Situated on 220 acres, the luxury 5-Star Castlemartyr Resort was the gorgeous venue for Áine O’Keeffe and Kailyn Domican's March 30th, 2024, wedding. Richly steeped in Irish history and tradition, the resort consists of 220 acres of manicured grounds, a grand 18th Century Manor House and the ruins of an 800-year-old castle. Captured by Under The Veil, this Irish homecoming wedding is filled with incredible details, from the pastel bridesmaid dresses to the showstopping cake!
As with so many of our featured couples, Áine and Kailyn lived a stone's throw apart for most of their life, but their love didn't blossom until meeting again abroad. "We both grew up in Naas and had crossed paths in school, but it wasn’t until we were living in Vancouver that a friend introduced us, and our first initial connection grew into a relationship."
"We love going to Whistler (a town north of Vancouver) for special occasions, birthdays and celebrations; it’s a special place for both of us. Kailyn proposed at Lost Lake in May of 2023. We had a trip back to Ireland planned for the following week, and he had already planned and booked the engagement party with all our friends and family!"
Áine bought her dress in a boutique called Every Bridal while still in Vancouver and flew it across the globe for her wedding day. "I didn’t have a vision of what I wanted, but when I tried on the Calathea dress in blush, I knew it was perfect; it felt so natural and comfortable. My mum designed and made the cathedral-length veil; the silk was sourced in Barcelona and had little ‘knots’ in the fabric that looked like tiny pearls." She paired her Alena Leena dress with a pair of custom-made lace fingerless opera gloves in a matching fabric.
Kailyn wore a tailored black velvet tuxedo from Paul Smith. "It was one of the quickest decisions of the whole wedding, and he purchased it on the day. It was a perfect subtle contrast against the groomsmen's traditional tuxedos. But to ensure he showcased his best dancing moves, Kailyn had a full tuxedo change for the party later that night."
Áine had four wonderful bridesmaids: her oldest friends, Cliona and Karen, and cousins, Roisin and Deirbhile. "Their dresses were from Dresscode; they have an amazing selection of styles, and all their dresses are made in Ireland. I chose four different colours to celebrate their personalities. They didn’t have a blue satin colour then, so my mum bought fabric in Barcelona and made Cliona’s dress to match the others."
"Our ceremony was in the Sea Church in Ballycotton, a beautiful venue that looked out over the sea to Ballycotton Lighthouse. We put a lot of thought into choosing music and readings for the ceremony that represented us and how we wanted to feel. Deborah Murphy, our vocalist, was phenomenal, and no song was off the cards, even when we requested Kylie Minogue’s ‘Love At First Sight’ for the processional. It was magical, and everyone was dancing down the aisle at the end of the ceremony."
When living abroad, selecting a venue can be challenging at the best times but even harder. Thankfully, Áine’s parents had been to the Castletmartyr Resort before and had nothing but rave reviews. "When availability for Easter Saturday 2024 came up, it seemed like fate aligned. We only got to see the venue for the first time ourselves the week before the wedding, but all the staff at Castlemartyr were so fantastic; from Kay in the events team to Chef Kevin Burke, everyone treated us like family and made sure that everything was perfect for us on the day."
"Deborah Murphy completely understood our love for funk and soul music and had everyone out dancing at our drinks reception; it was the first time they had seen the guests dancing before the dinner started! The Blue Romantics kept the dancefloor hopping all night."
Regarding the best decision, Áine said, "Having a vibrant colour scheme was one of our favourite things about our wedding; Taylor from Between the Briars created the most spectacular florals with seasonal Irish flowers, most of which were grown in their cut flower garden in Cork! The florals mirrored the colours from the stained-glass window in the church and the bridesmaid's dresses. Lots of bulb plants were used, which we then replanted in our parent's gardens afterwards to bloom the next year around our anniversary. Jess and Dan from Under the Veil captured our perfect day in photos and videos. They were lovely to work with and put us both at ease, even when we nearly got blown off the cliffs in Ballycotton! When we received our wedding album, I cried; it was like experiencing the magic of the day all over again. I couldn’t have imagined better photos that beautifully captured all the colour and joy from the day."
Regarding the worst decision, Áine said, "We have no regrets, but planning a wedding in 10 months can be hectic. My only advice to anyone else is to take time to enjoy the process."
- Gráinne