Meet our beautiful bride Aoife, who had a summer wedding in Dromquinna Manor. Dromquinna Manor is a waterfront venue in Kenmare, owned by the Brennan brothers. Aoife is from Kerry and always wanted to get married there. Aoife wore the perfectly simple Liv dress by Maria Fekih. I remember the moment Aoife walked out in it at her appointment and thinking that is the dress! I love how the simplicity of Aoife’s dress allowed Aoife’s natural beauty to shine (explode!) through. Below I have asked Aoife a few questions about choosing her dress and stylingit for their special day.
Wow Aoife! You looked breathtakingly beautiful in your dress. Was it the style you had in mind for yourself?
It actually was the style I set out for. I knew I would always go with something really plain and simple. I modelled when I was younger and I wore lots of extravagant dresses that didn’t suit me at all. I think that definitely impacted on my decision to go with something plain and simple.
When did you know it was the dress for you?
I have to admit, I didn’t know right away. When I first tried it on, it was my Mom and sister that loved it more than I did. I needed to go back and try it a 2nd time to make up my mind. I knew then, it was the dress.
I was incredibly happy with the on the day of the wedding and I felt so comfortable. But, in the lead up to the wedding I was questioning whether I went with the right style or not. Speaking to other brides, it seems to be something most brides go through!
Who did you bring to your bridal appointment? Did they help you decide on your dress?
I brought my Mom and my sister to the first bridal appointment. When I went back to try the dress again, I brought my other 2 bridesmaids with me as well as my Mom and my sister. This was the day I chose it. When I collected my dress I brought my Granny, which was really special.
What would you say was your overall wedding style? What were your inspiration sources for your planning?
I knew I wanted to keep it all pretty simple. I went with a white, gold and green theme. I wanted my flowers to have lots of green foliage and white. I worked with a Wedding Stylist, Alise Taggert, and she helped to bring it all to life.
How did you accessorise your dress? Tell us all the jewellery and shoe details!
Accessory wise, I kept it pretty simple. My veil was really plain, but I styled it with fresh flowers in my hair. The florist put together a clip that sat just above my veil with the flowers. I absolutely loved it.
For the evening time, I wore a really simple gold and white hair piece from The White and Gold. This replaced the veil and flowers in my hair.
My shoes were gold sandals from Stuart Weitzman. I thought they were comfortable on the day until I wore them on honeymoon and they nearly killed me! I think the adrenaline on the wedding day completely masked the pain of my shoes!
Jewelry wise I wore pearl drop earrings from The White & Gold. I loved them and I know I’ll wear them again. I wore a really simple gold diamond necklace and bracelet that were gifted to me. The necklace was a 30th birthday present from my family and the bracelet was a gift from my husband last year to mark the original date of our wedding. It was due to be May 13th 2021. It was nice to wear pieces that had sentimental value
Any underwear tips for our brides to be?
Underwear was a challenge for me because my dress was so simple and really showed up so much underneath. I went to The Zip Yard in Nenagh for my alterations and they have a huge selection of underwear solutions and are really helpful on advising what to go with.
I wore a high waisted pair of spanks and cut a “V” in the back to allow for the low back on my dress. On top I wore silicone nipple covers. These are fantastic if you don’t need much support.
Any special moments you treasure from the day?
Oh god, there was so many. Meeting my Dad on the morning of the wedding was when I first got emotional. Seeing Brendan at the top of the aisle was really special. I felt quite nervous walking up the aisle, but as soon as we met, I felt completely comfortable and at ease.
If you could give brides-to-be one piece of solid advice?
Be completely present for the day, put your phone away and just let everything happen. Take a few moments to pause and just take it all in.
Brendan drove us to the reception from the church so it was 10-minutes where we were alone in the car and that was really nice. It was the only few minutes we had alone on the day.
If you are making any changes to your hair for the evening, organize a hairdresser to be at the venue to do it. My poor bridesmaid Margaret was tasked with putting my hairpiece for the evening in, which I know she’s wasn’t overly comfortable with!
Who did your hair, make up and photography?
My hair was done by Maria Vaughen. She owns Urban Angels Hair Salon in Glin.
Paula Callan did my make-up.
Gareth Lima Conlon did my Photography.
I have to say, I was really happy with all of the vendors and suppliers.
How did you find your experience at The White and Gold?
Sorcha was so incredibly helpful.
The store is also so beautiful so it makes for a lovely day out. Each time we went down we had a lovely day out in Kinsale.
Thank you Aoife. It was such a pleasure meeting you and your gorgeous girls! I loved hearing how happy and comfortable you felt in your dress. You looked so beautiful and I am so thrilled you chose to be part of our White & Gold gang. Wishing you both so much happiness together ♥
Photos by Gareth Lima Conlon
