Standing since 1832 in the heart of Co Kildare, The K Club exudes Irish glamour. Just a stone’s throw from Dublin, it combines tree-lined avenues, manicured lawns, and meandering waterways, making it the ultimate backdrop for the wedding of middle school French teacher Allyson O’Connor to general contractor Gavin Cronin on August 2, 2025. Shot by Love It Visuals and planned by Emerald Isle Events, their day came together as a full-circle moment that made her long-held dream of getting married in Ireland all the more meant to be!
Gavin met Allyson after moving to Boston from Ireland in 2022 to start his business. When not teaching, she occasionally worked at a local sports bar in Southie, and it just so happened that one night Gavin came in with a friend and stayed for hours to talk (not realising that his future bride could barely understand a word he said!). He asked for her number at the end of the night, and a few weeks later, the two went on their first date!
"In February 2024, we took a trip up to Stowe, which is an adorable ski town in Vermont. While there, I thought it would be fun and romantic to take a horse and sleigh ride through the woods. Little did I know that Gavin had already arranged this for his proposal. When I suggested it, he said he would book it and pretended to call the company (it was actually his friend on the other line). We were on a sleigh ride, with the prettiest snow falling, when the driver suggested we stop at the gazebo in the woods to take a photo. When we got out of the sleigh and into the gazebo, Gavin got down on one knee!"
Allyson found her makeup and hair artists through Instagram. "I wanted to look natural, like the most beautiful version of myself." Since she had already bought the strapless dress, she knew that she wanted to wear her hair down, although of course, it ended up in a ponytail by the end of the night! "My signature scent is a perfume I get from Fragonard in France called Belle Cherie.”
"I am completely incapable of making big decisions, so I was very nervous about picking a dress! I went to the shop with my mom, sister, and 2 of my best friends. I think I tried on 15 dresses. My consultant was awesome. She is actually the one who picked out my gown! I knew I wanted something with a little poof, because I will probably never wear another poofy dress in my life, and was set on a dress with straps… so of course I ended up with a strapless jacquard dress! The dress I chose was the very last one I tried- and when it was on the hanger I did not like it at all… but as soon as I put it on, I knew it was the one! I felt like an actual princess."
The couple bought Gavin’s suit in Cork City on a trip to his hometown. He wanted to do a black tuxedo like James Bond. "I am a fan of the classic look, so I was totally fine with that!"
Allyson's wedding party was pretty large. "I had my older sister as my Maid of Honour, and my baby niece as my Flower Girl. My other bridesmaids were my three best friends from high school, my three best friends from college, my best friend from study-abroad, and Gavin’s little sister." Originally, she had planned green dresses for her bridesmaids, but upon reconsideration, felt they might not go with the venue colours. "I decided to go with the classic black and white colour scheme. With so many bridesmaids, I wanted a dress that would flatter everyone, so I went with a flowy, black jacquard dress (to match my gown)."
"My favourite part of the ceremony was when it was over! Just joking- but naturally, we were running behind schedule, and I was a little bit stressed on the way there. My dad drove me to the ceremony in a vintage car, and when we got there, the whole bridal party had already gone down the aisle! When I realised how late we were, I practically ran down the aisle. My favourite part was walking out of the church with Gavin to see all of our guests lined up, cheering for us, our cute, green vintage car parked and waiting, and our bridal party throwing dried flowers as we walked by. Such a special moment!"
Long before she ever met her Irish husband, Allyson had always said that she wanted to get married in Ireland! "The K Club is the most beautiful place I’ve ever stayed. As I’m a French teacher and have a special love for France, the French-style architecture really spoke to me. The grounds are absolutely immaculate. An acquaintance was actually the one who told me about it, as she had gotten married in Ireland a few months before me and was helping me with some of the logistics. It had been one of her favourite venues that she’d toured. We were blessed with a sunny day and had the most perfect cocktail hour outside."
"We used The Bentley Boys Band! They were awesome! From planning to performing, everything was perfect. This was honestly the easiest and smoothest vendor that I worked with. They provided the 2-piece band for our cocktail hour, the live band for the reception, and a late-night DJ. We added a saxophone and a female vocalist to the basic 5-piece band because I really wanted to have the saxophone perform one of my favourite songs- Jubel- with the DJ when he opened his set. He put on a sparkly jacket and blew everyone away!"
"It’s so hard to decide on a “best decision!” I was so happy with everything we did that day. Besides choosing The K Club as my venue, the best decision I made was probably my reception dress. I had my mother’s wedding gown redesigned into a short party dress. It was so special to have a piece of her wedding day, but it was also much more comfortable than my gown was when we danced until 3 AM (paired with sneakers, of course)!"
"The worst decision I made was to go out after my rehearsal dinner and welcome party. We had live music and dancing, greeting all of our guests who travelled from all around the world to celebrate with us! It was amazing. The excitement continued after the party ended, and a few of us went to another late-night bar for some dancing. Gavin ended up slipping on the dance floor and hurting his knee. The next day, he was bedridden or walking with a cane! Thankfully, he was well enough on our wedding day to dance and enjoy himself. It could’ve been really bad!"
- Gráinne