Annabel & Ronan – Loughrea Hotel

Weddings are always great days out for me, i love meeting people and seeing everything that goes on behind the scenes. What makes them a little bit ore special is when you know the family (or families) already. So when Annabel and Ronan asked me to capture their big day, i was over the moon as I had captured Annabels’ sister Geraldines wedding the previous year.
This is Annabel and Ronans wedding, enjoy.

Did you have a wedding theme/colours… Our Wedding colours were Ivory, Navy and Pink. These colours were picked up in the bridal dress, the groom’s outfit and the bridesmaid and groomsmen. The wedding cake, and lighting in the hotel also incorporated these colours.

Tell us about the Dress… I absolutely love my dress. It’s a St. Patrick ballgown and I purchased the dress and veil in Thistles (Woodquay, Galway city). The dress is light ivory, in a heavy satin fabric with lovely lacy detail on the back and buttons all the way down the skirt and train. I feel that the dress is very simple, but with wonderful details like the pleat in the front and back of the skirt, the bow and the little bit of sparkle in the lace. The veil complemented the dress with a satin ribbon.

His suit… Ronan’s suit was rented from Galway Wedding Centre. It was a three piece suit in Navy, with a pale pink tie and pocket square (to match my bouquet!). The best man, groomsmen and the dads had the same suit, with different ties and pocket squares. All the men found the suit comfortable to wear for the day.

What the bridal party wore… My sister Geraldine was my bridesmaid and wore a Navy full length dress from Quiz. There was silver threading and beading on the bodice and she wore a grey fur stole to keep her warm in the October chill. The best man and two groomsmen wore the same three piece suit as Ronan, but with navy ties and pocket squares.
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The ceremony… The ceremony was in my local Church, St. Imors, Killimordaly, Co. Galway. The local curate, who I have known since I was in National School, married us in a wonderful and personal ceremony.

The Venue…. The reception was held in the Lough Rea Hotel and Spa. Once we got engaged, I knew I wanted to have the Lough Rea Hotel for our reception. Luckily, it wasn’t too difficult to convince my other half once he saw the hotel! The wedding co-ordinator, Natalie, was a dream to work with. Nothing was too much trouble. We were made to feel very special every time we were in the hotel. On the day, Natalie had the ballroom and the reception room decorated perfectly. We were greeted at the door with a glass of bubbles, allowed to view the ballroom, cut the cake and catch our breath! The food was amazing and no one was hungry after the dinner! They really did go above and beyond for us.

We chose our photographer because… when my sister Geraldine got married in 2018, she had Paul Duane Photography for her day, and I couldn’t have anyone else. Paul is such a calming influence on the day, while capturing special moments. Paul took photos at both houses on the morning of the wedding and stayed with us till we sat down for dinner. We were blown away when we received the photos, they really are so special. Looking at the photo’s we realised how much Paul moved around catching every detail of the day.

Entertainment…. Our ceremony singer was Rosanna Ruane – “My Wedding Singer”. She has an amazing voice. Rosanna really helped us chose the right songs for the day and was so friendly and helpful in the lead up and on the day itself. We had The Secrets as our wedding band and DJ at the reception. They were great, and the dance floor was never empty! They were so good a friend has booked them for her own wedding!!

Favourite part of the wedding day… My favourite part was when Ronan and I were in the wedding car travelling to and from Athenry (where our wedding photos were taken). It was so nice having that bit of time alone together to enjoy the realisation that we were officially Mr & Mrs!

Any advice you’d give to other couples? Enjoy the excitement of being engaged, and don’t stress the small details, everything will come together.