“We got engaged on a family holiday in Spain. On Christmas morning we went out to the balcony of our room to exchange presents, it was on a cliff edge overlooked a spectacular sea view. As the sun was coming up for the day, Damien got down on one knee and proposed with a beautiful antique ring from my favourite jewellers.” - Danielle

Danielle and Damien were forced to postpone their original date in June 2020 to September due to the lockdown. “We reduced our original guest list from 150 to 50, managed to to keep everything else the same and thankfully hold on to all of our suppliers. We tried to stay positive and hope for the best, but having to constantly adapt to new restrictions was so incredibly stressful. A few days before the wedding the government announced that Dublin would be going back into lockdown. We only got confirmation 24 hours before the day that our wedding could go ahead with 50 guests. We made it by the skin of our teeth! The relief walking down the aisle that day is a feeling that I will never forget. Having everyone that we loved in one room to celebrate our marriage was out of this world. The excitement created the most incredible atmosphere for the whole day and night.”

What was important to you about your wedding ? “That guests wouldn’t have to travel far and would be well looked after with great food and drink. Fantastic music throughout the day and a party atmosphere. As much as we wanted to have our two small boys involved in the day, we really wanted the day to be about myself and Damien as a couple as we spend most of our days being busy parents. It was so lovely having a day to celebrate our love and friendship.” One very important person couldn’t make it on the day and that’s Danielle’s Mum, who is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. “I asked the florist to add forget-me-nots into my bouquet & instead of weddings favours we made a donation on behalf of our guests to the Alzheimer’s association of Ireland.”

Danielle and Damien always knew they wanted a city wedding and they fell in love with City Hall for their ceremony venue. “It’s just absolutely stunning and a beautiful landmark in the city. It’s the ideal place for the first dance, a champagne reception and beautiful lighting and backdrop for photos.” The couple continued their celebration in the very cool venue of Roberta’s, the award-winning glasshouse restaurant & bar in Temple Bar, Dublin. “We didn’t want a traditional wedding venue for the reception. We are both a big fan of the Press-up venues in Dublin, particularly Roberta’s. The vibe, style, interiors , food and drink really ticked all of the boxes for us. When we found out that you could rent it exclusively we knew that we had to have our reception there. We didn’t even view anywhere else.”

Some advise from Danielle for other couples planning their day - “Do it your way, don’t feel the need to conform or please other people. Enjoy the planning and prep as much as you can because when it’s all over you’ll surprisingly miss it. Your photographer and videographer are one the most important suppliers, choose them wisely as your photos and video will be the lasting memory of one of the best day of your life. We couldn’t have been happier with Michelle on photos and Ronan on video and how well they worked together. “

All wedding suppliers listed below…