Rebecca and Dave planned an exquisite destination wedding at an all-inclusive venue in the Algarve. Surrounded by lush greenery, their poolside ceremony was a dream and thoughtfully included their close family and friends.
THE COUPLE
Rebecca, yoga and mindfulness teacher, and Dave, rugby player.
THEY LIVE
in Dublin.
THE VENUE
Os Agostos, Portugal.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Louise Golding Photography.
THEY MET
A few people claim matchmaking credit but it was mainly through Dave’s (and now my) sister-in-law Jess Redden, whom I met at a friend’s birthday. We got chatting and she said she had someone she wanted to set me up on a date with. She acted fast and I found myself on a double date a few days later.
THE PROPOSAL
Dave was a bit of a dark horse with the proposal as none of us, including myself, were expecting it! We were back in Carlingford in his family home for the weekend in January and got up on Saturday morning to walk the dog. I wanted to go to the mountain because the views were amazing but on the way, the clouds were getting darker and darker so we turned around and went to the beach.
We walked the full length of the beach and then followed the dog up the dunes where she had run. Dave called my name and when I turned around he was on one knee! We had never chatted about engagement or marriage so I was so shocked – burst into tears and dropped to my knees. It was a bit chaotic as our dog was a puppy at the time and ran off; it started to rain but we stayed in the same place on the beach for about an hour soaking it all up before we told anyone.
THE DRESS AND THE SUIT
The dress was designed and created with Aleanna, Tracey and Ella in Covet Boudoir in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. I had no idea what I wanted so I went to my sister-in-law’s house and tried on different styles of dresses and then brought our vision to Covet, who was the dream to work with as we didn’t have a huge amount of time.
The suits were created with bespoke tailoring in Abraham’s Tailoring. Declan has a major eye for detail!
THE CEREMONY
I think the ceremony was incredibly special and personal. I always said I wanted the ceremony to be an enjoyable part of the day instead of something that guests had to just sit through before the party. My sister is incredible with words and created such a thought-provoking and quite emotional ceremony that was very personal to myself and Dave. We did our hand-fasting using one of my late dad’s ties, which we combined with Dave’s dad’s tie – our two favourite men!
It was also very family-focused; we tried to include each person from our immediate family throughout the day, either through speeches or readings or being involved in other ways. My sister found a piece that Simone Scribes had written as a caption under a post for Valentine’s Day called “Try” and reached out to see if she would mind us using it, which she kindly agreed to. The sentiment was perfect, and it initiated a few tears among guests.
THE RECEPTION
Everything was held in Os Agostos. We were able to host everything in one venue without having guests go on buses, but it was split up into so many areas that it felt like we were bringing guests on a journey. Also, we had been to a wedding there before so we knew the food was good, which was one of the most important things for us. Dave’s mum made a huge chocolate biscuit cake and brought it over which was amazing.
THE ENTERTAINMENT
Bruno Meyners Band – we had seen him perform at the Bold Octopus at Easter before we had even thought of a wedding and his energy was so electric we knew it would be him if we ventured to Portugal.
THE DECOR
Maria who runs the venue is amazing! She has great attention to detail without being fussy – she just seems to know what works. She is passionate about decor and the place has a real boho feel to it so we knew she would have it looking gorgeous.
THEIR TOP TIPS
- Take time to pause for little moments throughout the day to soak it all up. There is no feeling like it, so be mindful not to take any of it for granted.
- I know it is cliche, but don’t sweat any of the small stuff in the lead-up because on the day you are in such a happy bubble that you won’t even know if things are going as you planned. You simply won’t care!
THEY WISH THEY HAD…
We wish we could do it all over again!
THEIR BEST MOMENTS
Getting on the flight with all of our stuff the week before and then seeing all of our favourite people make their way over was so surreal and amazing. We literally could have been anywhere, but getting so much time with family and friends in the lead-up to it and over the few days was definitely what made it so special. The speeches, the dancing, the laughs, the photos – hard to pick one!
THE FIRST DANCE SONG
Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship. Dave wasn’t keen on a first dance but I loved the words in the song and thought it would be a fun way to get everyone dancing. It definitely wasn’t the most coordinated first dance you have ever seen… far from it!
THE CREW
Venue, Decor, Flowers & Food: Os Agostos. Wedding Dress: Covet Boudoir. Groom’s Suit: Abraham’s Tailoring. Make-Up: Nicole Soares. Hair: Rudi from Imperatohair Studio.
See more photographs from Rebecca and Dave’s wedding in the gallery below.
Photography by Louise Golding Photography.
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