Standing on a secluded 500-acre estate in the scenic north-west of Ireland, the 17th-century Markree Castle is rated as one of Ireland's most romantic wedding venues. This gothic masterpiece was the venue for the wedding of teacher, Eimear O’Connell, to tax consultant, Conor O’Shea, on December 21st 2024. Featured in the Autumn issue of SOCIAL & PERSONAL Weddings and captured by Anna G Photography, this candlelit celebration is the perfect inspiration for couples dreaming of a romantic winter wedding.
The couple met over eight years ago when Conor moved to Dublin to pursue his master's degree, and coincidentally, moved into a house not far from where Eimear grew up! "We organised to meet for a coffee, which ended up turning into a Dinner date. We met again the next week, and a decade later, the rest is history!"
"We travelled to Bali for Christmas 2022 and stayed in a gorgeous private villa in Ubud. As we do quite a lot of travelling together, I wasn’t wholly suspicious, but on Christmas night, he got down on one knee by the pool and asked me to marry him. I was over the moon, and, of course, I said yes!"
When it came to her beauty routine before the wedding, Eimear was practical and realistic about what she did and didn't want to do. "I didn’t make any significant changes to my beauty routine in the run-up to the wedding. I think there can be a lot of pressure on brides to go on these extravagant beauty journeys that cost a fortune, when there is no need." Being a lifetime Irish dancer, it only made sense that Eimear took care of her own fake tan. One area she did decide to invest in was her dental care, "I decided to get Invisalign and composite bonding done, as this was something I had wanted to do for myself for a while, and the wedding seemed like the perfect excuse to take the plunge finally. I went to Azur Dental in Blackrock and thought that Dr Sarah Flannery was amazing!" For her makeup on the day, Eimear's incredible artist, Ruth Cassidy, created a beautiful, natural look with soft peach and bronze tones, and a gorgeous pinky-nude lip.
Eimear knew that she wanted a simple and elegant wedding dress, with the only mandatory detail being sleeves for their winter celebration. "I actually chose the neck scarf before I even found my dress. I didn’t want to wear a veil as I felt it didn’t suit me or my style!" She walked down the aisle in the Forsythia gown from Alexandra Grecco, a floor-length, white silk crepe with button detailing down the back and sleeves.
Conor went to Patrick Sheery in Dublin to have a custom suit made. As it was a Christmas wedding, he chose a black velvet tuxedo jacket with peak lapels and paired it with fitted black suit trousers; the whole ensemble turned out beautifully.
For her bridal party, Eimear had her sister, Aideen, and two close friends, Clodagh and Orla, by her side. "I wanted something elegant but stylish for the girls that they felt comfortable in. I bought their dresses from the Australian brand ‘Shona Joy’ and I am obsessed with their pieces!" She ordered the La Lune dresses in cream satin, and we loved how the button detailing and long sleeves matched her wedding dress.
"We had a Catholic ceremony in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, a 19th-century Romanesque-style cathedral on Temple Street in Sligo. Father Shane from Mayo made it so special and personal." As the owner of an Irish dancing school in Dublin, Scoil Rince Clann O’Connell, Eimear's favourite part was (unsurprisingly) the traditional Irish music.
"Markree Castle was the first venue we viewed, and it was love at first sight for both of us." Wandering through the castle, soaking in period features and furnishings, and the breathtaking dining rooms, you get a real sense of the authentic, old-world charm that you can only find in such a historic space. "We fell in love with everything about the place. For us, it was the perfect Christmas venue." To match their otherwise clean and refined aesthetic, the couple kept the decor simple for the reception. Decorating the tables with a serious amount of white taper candles in antique gold holders, black bows and single stem white roses for an elegant wintery look.
"For our reception music, we had the band ‘The Bentley Boys’. A lively, fully customisable, party band that blew us away. Having initially seen them play at a wedding showcase, we knew from early on that they were the band for us!"
"The best decision was definitely the wedding date! The 21st of December was the day after everyone finished work for the Christmas holidays, and the guests were in flying form! It's such a magical time of year, and it felt like such a special treat to celebrate our wedding day almost two years to the date we got engaged."
"The worst decision was not asking all the female guests to wear black! I think that would have looked really cool, especially with the men in tuxedos."
- Gráinne