Nestled in the vibrant heart of Dublin, commanding a majestic view of the picturesque St. Stephen's Green stands the Shelbourne Hotel. Its grandeur traces back to its inception in 1824, and over the centuries, it has become synonymous with timeless elegance and historical significance. Among the cherished moments of its rich history is the union of Amy Beachen and David Beachen on the 25th of November 2023. Captured by Two Souls Photography, this stunning city celebration is packed with dreamy shots that will leave you amazed!
The pair met on Tinder in 2017. Amy was only in New Zealand ten days before their first date and Dave’s Kiwi charm swept her off her feet! The pair went to an Irish pub in Auckland where Dave tried his first Guinness. The rest is history!
Anyone who knows Amy knows that she rarely ever gets surprised as she can usually tell when someone is planning something - but this time round, Dave 100% caught her off guard. They went away for a weekend, which Amy had helped organise, so she didn’t sense anything unusual. Amy was smothered with a cold and had a Rudolph nose at the time but still managed to climb Mount Manaia, a mountain in the far north of New Zealand, a very special place to Dave. And after a million or so steps they finally got to the top, Dave suggested taking some pictures of Amy as she posed in front of the view with her back to him. When she turned around, Dave was on one knee.
Since she was living in New Zealand, it was a bit harder for Amy to know who to book for makeup & hair, but through some lengthy social media research and a host of recommendations, she could whittle down the choices. "In the end, I went with Kerry Harvey for our makeup and Irma Butkus for our hair, who both did a fantastic job and made me feel super glamorous on the day." She had quite a pickle trying to find the perfect wedding day perfume, bouncing between considering a range of fragrances by Tom Ford and also Jo Malone, but in the end, Amy wore Jo Malone’s Pear & Freesia perfume.
"Picking my dress was one of the most exciting parts for me, after extensive research on Pinterest and Instagram I had quite a few styles in mind." On the one hand, Amy was drawn to the classic satin route, but the other part of her wanted something a bit out there and unusual. This made it quite difficult as her two final choices were one from each. Ultimately she ended up falling in love with a beautiful timeless strapless satin gown with a detachable over skirt. "Seeing the look on my Mom’s face when I walked out in the satin dress was the ultimate deciding factor in this part of the journey."
Amy had always pictured Dave in a tux but he wasn’t initially on board. After trying his first tux on he said he felt like a waiter! But after trying on a few it finally grew on him. "He looked so classy and handsome and it complimented my style of dress well." He ended up buying another suit (light cream-coloured) but changed his mind to the tux in the lead-up to the wedding. The couple had a second wedding ceremony back in NZ two weeks after the Dublin one - so he wore the cream suit there for that one, which fit the NZ summer vibe quite well.
Amy's stepdaughter Tayla (Dave’s daughter) and her sister Lindsey were the two bridesmaids. Being in New Zealand, it was difficult to get something matching that both of them could try on - so Amy took a gamble and ordered their dresses online. "I needed to be mindful that it was suitable for my older sister but also suitable for my teenage stepdaughter - JJ’s House has the perfect option that fits them perfectly and they looked beautiful."
"Our ceremony was so lovely, it was the most beautiful crisp sunny Autumn day, absolutely freezing but thankfully the church was nice and cosy inside. My favourite part was getting to walk down the aisle with my dad, such a precious moment that I’m so grateful I got to experience. Also seeing my husband shed a tear was something I’ll never forget, he rarely shows emotion so I was taken aback when I saw just how emotional he was. Was also got some great photos in Dublin City around Grafton Street etc and felt like celebrities - lots of people were making a fuss over us, running out from pubs with pints for us and taking photos. The Montblanc store even turned on their snow machine for us for a quick photo op!"
The couple chose The Shelbourne Hotel as the venue as it holds sentimental value for Amy and her family. "When I was younger my 15B bus would drive right past The Shelbourne and I used to tell myself “one day I’ll get married there”." They did such a fantastic day organising the day and it meant that Amy & David could relax, knowing their special day was in safe hands. It was an extra bonus for the guests that the venue is so centrally located, making it easy for everyone to get home afterwards!
Amy stumbled upon a band called ‘Sum Craic’ on Instagram as she was looking for a two-piece band (as the dance floor area at the Shelbourne is quite compact), they were great and brought lots of energy and played all the classics to get people up and dancing.
About the best decision, Amy had to say, "Our best decision was to have two weddings, one in Dublin and another back in New Zealand. This way, we were able to celebrate with everyone we love, without having to ask our guests to stretch themselves and travel across the world."
About the worst decision, Amy had to say, "We can’t think of any bad decisions per se, however, in hindsight, we wished we had made the time to take photos with every one of our guests - the day is such a mad rush that we missed out on getting pictures with some close friends and family which we probably could have planned for better."
- Gráinne