Coolbawn Quay Gorgeous and Charming February Irish Wedding – Ruth & Brendan – Mrsredhead

Ruth and Brendan.. What can say …

My heart is melting after reading your email … I will just leave it here…

” Wow wow wow!!

Olga – MrsRedhead Photography Ireland – is honestly the most talented photographer we have ever met and we still cannot believe we had the privilege of her capturing our wedding! We first met Olga at a friend’s wedding (Melissa and Andrew Hickey) in 2016 when she was their photographer and her quirky style and outstanding skill stuck with us. When it came to selecting a photographer for our own big day I spoke to Melissa who raved about Olga and highly recommended her. Without even considering anyone else, we had booked Olga.

Olga is such a relaxed person and her excitement is infectious; she oozes mirth and mischief and genuinely conveys the feeling that she couldn’t believe her luck to have been picked to cover our wedding, rather than the other way around!

We met Olga in Lahinch in Clare in front of a cosy pub fire and she was able to get a picture (pardon the pun) of us as a couple – what style we wanted for the day and more importantly what kinda of vibe we wanted. She takes her work so seriously and flipped seamlessly between meticulous planning and then the craic and fun elements of the day. Instantly we felt so relaxed with her and didn’t meet her and her colleague Eamonn again until our big day!

From the moment she came to capture the preparations the morning of the wedding, Olga was amazing! Along with the hair and make-up professionals (Val and Mandy) we really had the best craic that morning. My sister even said it was one of her favourite parts of the day!

One thing I really liked about Olga’s style was that every so often she would show me some of the pictures she had taken on her camera. I really liked that – it added to the excitement of seeing the pictures and how her and Eamonn were capturing our day and it also gave us a chance to ask for different styles/types of photos as we went along if we wanted them.

Eamonn met Brendan and his best man and groomsmen at the church and made the guys feel instantly at ease and captured some gorgeous pictures of them just before everyone started to arrive. That was lovely for me to see and likewise for Brendan to see the preparation photos from the morning, just to see how we both spent that morning!

Olga had worked with our priest Jerry in the past and this made everything in the church so smooth and seamless. We didn’t realise there was a skill to lighting the candles and timing of the rings being put on, all to get the perfect shot. Jerry understood and respected this and orchestrated the entire ceremony around this.

For every single part of the day that followed we really had the best craic with Olga and Eatmon and everyone so often would hear an excited ‘Oh my God’ from one of them when they got their perfect shot. We could not have felt more special and really felt like Olga and Eamonn were two more friends that we had invited to our wedding. We didn’t want to say goodbye to them when they left us just before dinner!

If you want a professional, exuberant, incredibly talented photographer who will capture your day in the most special way possible then you have found it in Olga!”

Ruth & Brendan

 

MrsRedhead Photography Ireland

 

 

 

 

We felt so ridiculously happy, relaxed and special all day. It was the most incredible feeling knowing that all our friends and family were there and had made that effort for us. There was so much goodwill and love towards us and it’s hard to even put words on how much we value that. So many people can get lost in the razzmatazz and hype of a wedding and we wanted to try to avoid that as much as possible. We were so happy we were able to feel present in every moment of the day and really take it in and remember it.

As a couple and individuals we are fairly relaxed and easygoing. We don’t like drama or hype and wanted that to come across in our day with everyone. Every time we could feel ourselves getting stressed or worked up during the planning we would remind ourselves “At the end of the day you’ll show up, I’ll show up and we’ll get married”. We wanted to have as much fun, craic and nice food as possible and celebrate with everyone. Because we live in Leeds we don’t get to see friends or family as much as we would like, so enjoying our time with them was a big priority for us. I am one of 7 and Brendan is one of 4 and between us we have 14 nieces and nephews!

Where do we start with Coolbawn Quay! We had been at two weddings in CBQ (Coolbawn Quay) in 2014 and were bowled over by it. The location, the accommodation, the food and most importantly the impeccable service of the staff all make Coolbawn so unique and truly special. It felt like 5-star treatment in a relaxed countryside setting. Within a few hours of getting engaged we knew we would return to CBQ for our own wedding and we couldn’t have been happier with our decision. The venue was ours for the whole weekend and it felt like our own little beautiful village. We both love cosy cottages and fires and CBQ was the perfect setting for us in this respect.

Terry and Grainne in particular stood out in the references we got from our friends and from the first phone call to them we experienced nothing but professionalism and excitement on our behalf – we felt like everyone in Coolbawn shared in the excitement for our wedding and no request was deemed too much effort. If we ever renew our vows we will be back to Coolbawn straight away!I don’t think we can convey just how much we loved this venue and how it played such a huge part in creating the most amazing memories of our wedding

 

 

 

I stayed in CBQ the night before the wedding and was delighted I did. It meant my family were able to settle into their cottages which was particularly helpful for those with small children. It was also a great way to relax the night before the wedding and savour the start of the weekend! CBQ had planned out all the rooms and houses and had allocated a spare house to me for preparation the morning of the wedding and arranged for breakfast to be delivered to the house that morning. No request (and I had many!) was too much effort for the CBQ team. This was brilliant; the hair and make-up ladies were able to get set up in the house without disturbing anyone and it was just a really relaxed morning full of giggles!

One of my bridesmaids Deirdre was a very new Mammy at the time of the wedding and shared in our day from her home in Toronto. We arranged a FaceTime call for the morning of the wedding (choreographed perfectly by my Maid of Honour Amelia!) and I was able to chat to her and see baby Tom all decked out in his best suit and dickie bow. That was such a special part of the day for me and was so special knowing how much Deirdre and her family were thinking of us during the day!

I wanted some quirky parts to the day where possible. I’ve grown up with turf fires and the smell of turf always reminds me of home and being cosy by the range! I asked my father to pick a piece of turf and bogdale for me at the bog and used these as props for pictures of my engagement ring the morning of the wedding. I love these pictures and they mean so much to me!

Brendan and I had hastily practiced our first dance in his parents’ sitting room the day before the wedding and had a few twirls that needed finessing! We had some time before joining our guests in the marquee and it was brilliant, it gave us a chance to catch our breath and realize it was all happening! On our way to the marquee with Olga & Eamonn we decided at the last minute to go out on the decking and practice our first dance. Olga played the song on her phone (George Ezra, Budapest) and we danced! We are not cheesy people but this was beautiful and romantic and felt incredibly special.

Our priest Jerry is a family friend of the Clancy’s and was exceptional in the tone he set for our marriage ceremony. He made sure we were relaxed and at ease and was able to weave some humour and laughs into the ceremony while reminding us of the importance of the ceremony itself. We loved it and the marriage itself is one of our favourite parts of the day

It’s hard to know where to stop because we’ve had the joy of dealing with fabulous people for every element of our wedding – from Brenda Ryan who drove to Newbridge from Limerick to do a cupcake tasting for us (with 3 days’ notice), to the sacristan at Terryglass who was so helpful..everybody was just amazing!

 

 

 

 

How did you meet originally and get together? (We love a good love story!)

In 2013 Brendan was based in Cork with Johnson & Johnson and I was based in Tralee with Kerry Group. Our mutual friends had spare tickets for a 1920’s night in The Everyman in Cork and invited us along. It was one of those last-minute “Will I/Won’t I” nights out, neither of us not being completely sure if we would end up going! As it happens, we did and had a brilliant night all glammed up Gatsby-style! I hadn’t spoken much to Brendan all night but the following day I got a call from my best friend Amelia who worked with Brendan, saying I’d apparently made an impression and he had asked her for my number! Our first date took place in Cork and we ended up in Rearden’s late bar. Our second date was on a similar vein and had us in Voodoo Rooms with friends Amelia, Alex and Donal all acting as chaperones!!). We’ve both always loved Cork and now will always have the best memories of our relationship starting out there.

A few months later Brendan got a transfer to Leeds and we embarked on the joys of a long-distance relationship for 18 months. Slowly but surely Brendan introduced me to the delights of Leeds and in 2015 I moved over and we’re still here!

How did the proposal go, if there was one?

In Feb 2018 we had booked a few days off work for a mini-break. It started off as a joke with Brendan saying he would book the flights for our ‘secret trip’ and wouldn’t give me any hints about where we were going. He even checked us in online without my knowing and had given me very vague guidelines about what to pack for the trip. When we arrived in the airport he eventually told me we were going to Malta! We had the nicest few days exploring the island and just relaxing. On the last day of the trip we planned a full day of exploring and instead drank wine, ate crisps and read our books while looking out at the stormy sea. Our day of exploring got whittled into a walk by the sea at sunset where Brendan popped the question. It was just us, and it was perfect. We waited until the following day to share our news and just enjoyed being in our own bubble that evening!

Could you sum up your wedding in a couple of sentences – how would you describe the look and feel of the day, the vibe?

We felt so ridiculously happy, relaxed and special all day. It was the most incredible feeling knowing that all our friends and family were there and had made that effort for us. There was so much goodwill and love towards us and it’s hard to even put words on how much we value that. So many people can get lost in the razzmatazz and hype of a wedding and we wanted to try to avoid that as much as possible. We were so happy we were able to feel present in every moment of the day and really take it in and remember it.

 

 

● Photographer: The amazing Mrs Red Head (Olga)

Second shooter : Eamon

● Reception : Coolbawn Quay

● Ceremony: Terryglass Church, Tipperary

● Makeup: Mandy O’ Loughlin. Amazingly talented and such good fun!

● Hair:Hair by Val. So talented and patient with my neverending questions before the big
day. (I didn’t have a trial and she was spectacular on the day!)Hair by Val. So talented!

● Wedding Dresses/Suits: Wedding Dress – Posh Frocks, Otley (Leeds). Groom Suit – Moss Bros., Leeds

Bridesmaid dresses – Coast

Groomsmen suits – Moss Bros. They offered excellent rental service, allowing Brendan to pick out the suits in Leeds and return them in Dublin.

● Shoes: Ruth got hers in Debenhams in Leeds and Brendan got his in Next

● Accessories: This is where ‘Old, New, Borrowed, Blue ‘ comes in useful! Ruth’s earrings were borrowed from her sister Brid, who wore the same earrings on her own wedding day. Her bracelet was a Christmas present from her bridesmaid Deirdre.

● Flowers: – Elizabeth Rose in Nenagh. An absolute pleasure to deal with. On the
recommended supplier list by Coolbawn

● Cake: – Cupcakes by Brenda Ryan.

● Wedding Rings: Shares Jewellery in Leeds

● Ceremony/Reception Music: Niamh Kenny, Tir na nOg- What a voice!!

● Band/DJ: DJ and Sax, Dublin

 

 

Coolbawn Quay wedding Mrsredhead wedding photography ireland february Irish wedding

Coolbawn Quay wedding Mrsredhead wedding photography ireland february Irish wedding