After meeting at an Irish pub in sunny Sydney, Alanna and Damien tied the knot in a picture perfect castle in Donegal, Ireland.
Purchasing her gown from The White Gallery Boutique, knew the dress was ‘the one’ as soon as she slipped into it.
‘I knew it was the one when my mum started to cry when she seen it!! I had tried on some other dresses before and some of them I had really liked but had still talked about possibly changing into a second dress in the evening. It wasn’t until I put on my dress that I got the “this is the one” feeling and I remember saying to my mum, I love this so much there is no way I’d ever want to change out of it! That is how we knew it was the one. It was so delicate with all the applique detail. ‘
Names: Alanna & Damien
Wedding Date: 14th September 2019
Guest Numbers: 170
Wedding Location: Lough Eske Castle, Donegal, Ireland
Photographer: Hannah McKernan Photography
Tell Us Your Love Story
How did you meet? Damien and I are both from Ireland; however, it took a move down under to sunny Sydney for our paths to cross. In typical Irish fashion, we first met in an Irish bar! It took him a while to finally rake me out on a proper first date but once he did, the rest is history!
How did he put a ring on it? He took me completely by surprise. He told me we were meeting his brother and sister in law for dinner in the city. He knew I had always wanted to watch the sunset from Mrs Macquarie’s Chair so he suggested we go there first and then we could walk around towards the opera house where we were going for dinner. We went in and picked a spot on the grass overlooking Sydney opera house and Sydney Harbour Bridge. I should have known something was up as he kept leaving to go to the bathroom, what I didn’t know was that he had been trying to get a hold of my dad to ask his permission and dad wasn’t answering the phone!! Eventually he asked if I wanted to get a picture of us as the sun was setting. He knows I love a good picture! He walked over and asked a random woman to take our picture. I didn’t know it at the time but he told her he was about to propose and to take loads of pics. As I was fixing my hair and getting ready to smile for the camera, all of a sudden he was down on one knee telling me had something to ask me! It is a moment I will never forget.
Where did you draw inspiration from? I wanted everything about our wedding to have a “dreamy” feel. I wanted it to capture who Damien and I are. We are silly, we laugh a lot and we put a lot of thought and effort into the things that we do. I’ve always had a very neutral color palette and I knew I wasn’t going to stray far from that on my wedding day. If I’m honest, my mum has a talent in wedding planning and visions that I will never have. She helped me with every single decision (sometimes making them for me when I couldn’t choose). We took lots of inspiration from Pinterest and Instagram. It was hard, given that I was in Sydney and the wedding was in Ireland. I relied on mum to go and see things and give me her honest feedback. She worked alongside my florist and the designer of my headpiece and veil to ensure everything was exactly as we wanted it. When we were at home in Ireland to book the wedding, I knew I needed a location that would suit the style of our wedding. We viewed countless venues, but as soon as we walked into Lough Eske Castle, with its floor to ceiling windows and dreamy feel, we knew it was the one.
What made the wedding personal to you? I was getting to marry my best friend and that was the most important thing to me on the day. I live so far away from all my family and friends and I miss them desperately but getting to spend a full weekend with them all around me was the best thing I could ask for. There was one thing that made the day more special than we ever could have wished, my Maid of Honor who is my sister and my best friend, gave birth to my niece one week before the wedding and it made my day feel complete having her there.
What were you most nervous or excited about? In all of the planning of the wedding, I always said the thing I was most excited about was walking down the aisle and seeing Damien standing there waiting. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he turned around and that moment is still the most special thing to me about the whole day.
Now, the most important part – the Dress!
Tell us about your dress? Ahhhh my dress!! My dress of dreams. It was everything I wanted and more. From the moment I put it on, I just felt like it was the one for me. it made me feel like the best version of myself and I loved it! I knew it was the one when my mum started to cry when she seen it!! I had tried on some other dresses before and some of them I had really liked but had still talked about possibly changing into a second dress in the evening. It wasn’t until I put on my dress that I got the “this is the one” feeling and I remember saying to my mum, I love this so much there is no way I’d ever want to change out of it! That is how we knew it was the one. It was so delicate with all the applique detail. There was a lot on the dress but at the same it wasn’t overwhelmed with detail and had a simplicity about it. I loved the low back and the fineness of the straps. We worked with Gibson Bespoke to design the most perfect sheer veil and headpiece to go alongside the dress and all together it was a dream come true!
What stockist did you get it from? The White Gallery Boutique
What was your most memorable moment from your day? If I was to pick something other than the walk down the aisle, I think it was the overall feel of the day. I just remember everyone smiling and laughing, our pictures capture the essence of this, the day was filled with joy and happiness and I don’t think either of us will ever forget that.
Vendors to credit:
Photogrpahy: Hannah Mckernan Photography // Stockist: White Gallery Boutique // Headpiece and Veil: Gibson Bespoke // Bridesmaids: Ellen Lambert // Florist: Elizabeth Allen // Suit: Tom Morrows // Make Up: Ellen Lunney // Hair: @orlaraff12 (my fab sister in law!) // Cake: Baked By Corri // Event Design and Planning: Ep Design ltd // Band: Bentley Boys band // Entertainment: Singers Secreto // Venue:Lougheske castle