Surrounded by the breathtaking Wicklow Mountains, the curved Palladian grandeur of Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa provided a heart-racingly beautiful setting for the wedding of Vice President at Stepstone Group, Meghan O’Neill, to Associate Director at Soben, Adrian Brady, on June 8, 2024. Photographed by Anna G Photography and planned by The Event Design Company, sit back, relax and prepare to be wowed by their gorgeous celebration!
The couple met spontaneously at a New York City bar called The Banc on February 1st, 2019. Meghan was with a group of friends celebrating a friend’s new job, and Adrian was with co-workers. The two started talking, and Adrian was shocked by Meghan's knowledge that it was the first night of the Six Nations Rugby tournament. Little did he know that she had only just watched her first rugby match that night! A few espresso martinis later, the pair exchanged business cards, and not even a few hours later, Meghan texted Adrian from the taxi asking when he was going to take her out.
"We had been living in Dublin, having been together for three years, although half of that was long distance between Ireland and New York. Adrian had planned for us to go to London for the New York Giants game against the Green Bay Packers. Saturday morning, we got up for breakfast and walked up to the restaurant. Before we made it, Adrian spotted a terrace and said, “Let’s go have a look out here”. I hadn’t had my coffee yet, so I just questioned what we were going to look at. We walked out onto the terrace, and once I was looking in the opposite direction over Finsbury Square, he got down on one knee. It was spontaneous, and perfectly imperfect as no plans were made."
"I followed the standard bridal prep routine, focusing on growing out my hair, taking care of my skin, and keeping my nails in good condition. I had a long engagement, so I had plenty of time to rework any bad habits. My favourite scent is Coco Chanel's ‘Mademoiselle’ and is my everyday perfume. I wanted to look and smell like me on my wedding day, so I kept it classic."
While home in New York over Christmas, Meghan enlisted the help of her cousin and mum to start her wedding dress search. She had previously seen Suzanne Neville dresses online, so she had a good idea of what she was looking for and eventually tried on a few, falling in love with one. Once she returned to Dublin, the search began to find the gown in an Irish boutique, but as the dress was from a previous collection, it wasn't readily stocked anywhere. "I was fortunate that Kadee Bridal in Athlone had a relationship with Suzanne Neville and was able to order it for me. I went down to the shop to get fitted and was pleasantly surprised to meet Suzanne in person! She took my measurements and drew a sketch of me in my soon-to-be dress. It's a memento I will have forever!"
Adrian wanted to wear something special for his wedding day, so he ordered a made-to-measure suit from Louis Copeland & Sons. He chose a dark green fabric that matched his new Breitling watch (a wedding gift to himself!). Embroidered on the collar was his name, and the inside lining full of clovers, a nod to his home county.
Meghan's bridal party consisted of seven of her oldest and closest friends, with whom she had been friends for over 25 years. "Having been a bridesmaid myself seven times, I wanted to do something different. I told my friends the theme was a mix of light blue solid dresses or light blue floral dresses. They could each pick their dress, ideally something they would re-wear again and something they felt comfortable in. This was such a fun idea as everyone looked and felt their best, which was essential to me."
"We got married in St. Mary’s Church in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. Our ceremony was traditional but authentic, with our priest adlibbing about the local council elections taking place that weekend. My favourite part was walking down the aisle to Adrian. My brothers walked me down, and we couldn’t stop smiling and laughing as we hardly fit. Although we were laughing, I didn’t lose my gaze from Adrian. It felt like we were the only ones in the room, and I was delighted to see I had made him cry!"
Since they were living in Dublin, a wedding in Ireland made the most sense to the pair. My family and friends were excited about the idea of a destination wedding. As most of Meghan's side would be travelling from the US, they wanted a venue that was easily accessible and could accommodate such a large group. Having visited a few of the larger hotels around Dublin and Kildare, Powerscourt Hotel and Estate was the next prominent spot to consider. "I loved several aspects of the venue, from the fantastic food and the secret garden to the gorgeous backdrop, but what I loved most was the abundance of activities available on the grounds. Knowing we would be hosting several international visitors, I wanted to ensure our guests felt they could experience Ireland without having to travel far. With the golf course, distillery, waterfalls and gardens, there was plenty to offer for our favourite people."
"We chose Wow Wedding and Event Band for our reception music and DJ, and the Saxophone for our after-party. We wanted our wedding to be the most fun night out people could have, so we were really focused on having good music. For the after party, we wanted to make the night even more special with an added saxophone player to accompany the DJ."
Regarding the best decision, Meghan said, "The best decision we made was enlisting our incredible wedding planner, Maria, to handle all the details. As an American living in Ireland, I didn’t have a group of friends to ask for recommendations of vendors or overall guidance on the wedding planning process. Maria was there every step of the way, ensuring that each detail was to my vision, while also providing overall insight into the various stages of planning."
Regarding the worst decision, Meghan said, "We wouldn’t change a thing from our special day, but if we had to choose, it would have been not cutting our cake for everyone to enjoy! We decided to take cake-cutting photos instead and had planned to bring our cake on day 2 to be enjoyed with a more intimate group, but we forgot to bring it. Safe to say I brought our 160-person wedding cake home with Adrian and I, so our freezer is fully stocked for our anniversary."
- Gráinne