Laura and Páraic knew each other for years but she moved to Dublin for college for five years and they lost touch. They met again at a Kings of Leon concert at Slane Castle. "We were pretty much inseparable from then onwards," says Laura.
Overlooking the Sugar Loaf Mountain at Powerscourt Hotel in Co Wicklow, Páraic asked Laura to close her eyes for three presents. "When I opened my eyes the third time he was down on one knee with a proposal ring!" she remembers.
Tankardstown House in Rathkenny, Co Meath was the first and only venue they looked at. "We fell in love with the intimacy immediately and their attention to details is dazzling. We are both big foodies so Tankardstown House delivered wonderfully in that respect also," she says.
They planned "simply and quietly" according to Laura, who says the key was not thinking too much about anything in particular. They kept their budget fairly loose as well.
"We didn’t really have a strict budget but then again we didn’t opt for anything very elaborate as the venue was so beautiful we didn’t have to add anything to it," she says.
The hardest part of planning for the couple was sorting out the guest list. "Tankardstown House has a strict 220 max occupancy so it was a little difficult to narrow the guest list to those who are most special to us and feature significantly in our lives," says Laura.
Laura's favourite memories of the day include the times she got to relax with her closest friends and Páraic. "The morning in my house was incredible – so relaxed and filled with warmth and laughter. What Tankardstown House do however, is that when the guests are being seated for dinner, they give the bride and groom some quiet time. So for about 40 minutes the two of us sat in the sun on the West Wing terrace of the venue with a drink, in amazement at the day so far, and we both felt so overwhelmed with gratitude," she says.
Their advice for other couples when it comes to planning? "We think we were the opposite of the “zilla” phenomenon – we were so relaxed about the day and all of the plans. You really can’t underestimate the value in slowing down on the day itself, soaking up the atmosphere and concentrate on the two people having this day."
