Limerick bride had dream wedding - with half a day of good weather thanks to broken Child of Prague

THE HAPPY COUPLE

Dearbhla Guerin from Co. Limerick and Conor McGowan from Co. Donegal.

THE RECEPTION

Our wedding reception was in the Longcourt House Hotel, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick. Mario, Marian and the team treated us like absolute royalty from the moment we enquired. They went above and beyond to make sure the day was everything we hoped for and more.

The food, the service and the friendliness of the staff are unrivalled… There was no question when it came to choosing a venue.

THE WEATHER

It was a very funny thing…My nan brought over the Child of Prague the night before the wedding, as is tradition to ensure good weather on your wedding day. But the only Child of Prague that we had was missing an arm, as Nan had broken it years before. We all joked and said, "We might get a half a day of good weather", which was exactly what happened. The sun shone until we got to the reception, and then the heavens opened for the rest of the night. We were blessed as we managed to get all of our photos in the sunshine, and no one cared about the rain once the meal was served and the dancing had started!

Read more: Mayo couple's beautiful wedding on the grounds of Ashford Castle

THE DRESS

My dress was from Wed2B in Drumcondra. I would never have gone for that particular style, but my mum picked it out and once I tried it on I fell in love with it!

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Kaspars Sarovarcenko from Black Diamond Photography. We also had a videographer called Ollie Philips from Woodstock Media.

THE BAND

Our wedding band was The Experts. The lead singer Kayla McDonagh and musician Mike Cooney from the band also provided us with our ceremony and drinks reception music. They were brilliant from the start of the day right up until the last dancers were standing.

Read more: See inside Cork couple's stunning wedding complete with fire artists

THE HIGHLIGHTS

Dearbhla: For me the highlight was getting to the altar and Conor turning around to me – that was a magical moment.

Conor: The highlight for me was probably the ceremony as a whole. The priest Fr. Chris O’ Donnell did a great job, all of the guests were talking about the ceremony all evening. We laughed and cried – It was a very meaningful ceremony for us.

THE FUNNY MOMENT

Absolutely… mum and dad booked a magician for us! It was brilliant; he was funny and chatty, and went around to every table throughout the meal. His tricks were so original, and it was easy to know where he was in the room from all the laughter! His name is David Walsh, The Black-Tie Magician, and I couldn’t recommend him enough for a unique surprise on your day.

THE STRESS FACTOR

I definitely think because my mum is in the industry (award-winning cake designer Cakes by Deborah) I was more relaxed. She deals with other wedding suppliers day in, day out, so she was a great help to us in organising everything.

THE PROPOSAL

I absolutely adore walks on the beach, so I always try to take advantage of the many gorgeous beaches in Donegal when we visit. My favourite beach of all time is Inver beach, a hidden gem about 10 minutes from Conor’s home. On the morning of 9th November, Conor suggested heading to Inver for a walk – I thought nothing of it! When we got there, we were alone except for one lady out walking her dog. We kept walking along the beach and turned the corner to the end where it leads to a fabulous hidden cove that many don’t know about. I kept walking until the stones underfoot got too slippy and I couldn’t go any further. When I turned around Conor was down on one knee! I cried so much with happiness I barely remember saying yes!

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