Nestled in the heart of Georgian Dublin, The Merrion is the capital’s most luxurious five-star hotel and was the achingly gorgeous venue for the wedding of senior account manager and bridal makeup artist, Sophie Gallagher, to operations manager Conor Kelly on the 31st of December 2025. Shot by Love it Visuals and planned by Andrea Winckworth Events, talk about a fabulous way to ring in 2026!
"We live in Greystones, and we walk the beach every Friday morning with our dog, Dot Cotton. One Friday morning on the 11th October 2024, Conor popped the question. I knew he would do it, but had zero idea it was coming that morning! I was completely taken off guard. It was frosty that morning, and we had the most beautiful sunrise behind us as he stood on one knee. It was the day after my mum's anniversary, so it was extra special for me."
Sophie's pre-wedding beauty routine was! Her biggest addition was regular facials at The Laser and Skin Clinic to help manage and smooth out her acne. "They sorted me out big time; I highly recommend any bride who wants a skin transformation to go there. I wasted a lot of time and money on ‘nice to have’ facials and peels that didn't make much of a difference!"
"Scent is a huge part of physical attraction; I would never plan my clothes around what I think Conor would like, but I would never wear a perfume he disliked! I selected ‘Love Story’ by Chloe and Conor selected ‘Gentleman’ by Givenchy."
For Sophie, the dress was one of the less interesting parts of her bridal journey; "I am more interested in hair, makeup, shoes, and simple jewellery." Thankfully, she took her crack duo with her on the gown hunt: her cousin Shona and Aunty Carol, who talked her into trying on another gown after the one she'd gone there to see wasn't quite right. "Shona said, "Humour me and try this one on," and it turned out to be the one! I only tried on 5 dresses in total."
"After much convincing, Conor allowed me to go on the hunt for a tux with him. I am confident he would have picked one out just fine on his own, but there are always finer details a woman's eye knows best! We went to Abraham's on South Annes Street and got sorted for everything. When he first walked out in his tux, I felt like I had just met him all over again."
Sophie had seven bridesmaids in total; five of her best friends along with her two sisters, Kate & Amy. "My friends all have amazing taste in clothing, and they know just how to dress. I told them to order whatever dress they wanted, as long as it was long and black. They all looked incredible on the day."
"We had a very intimate church wedding in St Patrick's in Monkstown. The way we did our wedding was slightly different to the traditional Irish wedding. My favourite part about the ceremony was how intimate it was; the small numbers almost left the room open for conversation between our guests and us, and everyone was really relaxed. We had Shona O’Sullivan on Vocals, and we danced in our chairs for every song."
The couple wanted an old-school feel for their wedding day because of the time of year. After one phone call with Alma from the Merrion, Sophie knew they had found their venue. "Their level of expertise is next to none. The entire process was seamless, and the food is not your average wedding meal; it was incredible. The room is small and has an intimate feel, which was exactly aligned with what we wanted."
"Our second venue, The College Green Hotel, has an incredible event space called the Banking Hall, which we felt complemented the Merrion's atmosphere perfectly. The Banking Hall is breathtaking and has such a romantic feel; we knew as soon as we viewed it that it was perfect for our event, and it was!"
"We had Shona O’Sullivan on vocals in church; her voice speaks for itself. It was very important to have live vocals in the church; I think it makes a ceremony! Bobby O’Sullivan and the Boys – Jaz 3 – 5-piece band; we had Bobby on Vocals with a pianist for our cocktail hour in the Merrion and singing during the meal. We then had Bobby, a pianist and saxophonist, singing for 2 hours as our guests arrived at the College Green."
"Jazz music is the perfect balance of upbeat and romantic, and it fit the vibe of both venues perfectly. Casa Disco then took the vibe right up a notch with live vocals, sax, and a DJ! All entertainment was incredible, all vendors were so professional, and everyone loved them!"
- Gráinne