Brimming with gothic splendour and sumptuously restored from its 1840s beginnings, Adare Manor was the fabulous venue for dancer Miriam Gittens' wedding to senior community marketing manager Darragh Collins on July 20th 2024. Captured by Ryan Devereux, planned by Dream Irish Wedding, and featured in the Summer issue of SOCIAL & PERSONAL WEDDINGS, this wedding is rich with moody and romantic photography inspiration!
The couple met while living in Vancouver. Miriam had been in the city for several years, dancing with Ballet BC, while Darragh arrived in January 2021. Like many couples in this era, they met through Hinge and instantly clicked. "Our first date was at The Keefer, a cocktail bar in downtown Vancouver, where we had a fantastic time. From that night on, we saw each other every day for two weeks straight—it was truly love at first sight."
"In late 2023, I (Darragh) knew I wanted to propose to Miriam. After asking her parents for their blessing over dinner in New York in December, we travelled to Paris to celebrate New Year's Eve. A few weeks earlier, I had purchased the ring from a jeweller in Dingle after months of working on the design, look, and feel to make it truly special. I chose an emerald-green stone as a symbolic “Irish Charm” for Miriam. On December 30, I proposed to her by the River Seine in Paris. It was a beautiful, peaceful, and incredibly romantic moment. With the night sky above us and no one else around, it felt as if we had the entire city to ourselves—the universe did me a favour."
As a professional dancer, Miriam is accustomed to being in full hair and makeup on stage, so she wanted to feel and look like herself on her wedding day; therefore, it was essential not to have anything too over the top. "I wanted to be as natural as possible, and David (Hair Stylist) and Michelle ( Makeup artist) were on board with that!" For her fragrance, she layered Pear & Freesia Body Lotion with Scarlet Poppy Cologne, both by Jo Malone.
"I asked my friend of almost a decade, Victoria Bek, a well-known and established costume designer in NYC, to make my dress. Since I didn’t have a clear vision of what I wanted to wear, she suggested that I visit some Bridal Boutiques in NYC to find things I was drawn to, but wasn’t thrilled about. After a couple of appointments, I realised that something simple and something I was comfortable with was a priority. From there, she started sketching a dress (she’s so talented), and I loved it. A little later, we ventured to the Garment District in midtown NYC to pick our fabric options. She knows all the places, and this was a lot of fun to do! She built mock-ups for a dress with two layers — essentially a two-in-one dress — so that I could have one look for the ceremony and another for the reception without having to wear two completely different dresses. We experimented with various fabric options for the layers and ultimately selected a pleated silk fabric that was both flowy and lightweight. After a few fun fittings of playing around with different ways to drape the fabric, I decided. Victoria made three headpieces (a traditional veil, a flower comb, and a birdcage veil). I didn’t know which one to pick, and she told me to go with whatever felt right on the day, which ended up being the birdcage veil!"
Miriam's brides(mates), as she called them, consisted of four women and three men, all from different parts of the world! "Because we were having an outdoor ceremony in the walled gardens, we decided, 'If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,' and chose to add more green to Ireland." The women wore the dress style of their choice from Amsale in Olive, and the men were in a classic Tuxedo from Esquire in Limerick.
"We wanted our ceremony to blend Irish and Persian traditions. Miriam’s mother’s side of the family is Persian, and Darragh is Irish through and through, so it was important that both cultures were represented and felt seen and heard. To honour Miriam’s Persian heritage, we included a Sofreh Aghd—a traditional Persian wedding spread that symbolises prosperity, love, and happiness in marriage. For the Irish segment, Darragh’s sister Niamh delivered a beautiful poem about love, first in Irish and then in English. It was truly stunning. We also incorporated an old Irish tradition called a ring warming ceremony, where each member of the bridal and groom’s parties passed our wedding rings along, holding them briefly and offering a private wish for our future. Our ceremony occurred in the Walled Gardens of Adare Manor, and the weather was a real rollercoaster! It had been raining all week, and even that morning, we were preparing for a wet ceremony. But, just in time, the sun broke through, and suddenly, it was 25°C—so warm that even the Irish were fanning themselves in the greenhouse! And these were Californians used to the heat, so you know it was a proper warm day."
The pair were sold on the Adare Manor before even getting out of their car. "We visited on a stormy day, and we thought to ourselves, if our wedding day ended up being a downpour (which was very likely), this was the most serene and gorgeous place to be caught in the rain. Every detail at Adare Manor is thoughtful and downright gorgeous, and everyone we worked with was invaluable."
"Music is a massive part of our lives—Miriam is a professional dancer, and Darragh is a musician—so we wanted it to be perfect for our wedding. Miriam conducted extensive research and worked diligently to find the right band. Ultimately, we chose Joe Petit and the incredible Dreamers. When we first spoke to Joe, we asked about his influences, and he simply said: “James Brown and Drake.” That was all we needed to hear!"
Regarding the best decision, Miriam said, "We firmly believe that you get out what you put in, and when planning a wedding (or any event) for over 200 people, there’s no room for half-measures. We put in the time and effort, doing our due diligence to ensure everything was right. Ultimately, it all paid off, and we had a perfect day."
- Gráinne