Dublin City Hall & Westbury Hotel Wedding – Aoife & Paul

Dublin City Hall & Westbury Hotel Wedding

I met Aoife & Paul in the pub way before all this Covid craic kicked off. We hit it off instantly and I was so excited to shoot their wedding. They were planning something different, wedding lunch for their family and closest friends. Then off to City Hall for their ceremony. We were gonna trip around town and hit up some of the pubs before returning to their wedding reception for dinner and a party. Through the jigs and the reels, their wedding plans changed. They were still getting married in May but they were going with a more traditional plan for their wedding day. Then, Covid hit, and it turned everything on its arse! They moved to August, then they moved to December, with talk of moving to the following August. It’s a lot of reorganising for couples, I don’t envy them. Throughout the whole process, we stayed in touch. I even did their Doortrait at City Hall during the lockdown. They both decided to go ahead with their December wedding with 25 guests.

From what I knew of Aoife and from what she’d told me about her plans, I knew this was gonna be a gorgeous wedding (Aoife style the reception in The Westbury herself) . Aoife thought of every little detail but didn’t let it take over either. At the core of the wedding was the love Aoife and Paul had for one another and also for their family and friends. I was greeted like one of the family when I arrived at Aoife’s house for prep (after getting lost) and I felt really sad to be leaving when I had to say goodbye just before dinner. To me, that’s what makes a good wedding. It’s not about the number of guests, it’s about having your favourite people around you to support and celebrate this momentous day. So if you’re having a smaller wedding than planned, with 6, 25 or 50 guests, fear not, you’ll still have the wedding day of your dreams.

Ceremony: Dublin City Hall 
Reception: The Westbury (Grafton Suite)
Wedding Dress was Rosa Clara from The Suite with alterations by Anna O Alterations.
Paul’s Suit: Louis Copeland.
Wedding party outfits: Bridesmaids wore Reiss, father of the bride and best man were from M&S
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Accessories: Headband from Aura Bridal, Bag from Chanel, Veil from Anna O Alterations
Flowers: The Garden
Cake: Colhoun Creations
Cars: Myweddingcar.ie (Peadar the unsung hero of the day) – the vintage white Jaguar MK
Wedding Favours: Etsy plantable wild flower hearts
Stationery: Little Ivory
Makeup: Fabiana Coppola
Hair: Darren Lacken from Crow Street Collective 
Ceremony/Reception Music: Ceremony: Gerald Peregrine Reception: none allowed so we made our own playlists for various stages of the day
City Hall catering by Little Piggy (baileys hot chocolates) with mini gingerbread men from Clarkes Bakery in Cabra (a Cabra institution) 

Dublin City Hall & Westbury Hotel Wedding – Katie Kav Photography