Built in 1822, Kilshane House sits on 320 acres of private parkland in the heart of County Tipperary. Boasting a stunning curvilinear conservatory dating back to 1860, this gorgeous venue was the location for Claire Walsh and Geoff Hanley's wedding on May 24, 2024. Photographed by Peter Carvill, if you don't believe in invisible strings, one read through this couple's love story will change your mind!
Claire and Geoff grew up in Galway but only became friends on their J1 in San Diego, California. "We immediately became great friends, but it wasn’t until June 2017 that, by chance, we ended up living across the road from each other in Dublin while in college. We used to go to the shop nearby to get a can of Coke after a night out, but I (Geoff) managed to change that into a date one day, which I was delighted about!"
Despite knowing his bride-to-be isn't the biggest fan of the public proposal, Geoff thought the perfect place to ask her to marry him was in the Opera Liege in Paris, on a Saturday, at lunchtime, during peak tourism season! "I asked a stranger to take a photo of us and insisted we didn’t have enough photos of each other yet on the trip to Claire. I dropped the knee and popped the question (it never comes out as smoothly as you imagine it being honest!). She could barely get any words out from the shock, but thankfully, she said yes and didn’t collapse on the spot. I managed to ask a local with no English to film the entire thing. I’d like also to give myself a pat on the back for picking a ring I knew she would love."
Claire's beauty journey was rather demure. "I have very sensitive skin, and I tried to stick to products I was familiar with. I didn’t do facials or other treatments that I thought would affect my skin barrier." For her wedding perfume, Claire wore Louis Vuitton Le Jour Se Leve. "I tried so many different fragrances, but after the first spray, I knew this was perfect!"
Unlike her streamlined beauty routine, Claire had a more challenging time choosing her wedding dress, trying at least 50 dresses! "I went to London and all over Dublin, Galway, and Kilkenny. I saw a dress online by AL Couture and fell in love with her creations. I visited the following Sunday on my own and instantly knew this was the dress I wanted to walk up the aisle wearing." On the day, C;aire wore AL Cotures Orchid gown, a beautiful Mikado off-the-shoulder ball gown with detachable sleeves. "I loved that the dress was structured but still had movement. I worked closely with Audra to find the final details."
From the beginning of the planning process, Geoff had an idea of what he wanted his suit to look like — a three-piece suit with a scoop neck on the waistcoat. "He’s quite broad and slimmer at the waist, so finding one that fit perfectly was difficult. We went to Louis Copeland, and their tailor (who was also named Geoff) was excellent, so we immediately went with them. Nothing fits better than a well-tailored tuxedo."
Claire's bridal party consisted of her childhood best friend Carmen, her sister Elle, and her kindergarten bestie Tara. For their bridesmaids' gowns, the girls wore matching duck egg blue satin dresses from Dresscode to complement the white decor.
The pair got lucky with the weather on the day, being treated to the sun shining and temperatures just short of 20 degrees! "Everything clicked from the music to the ceremony, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen acted like they had known each other for years. The most memorable part was having all our friends and family there, some of whom came home from Australia, Canada, the USA and the Middle East. We were so grateful to have everyone there and aware of how hard that can be today. I also loved seeing my Nephew and Niece part of the ceremony; they looked so cute in their formal wear."
Geoff and Claire left no stone unturned on the hunt for the perfect wedding venue, travelling all over the county until they saw and fell in love with Kilshane House. "I think what sold it for us was the conservatory. We imagined everyone inside and outside this in the sunshine having drinks and celebrating on the day, and this is precisely what we got with the weather being so good."
To introduce their nearest and dearest before the wedding day, the pair hosted a pre-wedding night in the house for about 60-70 people, made up of their closest friends and family. "We were blown away by the quality of our meal on the wedding day. Geoff is still trying to source where they got the lamb for the main course because it was incredible. They also had a remarkable selection of wines."
The couple hired the Bentley Boys with the added saxophone, DJ and Percussionist for the reception entertainment. "I cannot say enough good about these guys. Geoff had sent a list of remixes of songs he liked that weren’t on their recommended list. The guys, within a short space of time, managed to perform these (sometimes obscure) songs into live renditions that fit with sax and live drums. They never appeared like they were tired of playing."
"I’d get in trouble if we didn’t mention Geoff’s Father, Damian, and his friend Sean, who played in a band and provided the entertainment on the pre-wedding night for our guests. They played everything from the Eagles, Billy Joel to Robbie Williams (which Geoff insists he sang better than the man himself). We also had fireworks as entertainment just as the sun had gone down, which was a perfect surprise for all our guests."
- Gráinne