The 17th-century Castle Leslie Estate is one of the finest luxury estates in Ireland, making it the perfect venue for the wedding of account manager, Emma Sweeney, to director and coach at Follaine Performance, James Bellew, on the 6th of September 2024. Captured by Signature Photography, with such a deep-rooted connection to the estate, it was a fitting setting for their story to come full circle.
The couple technically met at Emma's brother's 21st birthday in 2010. James’ friends all told him not to go there as it was their friend’s sister, but he felt he had to pursue Emma, and luckily, the risk paid off!
"The proposal was incredible. While we were away in Hamilton Island, QLD, the perfect romantic couples destination, I suspected James might finally propose to me. But he kept me waiting! Instead, he chose something even more meaningful. When we returned home, he suggested an early sunrise walk at our local beach in Bronte, Sydney. During a quiet morning, at our favourite place, he completely surprised me by proposing, with a photographer and champagne waiting to capture the moment. It was intimate, thoughtful, and perfect."
Emma's beauty journey was slightly staggered due to her moving from Australia five months before the wedding, and having to start fresh with new local beauty techs. "For four months, I focused on making sure they understood my preferred look. The most important thing to me was to feel like myself on the day, and I didn’t want any drastic changes."
"I chose a new signature scent for my wedding day, Jo Malone – Silver Birch and Lavender. In the lead-up, I found myself in Brown Thomas countless times, testing different perfumes and constantly changing my mind. In the end, I decided to go with an old, reliable brand I knew I could trust. Normally, I’ve been loyal to the same perfume for the past five years, so it felt special to wear something new on the day."
In an effort to avoid the stress of bridal boutique shopping, Emma opted to have her wedding dress made bespoke by a designer in Australia. Still, the journey wasn’t as seamless as she had hoped. "I went in with a clear vision of exactly what I wanted, but the process felt a little rushed, and there were flaws in the gown that reflected the lack of time and care, which was disappointing at first." Thankfully, her mum came to the rescue and introduced Emma to a fantastic dressmaker in Ireland who was able to fix all the flaws and bring the gown to life. "Looking back, I wouldn’t recommend having a bespoke dress made unless you have your bridesmaids and family close by throughout the process. Being so far from mine at the time made the experience feel a little isolating, especially when things weren’t going to plan."
"We went to a local supplier, CT2 Suits in Blanchardstown, who were fantastic to work with. We decided on classic black tie, which felt timeless and elegant and with the whole wedding styled as black tie, it tied everything together perfectly. You really can’t go wrong with this timeless look."
Emma had three girls in her bridal party: Helen, Enya and Meabh. "From the very beginning, I knew I wanted them in butter yellow, the same colour my mum had chosen for her bridesmaids’ dresses on her own wedding day, which my auntie made herself. It felt like a lovely way to honour her." In an outstanding example of the fashion trend cycle, just a few months later, butter yellow was back as one of the biggest colours for 2025!
"We had a Catholic ceremony in Monaghan Cathedral, which is such a stunning setting that hardly needed any additional flower décor; the grandeur and beauty of the cathedral really spoke for itself. Our priest, Fr. Regan, was incredible throughout the entire process. He guided us with such warmth and support in the lead-up to the wedding and made us feel truly special on the day itself, and made the ceremony so enjoyable. My favourite moment was undoubtedly exchanging our vows; it felt so personal and emotional to stand before all our loved ones and make those promises to one another. I also loved the quieter moment during communion, when we were able to pause, look around, and really take in everyone who had come to celebrate with us. It was such a lovely feeling to see all the faces of those we love most gathered together in one place."
When it came to choosing a venue, Castle Leslie Estate felt obvious to the couple. James, having grown up not far from the venue, had an exceptional tie to it; in fact, his parents were the first couple ever to be married at Castle Leslie, setting the trend for what has become one of the country’s most celebrated wedding venues!
"Our ceremony music was by the Dublin String Quartet, and they were outstanding. They provided a full list of pieces and songs to choose from, which made it so easy to pick music that was meaningful to us. Their sound suited the Cathedral setting perfectly, and they even played some of my personal favourites. Our band was Sugar Town Road from Newry. Since we’ve been living away from home, we hadn’t been to many Irish weddings ourselves, so we relied heavily on recommendations. We’d heard the guys were lively, and they didn’t disappoint – they had the dance floor full all night long! They also covered the DJ slot, which kept the energy going right through to the end. They were fantastic and definitely one of the best decisions we made."
"The only hiccup on my end was not having a coordinator at the bottom of the aisle to guide my bridesmaids and me on when to walk. Because of that, I didn’t end up walking to the exact section of music I had chosen. My advice to other brides would be to make sure you have someone there to coordinate the full walk down the aisle; it makes all the difference."
- Gráinne