was outstanding. You know when you find yourself getting teary eyed and grinning at a strangers wedding video then it’s
a great video!
Highly recommend Wedding Moments

Favourite part of our wedding day.Saoirse – our ceremony
It was so special, it was relaxed yet filled with emotion…we laughed and we cried. It was true to us and our story while involving all our friends and family who were there to celebrate with us. It was made so special by our amazing celebrant Niamh from Anu Celebrancy.
Ryan – Gonna have to actually agree with Saoirse on this one and go with the ceremony (husband
brownie points?). Niamh made the whole thing very warm, special, and unique to us. I loved incorporating the readings chosen by us and our family members read by our family members, our colors into the handfasting, lyrics from one of our favorite musicians, and the songs played by Rosie. It was better than I had imagined and people continue to tell us what a special ceremony it was.

Your piece of advice for other couples?
Saoirse – enjoy every minute of the day, it goes by so fast so try to spend every minute making the best memories with those around you instead of fretting over little things.
Ryan – Happy wife happy life. A wise man said those words. Guys – participate in planning the wedding and enjoy the time leading up to it and making the planning for it an activity with your significant
other. It makes the day so much smoother and the bride much more at ease 🙂

Suppliers
Dress: Grace Loves Lace
Bridesmaids Suits: Suitshop
Grooms/Groomsmen Suits: Studio Suits
Venue: Belleek Castle
Celebrant: Anu Celebrancy
Ceremony Music: Rosie Connolly
Reception Music: A Few Good Men
Hair: Little Scissors
Make Up: Selina G Make Up Artist
Florist/Decor: VIP Weddings
Photographer: Sun Moon & Cactus
Videographer: Wedding Moments