An 18th-century property is steeped in history and heritage, boasting views of the ruins of a 12th-century Dominican Abbey (For which it was named). The Abbey Hotel was the charming venue for the wedding of Danielle & Cathal McDonagh on the 28th of December 2023. From festive bridesmaids dresses to a dancefloor alive with energy, it was a day to remember, captured by O'Donoghue Photography.
"We had attended a family wedding in Kinsale and had booked to stay a few days in Kerry. We decided to head out for the day to Torc Waterfall. I noticed Cathal was acting a little strange, but I made no remarks. When we got to the waterfall, I turned around, and the next thing was he was down on one knee! The first thing I said to him was, “What are you doing? Get up!” Everyone clapped and cheered! We left then to ring everyone and tell them!"
Danielle invested in high-quality skincare products and maintained a great skin routine, including a few rounds of Botox to make sure she felt as perfect as possible for her wedding day. We can certainly say that it paid off! For her wedding scent, she wore YSL Libre. With notes of lavender, jasmine and vanilla, it was the perfect rich and feminine fragrance for her winter wedding.
At the beginning of her dress shopping journey, Danielle spotted a dress on Instagram, but wasn’t sure if it was the one for her. It wasn't until her visit to Pearl and Lace in Donegal, where she tried on an array of styles, that she got to see the Instagram dress on and fell in love.
"As we were getting married at Christmas, we wanted to do the tuxedos, so for the groom, we decided to go with something a little different, and he wore a velvet tux, which looked really nice on him, and all the lads looked really well in the tuxedos."
Danielle's bridal party was made up of her cousin, two of her closest friends, and her sister-in-law. "I knew my colour was going to be a deep red for the time of year, so it was just a matter of getting a dress. I had told the girls I didn’t mind if they wore different dresses, but just wanted them all the same colour, and they all ended up picking the same dress."
"The ceremony was lovely, Father Bannon married us, and he was just lovely and spoke very well, and the service went smoothly. My favourite part was my dad walking me up the aisle to Cathal; it was a really special moment. My mam and dad had also gotten married here, so that was special too."
The pair picked the Abbey hotel for a few reasons, namely the fact that Cathal’s parents had also held their wedding at the venue. It’s a family hotel, a castle-style place that's modern and cosy inside. "When we met Lisa, she sold the venue to us. She was so great to deal with, and nothing we wanted was a problem. The wedding rates were one of the best, and we got so much value. We had also always heard great things about the food!"
For their reception entertainment, the pair hired The Eden wedding band. "We watched a few videos online of them, and I just loved how they interacted with the crowds!" The group held games and activities for the crowd, including a Mr & Mrs quiz, before the dancing started, and it's safe to say, the dancefloor was packed all night! "Our friends ended up booking them for their wedding, which we were delighted about, as it meant they really enjoyed them."
"I can’t really say a worst decision we loved everything about our day and wouldn’t change it for the world, best decision was getting the secret singers for after meal time, it gives everyone a boost and gets the crowd going again!"
- Gráinne