A historic 16th-century luxury Castle Hotel nestled on its own private island, Waterford Castle has long been considered a jewel in Ireland's Ancient East. Enjoying a truly picturesque location on the River Suir, it was the dream venue for the wedding of occupational therapist Fiona Condon to solicitor Colm Tobin on April 25th, 2025. It was love at first sight when Fiona found her Jane Hill dress, and we felt exactly the same about every frame from this beautiful day, captured by Pawel Bebenca and styled by Amy Daunt Events.
"Colm proposed while on a walk through a forest in Castlemartyr Resort in Cork (booked around my birthday to avoid suspicion). I'm very close to my parents, so Colm made sure to get their blessing before proposing to me. He was also mindful of the fact that I would have wanted them nearby for the celebrations that were to follow, so the next evening (after I said yes!), both families joined together for a meal to celebrate and mark the occasion."
Working in a hospital environment and dealing with general day-to-day tasks means that Fiona's skin is prone to feeling congested and dull, to combat this she attended Mediglow in Cork, where (after a thorough consultation) she began a regimen of daily skin care, including additional light face peels, microneedling, and hydrofacials, in the months leading up to the wedding day. To ensure that her hairstyle would stay in place, Fiona went to The Salon in Cork to add some hair extensions for extra thickness. "On the day, Sarah Cummins, the MUA, and Lynsey O’Leary, the bridal hair stylist, were absolutely fantastic. They created such a wonderful and chilled atmosphere, which helped settle the nerves in the morning. During my hair and makeup trials, both the hairstylist and makeup artist took the time to determine exactly what I wanted and made a great effort to ensure I was happy on the day. My hair and makeup stayed in place all day – I was delighted!"
For her bridal fragrance, Fiona chose Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede. "I wanted something fresh and floral that I could wear again and again as a reminder of the day." And with notes of red apple, peony, rose, and gillyflower, we think that was a spot-on choice!
"I had seen my wedding dress online months before I even started looking, and I think deep down, I always knew that was the dress for me." She wanted something structured that would stand the test of time, but also have a modern twist, and the Jane Hill Huntleigh gown hit the nail right on the head. "Even though I loved the dress as soon as I saw it, I was actually very nervous to try it on because I thought if it didn’t look how I hoped, I wouldn’t know where to start!" Because of this trepidation, she left trying on the actual dress until last, though it became clear after trying on each gown that the Jane Hill dress was the one for her.
"We knew we wanted a Black Tie wedding, and so Colm chose the traditional black tux for a timeless look on the day."
For her bridal party, Fiona had her three best friends: Evelyn, Elena, and Lydia as bridesmaids. "I ordered their dresses from TH&TH - I knew I wanted a light pastel colour as it was going to be a spring wedding. Most importantly, I wanted something that the girls would feel comfortable in, but also beautiful. To be fair to them, they were very relaxed and happy to wear anything."
"We had a traditional Church wedding. We wanted to include our friends and family as much as possible by having them participate in readings and poems during the ceremony. Fiona's grandad was part of the All-Ireland winning Cork Senior Hurling Team from 1941 to 1944, and even captained the 1944 team. We included his All-Ireland medals during the part of the ceremony where we exchanged gifts with each other during our vows. This was a lovely, sentimental moment that allowed us to remember our family, who were no longer with us, and have them still be part of the day.
"The two key factors for us when deciding on the venue were having the venue exclusively ours for the day and excellent food - Waterford Castle offers that and more! The castle is a wonderful and magical place, set in a beautiful setting - between the gardens with their beautiful flowers and deer, the views from the water's edge, the decor, and not to mention the ferry boat that takes you across to the island!"
"We genuinely think the service is exceptional at Waterford Castle - all of the staff are so friendly and make you feel so special, as if you are the only couple ever to have their wedding day at the Castle. The staff always make you feel at home and welcome at every visit, especially when coming up to the wedding. Gillian and the team are excellent - always there to answer questions, happy to accommodate every request, and genuinely want you to have the best day of your life. This is exactly what we did, thanks to everyone at Waterford Castle!"
"We both love music and believe that a variety of music performers and styles would help create a wonderful atmosphere for every party of the day. Rebecca Creighton was our wedding ceremony singer, and she is fantastic! Not only is she wonderful to work with, but her talent also enables her to take both contemporary and religious songs and turn them into something truly memorable. For the drinks reception, we wanted the wow factor of a brass band and chose Code of Behaviour. They created a wonderful atmosphere and really kicked the party off! For our wedding band, we chose the Ian Hendrick Band. They are top-class - such expert performers who know exactly what to do to keep the party going! They have a wide range of songs, so there is something for everyone to enjoy. We were lucky enough to see them perform during the Cork Jazz Festival before our wedding, so we knew we were going to get a top-quality performance on our wedding day!"
"When it comes to the best decision, it's definitely hard to pick just one! Waterford Castle was exceptional, and the service was consistently unbelievable, which made our day all the more memorable for us, our family, and friends. Regarding the flowers for the day, Aisling from Botanical Bloom created arrangements that were truly beautiful and timeless, particularly my bouquet, which was simply exquisite. The flowers truly stole the show on the day, adding a significant touch to the Church and venue. Amy Daunt, our wedding stylist, just made life so much easier! She understood our vision for a modern classic wedding theme from the outset and brought it to life! Finally, our photographer, Pawel, just captured all aspects of the day in his timeless and unique style. We adore our wedding photos, and we love how he managed to capture the happiness we felt without being intrusive to us or our guests on the day."
"When planning the wedding, we tried to keep everything as simple as possible without any unnecessary fuss, and we believe that really helped us to enjoy the whole process. For us, our day was so perfect and it exceeded all of our expectations beyond what we ever could have imagined!"
- Gráinne