Set in a secluded estate in Co. Monaghan, the Castle Leslie Estate is a truly private rural escape, and was the magical setting for solicitor Emma Mullen Reynolds' wedding to sales manager Marc O’Brien on the 3rd of May 2023. Photographed by Peter Carvill and featured in the Winter issue of SOCIAL & PERSONAL Weddings, we couldn't imagine a more beautiful day if we tried!
The pair matched on Bumble initially, and Emma mentioned it in passing to a mutual friend, Rachel. After that, she was a woman on a mission to set the two up, and after a few weeks of meddling later, Emma and Marc had their first date!
"We love visiting Kerry. Our first weekend away together was in Kerry, and we go back every year. We went to Pax House in Dingle for the long weekend of St Patrick’s Day. And in hindsight, I should have known since Marc was so off on the journey down! As soon as we got through the door of Pax House, the nerves got to him, his knees buckled, and he proposed. We popped a bottle of champagne and had the best weekend ever!"
Towards the end of January, Emma started to think about her skin; the wedding was about 13/14 weeks out, so she had left it too late for most treatments, complex skin routines, or introducing retinoids. "I had a consultation in the SISU clinic explaining I was in the last chance saloon in the run-up to our wedding; they recommended Profhilo, a Hyaluronic Acid booster treatment that gives your skin an overall glow - it was great! I was eating well and drinking plenty of water, which helped too, I’m sure."
"My sister gifted us our wedding scents, a nice touch on the day. I chose the classic bridal scent of Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede. I tried many others but kept returning to it – bridal, elegant and fresh. Marc also went with a Jo Malone cologne, Cypress and Grapevine. It is delicious, we both wear it now."
Emma adored dress shopping to the point of being sad when thinking about how she won't get to do it again! She was all over the country, hunting in beautiful boutiques packed with stunning dresses, which can be overwhelming. "Mum chose my dress in the end; we went back for a sizing check for the original dress I had picked for the October date, and there was a trunk show in the boutique. Mum pulled out a dress and insisted I try it on; it was the new season, so once we confirmed it would be here on time, that was my dress!"
"Thirty minutes in Louis Copeland & Sons on a Sunday afternoon, the job was done! They are fantastic. Marc wanted something classic but with a twist—the navy tuxedo was the first thing he tried on, and it was perfect!" He paired his groomsmen in complimentary black tuxedos from Benetti Menswear to match the black satin bridesmaids' dresses.
"We kept our bridal party a family affair. Marc had his two brothers, Shaun and Patrick, and I had my sister Lucy and cousin Katie. Marc’s niece Molli was the flower girl, and Joey was the junior groomsman. Marc knew he wanted a black tie from the start, and the boys are Dublin-based, so organising the tuxedos was no problem. Joey’s little tux was adorable—he stole the show. The girls were based in the UK and Switzerland, so dress shopping required more coordination, dress shipping, and many video calls. I wanted a simple aesthetic; black is elegant and flattering, especially at a black-tie wedding. We ultimately landed on a one-shoulder mango dress with bow point-toe heels."
"We got married in Monaghan Cathedral, which was beautiful. Despite the grandeur of the cathedral itself, our ceremony was very relaxed. The priest who married us, Fr. Ciprian, is the local priest in Mornington, where I am from. We rehearsed a few weeks prior; he is such a lovely man, putting us at ease. The ceremony was very personal, and we smiled and laughed throughout (mainly at the priest fixing Marc as he kept doing things wrong/forgetting where to go, stand, etc.)."
The couple have been to many weddings and joked in the speeches that they could be professional wedding guests at this stage. There are so many stunning venues in Ireland; Emma and Marc were spoiled for choice. Castle Leslie was the first venue the two viewed, and they loved the idea of a venue neither of them (or most of the guests) had been to before. A testament to how much they loved the venue, Emma and Marc reserved a date on the spot and didn’t view any other venues after that!
"We loved the old-world atmosphere, the beautiful grounds and lake and the fact that it’s still not too far from Dublin. Castle Leslie can also take an extensive guest list; we invited just over 200 guests and had 196 people seated for dinner. Our wedding was about our family and friends and the fun of having a big party. We didn’t want to cut corners and certainly did not want to cut people. Castle Leslie had everything for us; the staff and wedding planning team made everything easy. We also love the Lodge aspect of the Estate. We had a family dinner there the night before the wedding, and it will be so lovely to return for a weekend away in years to come."
"We chose Smash Hits because they had played our friends Laura and Eoin’s wedding and were brilliant, so it was a no-brainer for us—we wanted the party vibe."
Regarding the best decision, Emma said, "Our vendors were our best decision; each added to our day in their own way. Peter Carvill, our photographer, was just amazing. Marc hates pictures, but he got on so well with Peter that he enjoyed it by the end. Peter is a pro and was one step ahead of the game throughout the day. Kim Marie created the most beautiful bouquets, arrangements, and cake florals. I sent her some inspirational images, and she surpassed them by a mile."
"Natasha Ray was our makeup artist on the day; she is a magician! She made us all feel so beautiful and confident, the wedding morning was fun and relaxed, and the giddy atmosphere was partly due to Natasha - she is great fun to be around. Karen & Jade from Ceira Lambert Hair Consultancy looked after the extended Bridal Party’s hair; they are amazing and went the extra mile. It was such a hot, humid day that the girls were worried my hair would drop; when we arrived back from the Church, they were waiting in the wings (hair tongs in hand) to refresh my hair!"
"Our cake was two tiers of lemon drizzle made by a local baker recommended by Castle Leslie, Claire Does Cakes. Not only was it beautiful, but it was also one of the best cakes I’ve ever eaten. We had a string quartet in the Cathedral and at the drinks reception, and of course, Smash Hits for the party gave us the soundtrack to our day!"
- Gráinne