With a history dating back to 1180, Kilkea Castle is one of Ireland's oldest inhabited castles. On September 19th, 2024, occupational hygienist Anna Cotic and physiotherapist Rory Magnier became man and wife at the heart of the 180-acre estate. Photographed by Studio Brown, we're head over heels for this later summer wedding.
The pair met at a bar in Toronto in 2018, a few weeks after Rory arrived in Canada. His accent was hard to miss in a sea of Canadians! "A few days after our meeting, I left on a two-month vacation. We could easily have lost touch, but we kept talking the entire time I was away. Once I was back in Toronto, we had our first date at a coffee shop."
At the time of their proposal, Anna and Rory were together for over five years. "Rory knew that I was hoping the proposal would happen on one of our vacations. He ended up proposing to me on a family trip to Croatia, Bosnia, and Hercegovina, where I’m from and where my extended family still lives. It was Rory’s first time visiting. The proposal took place by a beautiful river in Trebinje, where my mom was born. Afterwards, Rory surprised me by taking me to lunch with my family. His parents also surprised me by coming from Ireland to join the celebration."
"I focused on getting my skin looking as best as possible leading up to the day. This included being diligent with my daily routine and a series of PRP treatments and hydrafacials. Joanne Kelly and Ailbhe Lynch were amazing to work with and made the getting ready process on the wedding day so fun." For her perfume, Anna decided to choose a new scent that she could associate with the memory of her wedding, eventually setting on Chloé Eau de Parfum.
Finding a dress was one of Anna's more challenging tasks, having experienced the age-old issue of not liking the gowns she thought she would love once she had them on. "The dress I ultimately chose was one of the first I tried on, and I kept comparing all the others to that one. It was from a store in Toronto called Sash + Bustle. Bringing it over to Ireland on the plane was a big conversation piece with other travellers."
Once the couple knew that they wanted the attire for the wedding to be black tie, finding Rory’s tuxedo was easy, especially as he had a friend who worked at Indochino in Toronto. "It was a straightforward process. He chose a classic, timeless black tuxedo with a few custom details, like a patterned inner lining, our wedding date, and his initials stitched on the inner pocket."
Anna decided not to have a full bridal party, choosing only her older sister as her maid of honour. "I gave her full flexibility to choose whatever dress she wanted. She decided on a black, floor length, off-the-shoulder dress with floral details at the neckline."
"The ceremony took place in a charming church in Castledermot, near Kilkea Castle. We were honoured to have Rory's childhood priest officiate, which added a unique and personal touch to the occasion. He shared heartfelt insights about us as a couple, making the ceremony special. We selected readings and songs (a combination of classic church music and modern hits by Coldplay and Adele) that were meaningful to us. A dear friend graced us with her beautiful voice, and family and close friends lovingly did all the readings. This intimate involvement from those who hold a special place in our lives was our favourite part of the ceremony, making it meaningful and unforgettable."
Since they live in Canada permanently, the pair knew they wanted their wedding in Ireland. And after exploring several castle venues, Kilkea Castle was the top choice. "Our colour palette inspiration of ‘summer going into fall’ for the florals and décor was perfect for Kilkea Castle and was amazingly executed by Frog Prince Weddings. A beautiful backdrop (which Claire Brown so skilfully incorporated in her photography) and exceptional food and drink were fundamental to us. Kilkea Castle exceeded our expectations in every regard. The attentive staff were a pleasure to work with, making the planning process seamless and enjoyable."
For the reception, the pair hired The Significant Others Band on the recommendation of a friend who had seen them perform at another wedding. "They fit our music style and were great at being interactive and fun with the crowd."
Regarding the best decision, Anna had to say, "Planning the wedding from Canada, we thought that we would need a wedding planner. Once we started the planning process, we continued doing it ourselves without one. This ended up being a great decision for us because we got to know each of our vendors so well and got to be involved with all the details leading up to the day. We don’t regret allocating this part of our budget to our aspects of the wedding."
- Gráinne