Dublin's most distinguished address, a byword for elegance and luxury, the Shelbourne Hotel has been home to hundreds of love stories taking place just a stone's throw from St Stephens Green. With 200 years of rich history, this elegant hotel was the venue for Ciara Byrne's wedding to Jamie Malone on the 23rd of September 2023. Captured by Wonder & Magic. we're in love with the elegant styling of this late Summer wedding.
The pair got engaged in December 2022 on Primrose Hill, London. While Ciara thought they were just going for a walk on a nice crisp December day before going to meet friends, Jamie had plans to get down on one knee! Quite cleverly Jamie popped the question just to the side of the incredibly popular London viewing area where no one was about so the proposal was as intimate and romantic as possible! "Once I had got over the shock and managed to call our family, we went and celebrated with friends!"
One of the first things Ciara did when after they had picked the date was to look for a make-up artist and hair stylist! "I couldn’t have asked for better. I wanted simple make-up and Mandi did an amazing job. With my hair, it was a very last-minute decision on the day as I was so indecisive! I had got a trial with Roy but didn’t love it so on the day I decided to just slick it all back!"
Ciara found the journey to finding her wedding dress quite daunting as the pair got married within 9 months; so she felt there was quite a lot of pressure to order the dress as quickly as possible to get it on time. "I didn’t really have a style in mind so was unsure where to start! The first shop I went to was called The One in Rathmines as it was just across the road from my house. I really liked the dresses I had tried on but as it was my first shop I went to so I had to go to more to see my options." She ended up going to multiple shops in both Dublin and London and couldn’t find anything she liked and was constantly comparing each dress against the first one she had tried on in The One. "After a few months of looking, I decided to go back to the One and try on the first dress I had ever tried on and knew it was “the one”!"
The couple bought Jamie's suit in Suits Supply in London just off Regent Street. It was a very easy and enjoyable process. As the wedding was black tie, Jamie went with a simple black tuxedo that was tailored to him. He had his measurements taken in his first appointment and went through all the different options. Once that was done he came back four weeks later to get any adjustments and then brought it home 1 week later!
Ciara's two sisters were her bridesmaids. As she wanted them to feel comfortable on the day, Ciara pretty much gave them the option to pick their own dresses as she believes anything looks nice once the person likes what they are wearing! As all three girls were living in different countries, they didn’t get a chance to go into stores together to look so Ciara had to rely on ordering different dresses online and sending them out to them!
The couple have always really wanted somewhere in Dublin as they're both originally from there and wanted to make it as easy and convenient for guests. Jamie also has two grandparents so it was important that they could attend without any difficulty! As Dublin has a limited number of hotels available for weddings, Jamie and Ciara made a short list of the venues they would like to see; as soon as they saw the reception rooms at the Shelbourne Hotel, they knew they had found their venue.
For dinner entertainment, the couple hired the Singing divas and then Spring break once dinner was finished. "We had been to weddings and gigs where we had seen Spring break so I always knew they had to be the ones and I don’t think the dancefloor was ever empty! I always loved the idea of dinner entertainment but never really knew of anyone who did it. The singing divas are someone who I just came across on the internet and decided to give them a go! From speaking on the phone to them I knew the general idea of what they would do but they exceeded our expectations!"
- Gráinne