Set in 38 acres of pretty gardens and parklands and just 35 minutes from Dublin, Boyne Hill House was the stunning venue for the wedding of dental nurse Chelsea Finnegan to sales representative Donnachadh Kindlon on the 10th of July 2026. Captured by Hello Sugar Photography, their wedding was full of personal touches, from the ring warming ceremony to the pale yellow bridesmaid dresses.

After meeting through mutual friends on a night out nine years ago, the couple’s love story began with a chance encounter at a friend’s birthday party in Letterkenny. Donnachadh had originally planned to skip the night out because of a football match the next morning, but decided to introduce himself to his future wife instead. “He said it was love at first sight & according to his wedding speech he can still remember exactly what I was wearing.. Pretty cute!”

The proposal took place in Lisbon, where the couple had travelled to see The 1975. Donnachadh had secretly designed a bespoke ring and planned the proposal at Mirador de Santa Lucia, despite heavy rain arriving just as they reached the viewpoint. “When I turned around, he was already on one knee (with his jacket on the ground to stop his jeans getting wet). We were on cloud 9 for the rest of the trip.”

For her pre-wedding beauty routine, the bride kept things simple, sticking to the skincare products she already knew worked for her, while maintaining her gym routine and having her teeth cleaned two weeks before the wedding. “I would be a big advocate for my daily skincare routine, so I didn't really have many treatments in the lead-up to our wedding.”

Scent was one detail the bride spent plenty of time considering before settling on Kayali’s ‘The Wedding Scent’, drawn to its warm, nostalgic fragrance and beautiful bottle. “As soon as I smelt it I knew that I wanted it to be my wedding scent.”

After initially feeling overwhelmed by the choice and cost of designer gowns, the bride narrowed her search to two boutiques before finding her dress at Pearls & Lace Boutique in Donegal. She travelled there with her mum, sisters and little cousin and instantly knew the gown was the one. “It is beautiful, elegant & timeless, and I would choose it again and again.”

Donnachadh kept his wedding day style classic with a three-piece black tuxedo from Benetti Menswear, while his groomsmen and the bride’s father wore two-piece tuxedos. “He knew he wanted the classic black tuxedo as it's completely timeless.”

The bridal party included the bride’s two sisters, Meghan and Caitlin, as joint Maids of Honour, alongside bridesmaids Lauren, Taylor and Adeane. Pale yellow dresses were chosen for the bridesmaids, with two different styles from OhHello and NEXT bringing a little variation to the look. “The girls looked absolutely beautiful in them.”

The couple’s ceremony was deeply personal, with celebrant Nadia Powney helping to settle their nerves before the bride walked down the aisle with her dad. Their favourite moment was the ring-warming ceremony, where their wedding bands were passed around among their loved ones to make a wish for the couple. “Our wedding rings were passed around all of our loved ones to make a wish on before we became husband and wife, such a special part of the day.”

Boyne Hill House quickly became the obvious choice for the couple after an advertisement for the venue appeared on the bride’s social media. From the pink interiors to the moment she heard One Direction playing as they entered, she knew almost immediately that they had found their venue. “I always tell people that I feel like Boyne Hill House chose us.”

Honeyvoom Duo provided music for the ceremony and drinks reception, even learning one of the couple’s favourite songs for the occasion, before DJ & SAX took over for the evening. “Our guests had the best night & the dance floor was never empty.”

For the couple, choosing their photographer and videographer was one of their best decisions, with Hello Sugar capturing both the emotion and the energy of the day. “Paula & Ryan captured our day perfectly; they captured the love, the emotion, and they also captured the vibes.”

- Gráinne