Set on 100 acres of parkland and gardens, with the magnificent backdrop of Dún a Rí Forest Park, Cabra Castle is one of Ireland's best-known castle wedding venues. It's no wonder Emily Rogan and Darren Cunningham chose it to be the location of their wedding day on the 12th of August, 2024. Captured by Signature Photography, this late summer wedding is absolutely stunning!
The two met online six years ago and dated for a few years before getting engaged in the Autumn of 2022. "We moved in together when the first COVID lockdown occurred and have lived together ever since!"
"We had recently moved into our first home together, and after spending a weekend celebrating both of our birthdays (our birthdays are only two days apart), Darren took me for a walk on the beach nearby and popped the question at sunset! It was a complete surprise."
Emily kept her beauty routine simple, focusing on growing out and strengthening her nails to achieve a classic French tip. She kept the look soft and rosey for her makeup, wearing a light nude eye and pairing it with Chanel's Rouge Coco Baume in the shade Natural Charm on the lips. Darren’s signature scent was Tom Ford Oud Wood, with notes of rosewood and cardamom for a rich smokey musk, sweetened with tonka bean and amber notes.
Our blushing bride started the search for her wedding dress with a posse of her sister and mum, but it wasn't until she visited La Boda in Banbridge with just her mum that she tried on and fell in love with her Pronovias dress. "The girls there could not have been more supportive and helped with this huge decision! I loved the timeless and classic look of the Mikado silk and the fact that I could add the detachable bow later in the day to change my look!"
For the groom’s suits, the couple wanted to go with a classic style to complement the venue and the style of the wedding and bridesmaid dresses. "To ensure the guys looked special on the day, Darren sourced hand-tied bow ties for each of them! Props to our bridal party for putting in the hours practising tying the perfect knots in the run-up to the big day. We think this made all the difference in how the photos turned out." To transition from day to night, Darren swapped his suit jacket for a velvet one just before the entrance to the wedding meal.
Emily had three bridesmaids, her older sister and two of her besties. "For the colour of the bridesmaid dresses, I went for an almost yellow shade of champagne. I loved the dresses, as this is my favourite colour, and they reminded me of the iconic yellow dress worn by Kate Hudson in the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.”
"Our ceremony felt so romantic and personal to us. The venue felt full of light and love. A special aspect that I will always remember is how we gripped each other’s hands so tightly at the start, listened to our celebrant Andrea welcome everyone, and looked out at the beautiful day and gorgeous surroundings at Cabra Castle. Darren’s nephew Flynn played the role of ring bearer, and he was just adorable."
Cabra Castle truly lived up to its reputation when it came to hosting both the ceremony and reception. With their stunning grand ballroom, perfectly decorated with a timeless charm, and their newly opened and heartstoppingly stunning Granary, we're not surprised that the couple loved celebrating their union amongst the castle's history. "The selling point for us was the gorgeous new ceremony venue, “The Granary,” which had not yet been built when we booked our wedding! But we knew it would be just as stunning as the rest of the castle."
Emily's mum had previously seen The Honeyvoom Duo play at a wedding and passed on rave reviews, so there was no question who the pair would pick. "I played the violin during school and loved the romantic sound of the cello, so I always knew I would want a cellist to play at my wedding ceremony. The Honeyvoom Duo provided a romantic atmosphere during the ceremony while also being unique! It was so much fun to take photos of our family and bridal party at the front of the castle, listening to them playing on the balcony during the drinks reception. For the evening entertainment, we had the band “A Few Good Men” who were so much fun! They were so professional and had a huge range of songs to choose from, keeping guests of all ages happy."
Regarding the best decision, Emily had to say, "One of our best decisions was using 'Edit your Wedding' for our wedding video. This company is brilliant and so easy to use. They sent three hand-held video cameras out a few days before the wedding, which our guests used to video the day. It was a fun addition to the day and made our guests feel included. Not only was it a much more affordable option than a professional videographer, but we also got so much footage that turned out to be “home movie” style – exactly what we wanted! We also booked The Granary venue (where we had our wedding ceremony) at Cabra for a post-wedding breakfast the following day for our guests who had stayed over on the night of the wedding. We were so glad we did this, as we got to catch up with everyone and hear all the stories from the night before. It’s great that Cabra Castle offers this as it was a perfect way to end the wedding before heading on honeymoon to Croatia!"
- Gráinne