Nestled at the heart of 36 acres of woodland, an ornamental lake, rose, vegetable and herb gardens, Marlfield House is a haven of tranquillity, with peacocks, hens, dogs and ponies waiting to greet you on your garden walk. Recognised as one of the most luxurious boutique hotels in Wexford, it was the stunning venue for the wedding of data analyst Kate Hawkshaw to software engineer Mark Kavanagh in Marlfield House on June 27th 2025. We're utterly smitten with this romantic summer celebration, captured by Anna G Photography and featured in the Winter issue of SOCIAL & PERSONAL Weddings!
The couple met in Trinity College Dublin during their final year of study, while living on the Trinity Campus. Their houses were next door to each other, and (thankfully) Kate's close friend was a roommate with Mark, so she could spend a lot of time in his house and get to know him. He finally asked his future bride on a date towards the end of their final year of study!
"Mark proposed just before Christmas 2023 in our apartment in London. It was an evening after work and the night before we travelled back to Ireland for Christmas. Mark completely surprised me when I got home from work and got down on one knee and proposed with a beautiful promise ring that I love and still wear every day - I wasn’t expecting it at all. He had dinner booked at our favourite restaurant in London to celebrate, and he planned it perfectly so we could travel back to Ireland the next day and celebrate with all our friends and family. The proposal was so intimate and low-key, which was exactly what I wanted!"
Proper beauty prep was very important to Kate, and she left no stone unturned, having a skin analysis done and being recommended to start using Environ skincare products. She also spent the year and a half before the wedding growing out her hair, which had previously been quite short. For her nail-care, she started BIAB a few weeks before the big day to ensure they were long and strong. Then, in the last stretch before the wedding, she had her eyebrows tinted, her BIAB refilled, and a spray tan in Bellamianta medium.
"The scent I wore on my wedding and what I always wear is Peony and Blush Suede by Jo Malone. I didn’t want to change my scent for my wedding because I love this perfume, and it reminds Mark of me!"
Kate's wedding dress was actually the first one she tried on. Having first seen a photo of it on Instagram, as soon as she laid eyes on the gown in the boutique, it was love at first sight. She went back in March with some friends to a London shop that stocked the NeWhite brand, but didn’t commit straight away, as she wanted to be 100% sure. During the summer, her mum flew over to London, and the pair spent the weekend wedding dress shopping, but nothing compared to the first dress.
"My one concern was that the tulle skirt on the dress was too much material, and I wouldn’t be able to dance. I then saw that a shop in Ireland (the one with the white & gold) had started stocking NeWhite, so I went with my sister and my mum again to try it on. The woman in the shop was extremely helpful and informed me that we could have the overskirt made detachable, which alleviated my concerns, so I ordered it that day. When the dress arrived, it was perfect; it only needed minor alterations. I loved the dress so much!"
"Mark was far more laid back about his tux and didn’t start looking until a couple of months before the wedding. We decided that all the groomsmen and Mark would wear black tie to stand out from our other guests, who followed a formal dress code. He spent a day shopping on Savile Row in London with his groomsmen and found the tuxedo style he liked. He then ordered it online from Ralph Lauren, on his tailor's recommendation, and brought it back to Savile Row for tailoring."
Kate's bridal party consisted of her two best friends from school, Sarah and Alex, and her older sister, Sarah, as maid of honour. "We bought the dresses from Ghost London: vintage-inspired, champagne-satin button-down maxis with flutter sleeves."
"We held the ceremony in the gardens of Marlfield House, in front of the glasshouse, and our celebrant was Tom Farrell, recommended by the venue coordinator, Dawn. Tom was genuinely kind and made the ceremony feel incredibly personal. We had Tracy Gallagher, a singer and guitarist, play music for us during the ceremony. I walked down the aisle to "Can’t Help Falling In Love With You" by Kina Grannis, which was so special because I love that song. We also had some of our friends and family read during the ceremony. Our favourite part of the ceremony was sharing our personal vows that we both wrote for each other."
During COVID, the pair visited the Duck Restaurant at Marlfield House and spent time exploring the house and gardens, taking in the beautiful surroundings. From that moment, Mark and Kate knew that if they were ever going to get married, Marlfield House would be the perfect place. So, when the time came to plan the wedding in Ireland, they didn’t even bother viewing any other venues; their hearts were already set on Marlfield. "We loved the decor, the bedrooms, the gardens, the glasshouse, the service, the dance floor and the food. Everything was terrific, and Dawn, the coordinator, was brilliant, ensuring that everything ran smoothly on the day. Another major plus for us was that we could bring our own wines to Marlfield House. Mark is very involved in the wine industry, so having a curated menu was really important to us, and Marlfield House were so accommodating!"
"We had The Beat Boutique and their DJ for our evening music. We also booked the Jazz Trio through the Beat Boutique, who played at the drinks reception in the garden. They were amazing, and the dance floor was packed all night!"
"Without a single doubt, our best decision was having our wedding at Marlfield - it was just so stunning and was the perfect scene for our wedding!"
- Gráinne