Real Weddings: Emma and Gavin’s picturesque castle wedding in Co Mayo

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Wonder and Magic

Real Weddings: Emma and Gavin’s picturesque castle wedding in Co Mayo

by Shayna Sappington
10th Mar 2024

Emma and Gavin tied the knot in an 800-year-old abbey halfway between both their hometowns. Afterwards, guests were greeted by a custom coffee van to refuel before the party celebrations at the magnificent Lodge at Ashford Castle. One of the couples' highlights was spending the night on the dancefloor, with live jazz and a DJ-charged disco.

THE COUPLE
Emma Lavin and Gavin Fleming, both solicitors.

THEY LIVE
in Dublin.

THE VENUE
Ballintubber Abbey, followed by the reception at The Lodge at Ashford Castle, Cong, Co Mayo.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Richard Stokes, Wonder & Magic.

THEY MET
When we both began training to be solicitors in Blackhall Place. At our first lecture, we were told that a lot of couples meet in Blackhall Place and, statistically, a certain percentage of us would go on to get married. That night, our mutual friend and Gavin’s eventual groomsman, Senan, introduced us.

THE PROPOSAL
I had just arrived home from a work trip in San Francisco when Gavin collected me at the airport to surprise me and whisk me away to Carton House for the night. Except, not realising this, I insisted on offering a colleague a lift home which slightly threw off his plan.

When we (eventually) got to Carton House, he took me for a walk down a tree-lined avenue and got down on one knee, just the two of us – it was perfect. We stayed in Carton House that night, made exciting calls to our family and friends, and went home to my parents in Boyle the next day to continue the celebrations.

Unbeknownst to me, Gavin had actually asked my manager for some annual leave the week before, telling her he had a “special surprise” planned. Not missing a beat, she booked us both in for a mani-pedi before I headed to the airport to ensure I was fully prepared.

THE WEDDING ATTIRE
I wore the Suzanne Neville ‘Hailey’ dress from her Nova collection. It was the first dress I tried on and I fell in love with it immediately. I loved the classic neckline, the structure of the boned bodice and the delicate, romantic flow of the silk organza skirt.

I bought the dress at Kadee Bride in Athlone. Suzanne Neville visits the boutique once a year so I was lucky enough to have an appointment with her. She created a made-to-measure dress for me and it fit like a glove. I paired the dress with a raw edge blusher veil to add some drama for my walk down the aisle. I also accessorised with some Prada cat eye sunglasses at the reception for fun.

Gavin wore a tailor-made navy tuxedo from Louis Copeland & Sons with a satin shawl collar. He paired this with patent leather shoes from Loake Shoemakers. He added some classic Ray-Ban sunglasses I had gifted him as a surprise that morning, and we were lucky enough to get the sunshine to wear them.

THE CEREMONY
We got married at Ballintubber Abbey, Claremorris, Co Mayo. With me being from Roscommon and Gavin being from Limerick, we really wanted to get married in the West and this seemed like the perfect halfway point. The local priest was really welcoming and the Abbey is also just beautiful – it is 800 years old and has a stunning white-washed interior. We loved the cultural and historical significance of the Abbey and its surroundings; it is nestled in a tranquil green landscape and surrounded by beautiful ruins.

To really make the most of it, we surprised everyone with a coffee van outside the Abbey as they came out after the ceremony so they could stay, chat and walk around if they wanted, as well as get some caffeine and a treat before the half-hour journey to the reception. It was one of my favourite moments of the day.

THE RECEPTION
Our reception was at The Lodge at Ashford Castle, a beautiful country house hotel within the grounds of the Ashford Castle estate. We had been to a friend’s wedding there previously and we were so impressed with the food and service as well as the stunning views of Lough Corrib. The venue was big enough to accommodate a big wedding but small enough that it felt intimate to just our wedding party on the weekend. We also held our rehearsal dinner, welcome drinks and a Day Two barbecue there.

The drive past Ashford Castle on the day was also spectacular, with guests free to roam the grounds over the weekend for some added entertainment. It’s also where we were able to take 15 minutes to ourselves between the ceremony and reception to take some photos, just the two of us, which was really special.

THE ENTERTAINMENT
The Corrib String Quartet played our ceremony, including both classical music and some covers of modern songs like Dreams by The Cranberries (a nod to Gavin’s Limerick roots) as we walked down the aisle together. My cousin, Ronan, who is a great guitar player, also sang Van Morrison’s Days Like This for us during the signing of the register which is one of our favourite songs.

At our drinks reception, The Swing Cats played some live jazz in the bar and then did a full swing set on stage as our main band for the night. We wanted to have live music with a romantic feel that everyone could dance to, from our older relatives who love jiving to the classics to our younger friends who loved the live brass section – they were a huge hit and had everyone on the dance floor from the first dance onwards.

Then Dave Daly DJ’ed for us and he was incredible craic, playing real club classics and amazing throwbacks to when we first started clubbing. He had played at a friend’s wedding in Cork and we knew we had to have him. People joked they struggled to step away, even to go to the bathroom, as they didn’t want to miss a song. He even facilitated some karaoke performances from my bridesmaid, Muireann, and my brother, Peter, and an impromptu throwing of the bouquet. As it happened, my good friend, Ema, caught it and was the first guest to get engaged after our wedding. Between Dave and The Swing Cats, the dancefloor was full of all our favourite people until the very end which was exactly what we had wished for.

THE DECOR
Our wedding was in July so we opted for a bright and airy feel with our decor.

For our wedding invitations, we chose a classic ivory card with an illustration of the venue as the motif, and we placed it inside a wax-sealed envelope. My oldest friend, Eleanor, is an architect and prepared a sketch of the Abbey which our stationer incorporated into our mass booklet. We also had stickers made for the coffee cups served by our coffee van and repurposed the leftover ones to personalise the bathroom baskets.

Our flowers were a bright blend of pinks, lilacs and whites, with a mix of heights which gave the bouquets a lovely bounce and depth as we walked down the aisle. The Abbey also has a stone arch entrance which we knew we wanted to add flowers to but didn’t want to cover up. Our florist devised an asymmetrical hanging arrangement that perfectly complemented the architecture and looked so gorgeous on the day.

I love to bake so our wedding cake was something we put a lot of thought into. We chose a three-tiered ivory cake with a soft wave design in the top tier to emulate the movement of the silk organza skirt of my wedding dress.

THEIR TOP TIPS

1. Make your guest experience a priority. We know that, for us, if our guests were having a good time, we would too! In planning, we focused on good music, great food and a lovely venue. On the day, we tried to always have some form of entertainment for them, be it the setting, live music, or even just a cocktail on hand.

2. Have a timekeeper. I designated my bridesmaid, Kate, as one. She’s a retail manager so is excellent at rallying troops and keeping people to time. She made sure I was ready, that there was no rushing and, most importantly, that I got to the church on time!

3. Do some dance lessons. In the run-up to the wedding, there’s lots to do and you can get lost in the planning. We did two dance lessons and they made us laugh so much, even when we were just practising at home. It helped us blow off steam but more than anything it reminded us what it was all about. Most importantly, it meant that when it came to that slightly daunting first dance moment surrounded by all our guests, we knew exactly what we were doing and had fun with it!

4. Give yourself grace. I remember waking up the morning of the wedding expecting to be sipping on mimosas, feeling totally calm. Instead, I felt unexpectedly nervous and couldn’t figure out why. Luckily, the nerves lifted after a couple of hours but I realised you can’t control every moment of your wedding day. It’s a rollercoaster of nerves and excitement, euphoria and emotional moments. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself; just relax into it, enjoy and be grateful for all the perfect moments that come your way.

THEY WISH THEY HAD
A sleeping pill! With all the anticipation, we both barely got a wink of sleep the night before the wedding. We were concerned when we got up in the morning that it might impact our enjoyment of the day but it really didn’t – the adrenaline and excitement carried us through.

THEIR BEST MOMENTS

Getting ready: I’m not going to lie I loved the getting ready and big reveal. Something about your wedding day is you’re made to feel like a celebrity, from having hair and make-up done to getting photographed during the first looks, even meeting well-wishers as you leave the hotel to walking down the aisle, it’s like your own personal Met Gala – every girl’s dream!
The ceremony: The priest, Fr John Kenny, was so welcoming and warm, formal but funny in all the right ways. He helped us put together a ceremony that was personal to us; it had so much meaning to us and our families and we felt so connected in that time.
The maid of honour speech: My sister, Rachel, was my maid of honour and, as a journalist, the pressure was on! Her speech was incredible, full of quick-witted childhood anecdotes and heartwarming stories. She had the whole audience crying with laughter and then weeping with emotion. It was a really special part of our day.
The dancefloor: From showing off our special moves in the first dance to being carried on the shoulders of our friends during the late-night disco, there was such amazing energy on the dancefloor. We felt so much love and happiness dancing the night away with our nearest and dearest.