Lauren & Jamie's Fota Island Resort Wedding

Tucked away on its own private island amidst the tranquillity of Cork Harbour, Fota Island Resort offers unparalleled vistas of the Irish landscape from the comfort of a five-star resort. Surrounded by lush greenery, it was the perfect haven for the wedding of the head of people at EngageTech, Lauren Bolster, to the head of rugby at FirstPoint USA, Jamie Berrisford, on the 6th of September 2025. Captured by Irina Duane Photography, all's well that ends well to end up with you.

The pair met on Hinge during the 2020 lockdown, enjoying a first date at Starbucks for a takeaway coffee (sit-in was banned at the time!) and then going for a walk around Blackrock Park in Dublin for hours on end to keep from freezing! There was an immediate spark, and the couple had their second and third dates within a week of the first meeting.

"Jamie always knew that I would’ve liked a personal and intimate proposal, and despite my being a hard person to surprise, he somehow pulled it off. I came home from work on a Friday to our home in Edinburgh, walked into the living room to a floor covered in rose petals and tea lights, with a path cleared leading to a space in the middle of the room where Jamie was standing. Lover by Taylor Swift (which turned out to be our first dance song) was playing softly in the background. I walked in, saw it all and walked out in shock, so Jamie had to fetch me from the hallway and lead me back into the room, where he said the most lovely words and then got down on one knee, asking me to marry him. He then claimed he needed to get something outside, and while I was admiring her engagement ring, Jamie walked back in with my parents, who flew over from Dublin, as well as his Mum and sister, to add to the surprise and the celebrations."

Hair and makeup were among the vendor categories that Lauren wanted to secure right off the bat. Having worked in the beauty industry before, she knew that she wanted the best of the best, and luckily, her dynamic duo, Sarah Cummins for makeup and Mary O’Mahony for hair, were more than able to provide. "I opted for Chloé perfume, and Jamie, after a few scent consultations, went for Acqua di Parma Essenza. Both scents still remind us both of getting ready the morning of the wedding, seeing each other and the day as a whole, so we’re both so happy we chose specific scents for the day."

"After looking and trying on dresses at three shops in Edinburgh in July 2024, I found the one I ended up buying. The boutique was about to close for the day, and we were the last people there. I was told that I could try on one more dress. The sales assistant, Olivia, picked out a dress she thought I should try, but I thought it was too plain and not my style. We laughed that I only had time for one more dress, but again she insisted that if I tried on this pick of hers, then I could try on two more, so I agreed. As Olivia was pulling it up over me, I thought ‘nope, nope, nope’ until she zipped me in, and I saw the whole dress on. I was floored. I walked out to my maid of honour and my friend, and both had the same speechless reaction. The plain dress I saw on the hanger was not at all plain when on, it was just perfect."

"I went home with a camera roll full of photos, thought ‘no way did I find a dress that easily on my first day of looking’ so I kept shopping around but couldn’t find anything else like this dress, so I decided I needed my Mom to fly over to Edinburgh to see me in it before fully committing. My Mom can be hard to impress, but I was dead-set on getting it, regardless of her opinion! She came to see it, and I tried on a few beforehand to warm her up; the Emma Roy team knew exactly what they were doing! Then, when I saw my dress again and put it on, I was so happy to love it just as much as I did the first time. And luckily, Mom ended up crying when she saw me in it! I bought the dress that day; it was the Sybil dress by Freda Bennett, bought from Emma Roy in Edinburgh."

"Jamie, being Scottish, knew he would always wear his own kilt, which he got for his 21st birthday from McCalls Highlandwear."

Lauren had her bridal party picked from a very young age, with her two sisters, Lucy and Éabha, as her bridesmaids, and her cousin Isolde as maid of honour. The girls agreed their dresses would be navy pretty early in the wedding planning process, as Lauren knew she wanted them in a colour that complemented Jamie’s suit without clashing. "They tried on a few different styles from Azazie, and we ended up going for the Rinna dress in dark navy crepe. The one-shoulder neckline complemented the low V-neck of my dress so well, too."

"We had our ceremony in the impressive St Coleman’s Cathedral in Cobh, and it was the wow factor of the wedding for sure. Our guests, both from the local areas as well as those who came from all around the world, were so taken away by the beauty of the Cathedral, so getting married in there by Father Tom McDermott was so special. The ceremony was actually the first time I felt a real sense of calmness; I knew everything was in place, and anything that wasn’t didn’t need to be; everyone I loved was under the one roof, and I felt pure love and joy the second I walked in. It truly was perfect."

"I went to Fota almost every weekend as a child, so the Wildlife Park held a special place in my heart. I knew it would be quite nostalgic for my family, too. It would be an incredible weekend of luxury for all of our family and friends coming from abroad, too. We had the wow factor of the cathedral, so we wanted to keep that wow factor at the reception venue too, and we (and the amazing team at Fota) did just that." The couple visited Fota during the Wedding Fair in 2024 with Lauren's mum and grandparents, and when they saw the Smith-Barry Suite, the reception area, the bridal suite, and the wider hotel, including the restaurants, rooms, and clubhouse, Lauren and Jamie knew instantly that this was where they would have the wedding reception. All other options were immediately gone, so the pair locked down the day with them there and then. "I’m so grateful to have memories of my grandparents at Fota that day, as they both passed away before the wedding, so having their memories with us made it even more special."

"I knew I wanted a live musician for our ceremony, so I found the excellent Ryan Parsons, who played the most beautiful violin versions of songs for us throughout the ceremony. He also came back to Fota with us to play at the cocktail reception, and our guests still speak about his talent and the fun he brought to the day! We then chose the incredible Spring Break Band for our evening entertainment, and we could not have been happier. They dress up for the performance and kept the dance floor full all night long – I remember trying so many times to sit down after each song, but they kept playing banger after banger, I couldn’t sit any of them out!"

"My best decision was my choice of vendors! Working with Irina, Daragh, Sarah and Mary really made every single aspect of the day so calm, enjoyable and smooth – they’re such professionals, and I never thought I could be so impressed the way I was/am with them."