Nestled on 1.5 hectares of magnificent formal gardens is the Radisson Blu, St Helens, a monument of contemporary grandeur and one of Dublin's finest 5-star hotels. With its elegant décor and well-preserved architecture, it is part of a historic estate built in 1750 and was the location for Conor Allen's wedding to Thomas Óg Redmond on the 17th of May 2024. Captured by Peter Carvill, we fell in love with this wedding day and we hope you will too!

The pair met through mutual friends in May 2018, after which they had our first official date at the Rag Trader whiskey bar in Dublin. "Following a number of months of dating, Tom had pre-planned a move to Canada, and I decided to follow him out, moving to Vancouver, where we lived for two years."

As a child, Tom loved Sylvanian Families toys, spending all of his Communion money on them – which Conor found very endearing from when he first heard it. "When planning my proposal to Tom, I knew I wanted to make it personal, and the Sylvanian Families kept popping into my head. We had recently bought and moved into our new house, and on the morning of the 5th anniversary of our first date, I handed Tom a gift box. He opened it to find two Sylvanian bears dressed in tuxedos, and when he turned around, I was down on one knee to ask the big question. The rest of the day was spent celebrating and telling our friends and family the great news!"

Skincare was a concern for Tom as he can be quite prone to acne, so he looked after his skin through hydrafacials from Therapie Clinic, retinol, and various serums (mainly from the brand The Ordinary). Along with having a relatively healthy diet, this was very beneficial for the preparation. The grooms both chose different scents for the wedding day. Conor chose Creed Aventus, while Tom used Tom Ford’s Ombre Leather.

Tom & Conor both knew they wanted a timeless and classic look, so went formal and wore black tuxedos. "In doing so, we still wanted to differentiate our wedding looks for the day, coordinating our styles to complement one another rather than mirror identically." To achieve this, Tom wore a double-breasted, peak lapel tuxedo, while Conor wore an open peak lapel tuxedo jacket paired with a double-breasted waistcoat. It provided a balanced aesthetic in the ratio of black to white while still having unique looks. "To add another dimension to the day's looks, we also changed into white tuxedo evening jackets for our post-dinner cake cutting and first dance."

The grooms both had a blended wedding party of groomsmen and groomsmaids, each of whom was a childhood best friend. "For a refined and uniform look among the men, we dressed our groomsmen in matching black two-piece, notch lapel tuxedos from Tangos in Dublin, which complimented our wedding outfits." Wishing to allow the groomsmaids to put their unique stamp on their outfits, the couple asked the girls to select a white dress they felt most comfortable in, with each chosen outfit allowing them to capture their style and personality. The result was a beautiful contrast of lengths and cuts, with dresses purchased from Ted Baker, Mint Velvet, The Kooples, Meshki, Odd Muse and Self-Portrait. "On the day, the girls went with a natural makeup look thanks to our makeup artist Michelle Treacy, and selected their preferred hairstyles, from up-dos to wavey curls and hair accessories, all styled by Michelle Walsh."

The ceremony was short and sweet but tailored and very personal. "We chose our celebrant, Lucie O’Sullivan, after having found her through the Humanist Association of Ireland and feeling her cordial and light-hearted nature was very in line with our own." The pair hired a wonderful harpist, Fionnuala Monks, who provided the sophisticated ambience with her music at the ceremony through her renditions of popular modern hits by Adele, Coldplay, Lily Allen and more. "I think our favourite part of the ceremony was involving our family and best friends in our special day, with our groomspeople participating in rituals (including the lighting of the candles and placing letters and champagne into a time capsule to be read by us our 5th Wedding anniversary), as well as reading excerpts and chosen poetry.  Our mothers were witnesses to sign the registry, which was also a lovely sentiment." Following the ceremony, Tom & Conor had a drinks reception provided by The Right Catering Company to allow guests to enjoy City Hall's beauty before departing for the main arrival reception at Radisson Blu St Helens.

When Conor proposed, Tom was certain that he wanted to get married in Dublin City Hall. "I had walked by the venue for years and loved the history behind it, along with the fantastic architecture within its walls. So, for me, it was a no-brainer." For their main wedding reception, the couple searched for a venue close to City Hall that allowed for ease of movement from one venue to the next. "When we went to view Radisson Blu St Helen’s, we were blown away by the venue itself, the staff that greeted us and the award-winning grounds - which ultimately served as the backdrop to our speeches on the wedding day due to the wonderful weather we had."

 

We wanted to add an element of sophistication to our wedding day, which was enhanced through our music and entertainment. We chose a traditional Irish harp (Fionnuala Monks) to compliment the surroundings of the city hall, playing modern classics for our ceremony. This theme continued into our arrival reception at St Helen’s through our string quartet (Vltava Strings), who played pop songs through a classical medium – which the guests were enamoured by. Following our two live musical performers at the ceremony and arrival reception, we chose Garvan from Star DJ, as one of our friends recommended for the evening’s entertainment. He did not disappoint – and had the crowd up and dancing into the early morning hours.

Regarding the best decision, the grooms had to say, "Our wedding was so magical, it is hard to identify a ‘best’ decision, as we felt all the choices made delivered the most amazing day possible – from having our speeches on the lawns to the venues and entertainment, it was all we could have ever dreamed of. However, the one thing that stands out as making the day truly perfect was our decision to spend the whole wedding morning together, getting ready with our groomspeople, popping the champagne and enjoying the excitement and buildup for the day. Having both been fully present and involved in the months of planning leading up to the big day, it was an easy decision to be by one another’s side from the morning to the end of the night. Having those shared memories made the day for us."

Regarding the worst decision, Conor had to say, "While there is certainly nothing we would have changed about the day, the closest thing I can think of is having identical wedding bands yet not pre-determining which ring was which before the ceremony. During the ceremony, we confidently put our rings on, said “I do”, took all our photos, and only during the arrival reception I thought “hmmm this ring feels … tight” only to realise we had put on the other’s ring. Thankfully, it was nothing a bit of soap and water couldn’t fix, but in hindsight, it definitely could have been a consideration."

- Gráinne