Optical technician, Janine tied the knot with brick layer Richard in a beautifully intimate ceremony in Kildare. Photography by Katya Koliban.
Janine and Richard met at a boxing club in September 2010. Janine started going to a girls' training night where Richard was a coach. They started dating a year later.
Richard asked Janine's father's permission before planning a romantic proposal. "He brought me up to a spot on the Mourne Mountains where we had went on our first walk together. He had already been up earlier that day and had hid champagne and strawberries in the bushes. He brought me up just as it was about to get dark and the lights off Newcastle were coming on."
The couple had a very small, intimate wedding, so there was very little planning involved. Only Janine's parents, Richard's mother and niece attended. The ceremony took place in Coolcarrigan church and gardens in Kildare. "We fell in love with the small intimate church and the gardens. It just felt right, so booked it without even going down to Kildare to see it."
After their honeymoon, Janine and Richard held a reception party for the rest of their family and friends in Burrendale Hotel in Newcastle, where they live. "We wanted to keep it very small and intimate and then just have a big party for the rest of our family and friends when we got back from our honeymoon in Vegas."
Janine says apart from a bit of hailstones, they wouldn't change a thing about the day. "It was nice and relaxed and stress-free."
She also says that brides-to-be should keep an open mind. "Dress shopping can be very stressful but you need to be open to trying on different styles. Remember, everything will work out in the end, so don't stress."
Vendors: Photography: Katya Koliban | Ceremony: Coolcarrigan | Dress: Sottero & Midgley | Hair: Jolene Richie's Hair Studio | Makeup: Laura Marie Mullan | Suit: Groom's own | Flowers: Charlotte's Web Florist