Michelle & Ciaran tied the knot in the summer of 2015 in Belleek Castle in Mayo. They met just under a decade before that while studying in Dublin City University. Photography by Katie Farrell Photography.
Primary school teacher and former newsroom reporter, Michelle (Chele) Crawley first met accountant, Ciáran Gorman in 2006 at DCU. Having both joined the college canoe club, the Mayo lass and Westmeath bachelor hit it off and found out they had a few more things in common other than an interest in water sports. Almost a decade later, Chele and Ciarán are looking forward to celebrating their first wedding anniversary this summer.
Ciaran surprised Chele with a spontaneous trip to Scananavia - one she'd always wanted to surprise him with. However, even the best laid plans don't always go off without a hitch, and the couple were met with so much wind and rain they couldn't see more than a few feet in front of them, despite being in front of one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. The weather forced Ciaran to pop the question in the car, but it didn't dampen their spirits.
As soon as they got back from their trip, Chele and Ciaran launched into wedding plans, and Belleek Castle was an easy choice for their venue. We had attended some wonderful family weddings in the Midlands around that time and were very impressed by the venues but we wanted to bring our guests to somewhere they hadn’t been before and we particularly liked the idea of bringing them west to Chele’s home patch,” said Ciarán. Belleek Castle with its neo-gothic architecture and old world charm was the venue of choice from the outset. “The setting at the majestic Belleek Woods is stunning and there is the added bonus that the castle is situated along the banks of the River Moy – making it a perfect venue for photographs – regardless of the weather,” said Chele.
Chele and Ciarán were channeling vintage woodland wedding vibes for their special day. From donning a 1930s inspired bridal gown to a Great Gatsby style headpiece, and arriving to the church in a classic VW Beetle kindly lent to them by family, this vintage affair was ‘happy ever after’. However, achieving the vision Chele had in her head didn’t come without some DIY and calling in favours from her family. “While Ciarán and I were meeting guests who were arriving in Ballina the night before, my family were decorating the Swinford Cultural Centre, with bunting, scrubbing rented chairs and generally making my ideal wedding setting come true. They were my heroes”.
Chele also credits Judi Roche of Balla Florists for taking her ideas and making them a reality. “I became a Pinterest addict in the months leading up to the wedding and I only had to show Judi my online scrapbook collection of table décor and flower arranging images and she had recreated it putting her own stamp of ingenuity and creativity on it”.
Chele and Ciaran's wedding was the first to ever take place in Swinford Cultural Centre, having been recently restored and given a new lease of life as a multi-purpose community meeting hall. “We don’t know if others favour our style of ceremony venue but hopefully it won’t be the only wedding to ever take place there. I can’t wait to hear of another couple tying the knot there in the near future”, says Chele.
“The personalised details were important to me. I happily idled away many hours in the run up to the wedding creating table place name cards using woodland foliage, designing and printing wedding booklets, making a rustic table arrangement displays gold coating the spines of old musty books, spraying chalkboards and making my own bunting. Some people probably thought I was mad but it was the part of the wedding planning I enjoyed the most. There was no stress – in fact it was fairly therapeutic I have to say!”
Offering advice to future brides, Chele said, "Be true to yourselves and all that is wonderful about you and your partner will shine through."
Vendors: Photographer: Katie Farrell Photography | Ceremony venue: Swinford Cultural Centre | Reception venue: Belleek Castle | Ceremony music: Galway Cellist (Hazel Collins) | Band & DJ: Gorilla Radio | Flowers: Balla Florists | Cake: Nuala Gorman (mother of the groom) | Car: Classic VW Beetle – kindly borrowed from family | Hair & Make up: Sonia’s Sunflower Salon | Bride's dress: Jasmine’s Bridal Shop | Alterations: Marian Kelly | Bridal headpiece: 1920s headdress purchased on Etsy | Groom and groomsmen attire: Wilf's Clothing Store | Bridesmaid dresses: Pamela Scott | Paige boy outfit: Next | Flower girl dresses: John Rocha