Nestled within four acres of elegant gardens just outside Dublin city centre, St Helen's Hotel is a haven of five-star luxury. This grand heritage residence seamlessly blends classic architecture with contemporary comfort and was the perfect setting for the wedding of community associate Aline Villa to senior software engineer Raphael Socolowski De Lima on the 11th of April, 2025. Captured by Mace Photos, their celebration brought together family and friends from Ireland, Brazil and beyond.
Raphael and Aline first met at the church they both attended, where a few mutual friends connected them. Their relationship began to take shape during a prayer session at a church conference, before the pair found themselves spending more time together while working on their church's Christmas production. "The moment our eyes met, I felt butterflies in my stomach," Aline recalls. "What started as conversations about lighting gradually turned into something more, and little by little, we realised there was a genuine connection between us."
After they became a couple, Raphael eventually planned a birthday trip to Cappadocia that would become even more memorable than Aline expected. She had been convinced he would propose during a hot air balloon ride, particularly after friends began teasing her that it was coming. When the balloon ride ended without a proposal, she assumed they had simply been wrong. The real surprise came on their final morning, when a sunrise photoshoot in Love Valley turned out to be part of Raphael's secret plan. With the photographer and Aline's sister in on the surprise, Raphael disappeared halfway through the shoot before returning with a huge "Marry Me?" sign. "It honestly felt like a scene from a movie. I completely froze," Aline says. "That's when it all became real."
Aline has always preferred a natural look that still feels polished and put together, and her wedding beauty preparations followed the same approach. Having maintained a consistent skincare routine since her teenage years, she began incorporating Korean skincare products including cleansing oils, toners, serums, moisturisers and sunscreen. In the months before the wedding, she stepped up her routine and treated herself to a number of aesthetic treatments, including Botox, a deep cleansing facial and radiofrequency skin tightening for her face and neck. She also kept up with regular hair care, manicures and plenty of moisturising.
"For the wedding day, I chose Prada Paradoxe Intense. It was already a fragrance I loved, but I had always saved it for special occasions. In fact, it was the perfume I wore on our very first dates together, so it felt especially meaningful to wear it again on one of the most important days of our lives."
Aline had always pictured herself in a princess-style wedding dress, with a whole folder of wedding inspiration collected over the years. While her ideas changed with time, one thing remained constant: she wanted something that felt like a fairytale. "I knew I wanted something classic, elegant, and timeless," she says. Her final choice was a lace ball gown with a fitted corset-style bodice, detachable lace sleeves and a long lace-trimmed veil. It took around a month to find the dress.
After visiting several bridal boutiques and trying on different silhouettes, Aline found herself deciding between two gowns. Then a consultant brought out another dress, and everything fell into place. "The moment I put it on, I just knew," she recalls. "It had everything I loved about the other two dresses combined."
Raphael also wanted a timeless look, making a classic tuxedo the obvious choice. Having never worn one before, he began researching everything from lapels and cuts to fabrics and fits before visiting several boutiques. He brought his best friend, who was also one of his groomsmen, along for a second opinion. After weeks of searching and plenty of tuxedos, he eventually settled on a classic black tuxedo with a shawl lapel. "It was elegant, understated, and exactly the look I'd imagined," Raphael says. "Seeing Aline's reaction on the day confirmed I'd made the right choice, and I wouldn't change a thing."
The couple drew inspiration from both Irish and Brazilian wedding traditions when choosing their wedding party. In Brazil, it is common for couples to stand alongside the bride and groom as sponsors, rather than having a traditional division between bridesmaids and groomsmen. They combined this tradition with a selection of close friends and family members, choosing people who had played an important role throughout their lives. Aline's wedding party included her sister, her best friend of many years, her pastor from Brazil and longtime friends from Portugal, while Raphael chose his sister and brother-in-law, a close couple and one of his longtime best friends. The bridesmaids chose soft sky blue, allowing each woman to select a dress style that made her feel comfortable and confident.
The ceremony was officiated by the couple's pastor, Fabio Vilela, with music provided by a pianist, violinist and four singers. The carefully chosen music helped create an emotional atmosphere as Aline and Raphael exchanged their vows. For the couple, the ceremony was about much more than the celebration itself. "To us, our wedding was much more than a beautiful celebration with our family and friends," they explain. "It was a public declaration of our commitment to one another, and above all, a covenant before God." For Aline, one moment stood above the rest. "My favourite moment was walking down the aisle toward the altar," she says. "As soon as I looked at Raphael, I saw him standing there with tears in his eyes."
The couple considered a number of locations before deciding where to celebrate. Aline had initially dreamed of getting married in Italy, while venues in Brazil were also considered. However, bringing together family and friends from different parts of Brazil would have proved difficult. Their search eventually turned towards Dublin, where they wanted to find an elegant, fairytale-like setting. St Helen's Hotel was only the second venue they visited. "The building itself was stunning, with its historic, classic, and elegant architecture; it was exactly how I had always imagined my dream wedding." The gardens were another major draw, with Aline originally hoping to hold the ceremony outdoors with the historic house as the backdrop. Despite beautiful sunshine on the wedding day, strong winds meant the ceremony had to be moved indoors. Fortunately, the alternative space was just as beautiful, and the couple were delighted with their Plan B. The venue team also gave them confidence throughout the planning process, reassuring them that their day was in safe hands.
"We ended up not hiring anyone specifically for the entertainment at the reception. Instead, we chose to have live musicians during the ceremony to make that moment even more meaningful and memorable. We had piano, violin, and four beautiful voices singing throughout the ceremony, which created a very special atmosphere. For the reception, we simply created a playlist with songs and played some of the most popular Brazilian party songs. It was a more relaxed approach, but it allowed everyone to enjoy the music and celebrate together."
"The best decision we made was having our wedding here in Dublin, especially at St Helen’s. As I mentioned, we were unsure whether we should celebrate here or in Brazil. However, choosing Dublin gave us the opportunity to have a beautiful ceremony and reception in a truly charming venue, with all the support we needed from the catering team and the venue’s organisation. It allowed us to enjoy a stunning location while having everything professionally managed, which made the whole experience even more special and memorable."
"I think that, now that it’s all over, there are a few things we would have done differently. For example, I wouldn’t have invited all the bridesmaids and mothers to get ready with me in the same space. It ended up being too many people in a relatively small area for 15 people, and with everyone feeling anxious about being ready on time, I didn’t get to fully enjoy my moment as a bride while getting ready. Besides that, we would have hired a wedding coordinator to manage the event from beginning to end — someone who could organise each stage of the preparation, coordinate everyone’s schedules for getting ready, photos, ceremony entrances, and then each part of the reception. Someone truly focused on overseeing everything and making sure the day flowed smoothly. We also would have done a rehearsal for the ceremony entrances. And I think I would have hired a social media professional to organise several fun videos and content from the wedding day."
- Gráinne