Real Wedding – Hannah and Brendan

Swipe right for ‘I Do’

Today’s real wedding has been captured by Stephen Liberge Wedding Photographer.

After just downloading Tinder, Hannah instantly matched with Brendan, 2 days later they were on a date and well here we are admiring their real wedding story so you know what happened next! Brendan caught Hannah off guard with a romantic proposal at the foot of Powerscourt Waterfall.

The Planning:

Brace yourselves…..this is no average wedding. Hannah and Brendan knew that they wanted to get married abroad and they were drawn to the idea of a chateau wedding in France. Chateau de la Valouze, St Emilion, stole their hearts and I can see why. It is the wedding venue of dreams.

Planning a wedding abroad is no easy task and Hannah and Brendan opted for the help of local wedding planner Diane. Diane introduced them to the venue and the surrounding area including the breath taking Abbey you will see in the pictures below.

Brendan took the bull by the horns and went in to full planner mode, there were spread sheets, project plans…you name it. Hannah was the creative force and used Pinterest for inspiration.

Not only were the couple planning an abroad wedding from Ireland but, in January, they both took the plunge and moved to LA. As if planning a wedding wasn’t hard enough, they now had a completely different time zone to contend with. On the morning of the move, Hannah visited The White Room Bridal Boutique and picked her dress. As many of you know, I adore their collection. Hannah spotted the Daalarna Couture dress a few days earlier and couldn’t get it out of her head…we’ve all been there.

The Lead Up:

To ensure they had plenty of time to get settled and organised in Saint Emilion, the couple flew with their families 5 days before the big day. As guests arrived, it wasn’t long before the wedding party took over this quaint French village. It wasn’t just a wedding day, it was a wedding week. As many of us know, one of the challenges getting married abroad may be language pending location but luckily they had Diane for a start but for their ceremony, Brendan’s mum’s cousin is a priest and married Hannah & Brendan.

The Big Day:

“The day was honestly the happiest day of our lives! I did not stop smiling and laughing, there are very few photographs where I am not throwing my head back laughing- it was just the best feeling being surrounded by the our family and our best friends.”

The morning was a mix of fun, excitement, dancing, champers and being beautified. Bliss!

The ceremony singers, ‘Only Us Ceremonies’, come from Ireland, and they sang songs in Irish which was beautiful against the backdrop of the ornate Abbey. Hannah & Brendan managed to persuade the priest in Saint Emilion to allow them to use the cloister attached to the Abbey to have a drink straight after the ceremony, Only Us played there too. What a stunning setting, I have pure wedding envy.

The entire wedding reception was outdoors. Can we just stop and take a moment to appreciate the beauty!!!

The meal was served on two long tables, and consisted of sharing platters of french cuisine for each course. This worked out so well as it created a social feature for guests. When it got dark, guests ate under fairy lights and candles. (Stop I can’t cope….I need to get married all over again!!!)

I loved all of the little features and props the couple used such as; their favourite signature wedding cocktail, personalised fedora hats, personalised fans, napkins, matches and coasters.
They also had sparklers for guests to hold while the first dance was being performed.

At midnight, guests got to indulge in a cheese and crepe table. A far cry from the Tayto crisp buffet we are seeing in Ireland! Amazing.

Parting Advice From The Couple:

“I really feel that all those hours of planning, and attention to detail are SO worth it. I felt so proud on the day looking around, knowing how much thought went into very detail.
Having said that, everyone is there for you, and not for the personalised napkins (!), take a few times throughout the day to just take it all in, it’s the biggest love bubble you’ll ever be in.“