Nestled amid Cork’s woodlands, the luxury 5-Star Castlemartyr Resort was the stunning venue for teacher Emer Gilroy's wedding to global enterprise leader, Conor Headon, on September 13th 2024. Capture by Wilma Towell and featured in the Summer issue of SOCIAL & PERSONAL WEDDINGS, if you're on the hunt for effortlessly cool inspiration for your wedding day, you're in for a treat!
The couple initially met through mutual friends about 12 years ago while both were at University. However, their love story didn't quite take off at that time. Only years later, in 2020, the two reconnected and went on their first date. It was a date worth waiting for!
"Our love story began in 2020, along with other things! The Pandemic meant that most of our earlier dates were spent walking in St. Anne’s Park. These daily walks with our two dogs, Frankie and Ralph, have been something we have kept up. On Friday, March 10th 2023, Conor popped the question on what seemed like a regular walk through St. Annes Park. He proposed with a beautiful oval trilogy ring from Applebee’s Jewellers, Dublin."
"I wanted to look my best on my wedding day, but I also wanted to look like myself. With this in mind, my beauty regimen didn’t change too much, but I started taking better care of my skin and hair. For my skin, I focused on eating more healthily and being more mindful of my water intake. I also saw a dermatologist and had a few pre-wedding facials and treatments. I’m naturally a dark brunette and wanted to keep my blonde hair clean, bright, and healthy. Anyone who is not a natural blonde knows this takes a lot of work and care. I started seeing Kristina at Ceira Lambert’s Hair Consultancy in Shankill. We added extensions to add more blonde without damaging my own hair. She was amazing at getting the exact blonde I wanted for the wedding and recommended some great products to keep it looking fresh."
For hair and makeup on the day, Emer enlisted the services of the highly talented Aidan Darcy Hair and Sue Brophy Makeup. "They were incredible and brought a lot of fun to the morning. My skin was not cooperating on the day, and I was glad I was in expert hands with Sue Brophy. With Aidan, I just told him I wanted a voluminous yet classic upstyle and let him work his Magic. I couldn’t have been happier with my hair or makeup on the day."
Emer came across her wedding dress quite early in her search, on the Instagram page of The White and Gold, but was worried that it wouldn't suit her, so she put it out of her mind. Even at her appointment in the boutique, she was hesitant to linger on the gown, as she was certain she wanted to wear something entirely different and less structured. Thankfully, she was convinced to give the Jane Hill gown a shot, and lo and behold, she fell in love with it from the moment it was on her body. "From that moment on, whenever anyone asked about the wedding, I pictured that dress. I knew then that it was the one for me! Sorcha and the girls in The White and Gold were also incredible in helping me style the dress."
"The groom picked his suit! Conor chose the black tie dress code. He bought his tux at Abrahams Tailoring in Dublin City. They were great at helping him select a style that he loved."
Emer had three bridesmaids: her sister, Ruth, and two close friends, Laura and Susan. "The wedding was black tie, and I loved the idea of a very simple, classic, and clean colour scheme. I decided to keep the bridal party in black and Ivory." The bridesmaids wore mismatched black satin gowns from Dresscode that Emer was able to pick up in Ellie and Dal.
"The ceremony was our absolute favourite part of the day. We had a spiritualist ceremony by the fountain at the Garden Terrace in Castlemartyr. We both really wanted a relaxed, personal, and special ceremony. Jacqui Lee, our celebrant, was amazing at helping put us both at ease. She managed to strike the right balance of humour and formality for the occasion, while keeping it relaxed and personal. Tracy Gallagher was our musician for the ceremony. We both love music of all genres, and music was by far one of the most important aspects of the occasion. ‘Fisherman’s Blues’ is our song. I wanted to surprise Conor by walking up the aisle to this song—not a very typical choice for a wedding song! But it all worked out, as Tracy created the most beautiful cover, staying close to the original but slowing it down and making it more romantic. We were so lucky to have a warm, dry day in September, as we both really wanted to get married on the resort grounds."
The pair chose Castlemartyr Resort as their venue, having travelled down to Castlemartyr shortly after their engagement and instantly falling in love with the venue. "It was the first and only wedding venue we viewed. We were so impressed with the team, hotel and grounds. Jackie Day was our wedding coordinator and a dream to work with. No issue was ever too little or too large for Jackie. I can’t recommend Castlemartyr enough as a wedding venue!"
"For us, entertainment was all about the music. We wanted to keep our guests dancing throughout the entire weekend. We had Tracy Gallagher for our ceremony, Darren (aka ‘Sax Appeal’) for our drinks reception and late DJ Set, ‘The Firm’ after the meal, and ‘Rake the Ashes’ for our second-day celebrations. Conor and I love all genres of music and wanted to incorporate this into our wedding. The Firm is a fantastic wedding band that kept our guests on the dance floor all night. We had heard them play at other friends’ weddings and just loved them. I found Sax Appeal on Instagram. Darren is both a DJ and a saxophone player. He is a Cork native, so having him for our reception music and late DJ set made sense. He kept the party going and even played for us as we entered the ballroom (This was one of my stand-out memories of the day!). Rake the Ashes is a trad and ballad band from Dublin. We regularly attend their gigs in Dublin and are both huge fans of the lads. They are just brilliant, amazingly talented, and have great craic."
Regarding the best decision, Emer said, "Having the ceremony, reception, meal and day two in the same venue made the whole experience feel very relaxed. It also maximised our time as we did not spend any of the weekend travelling. Oh - and having Wilma Towell as our photographer, of course."
- Gráinne