It’s always a treat to share the work of talented photographers that I have had the pleasure of meeting in person. Sean and Kate Curtin of Poppies and Me are as bubbly and passionate about weddings in real life as they are online and the gorgeous wedding of Elaine and Ken shows this passion at its best.
I oohed and aahed over all the personal touches Elaine and Ken put into their big day from the amazing invitations (crafted by the bride herself!) to their fun wedding reception styling. It’s so lovely to see an Irish couple using their creativity to make the day unique to them and their style. But what’s really special about these photos are the little stories that were captured as the day unfolded, from giggles among the bridesmaids, to the look on Elaine’s Dad’s face seeing her as a bride for the first time. They are the magic moments that pass in the blink of eye, that Poppies and Me capture so you can treasure them forever.
Elaine shares their story and how the wedding day was a team effort!
“Ken is an electrician and part-time farmer. He loves nothing more than hours spent in the countryside out in the fresh air with his animals. He’s a big softie and his cows are his pets. He’s the laid back one. I’m an architect with a love of all things creative. I don’t like to sit still for too long – whether its planning the next interior project for our house flicking through my endless supply of interior magazines or thinking about this years holidays my mind is always on the go.”
Ken proposed on holiday in Greece on the island of Kos. The proposal was on the 1st September 2011, co-incidentally my parents wedding anniversary! Ken had bought a proposal ring and spent the first few days of our holidays with his hand in his pocket firmly grasping the little red box waiting for the perfect moment. It was very sweet.
How we met is not so the romantic story! We met on the longest day of the year – June 21st 2003 in the Queens nightclub in Ennis. However we had both been in Lahinch earlier that day and had caught each others eye!
Getting ready at home and leaving from home was special I never considered it happening any other way. As an only daughter I would be the first and last.
I wanted to make the day unique but not just unique in any sense of the word, unique to us. I’m a creative minded person so Wedding details were something that I wanted to spend time on and get right. I decided on the natural/rustic theme early on and brought hints of metallic details throughout in the invitations, shoes, bridesmaids belt, chairs and cake.
I wanted everything to fit together like a beautiful story and I feel this is captured beautifully by both our photographer, Poppies & Me, and our videographer, Show & Tell.
As we were having an Autumn wedding I wanted to somehow incorporate the time of year appropriately without going over the top or having pumpkins on the tables! I liked the hint of decadence the metallic tones added so I decided to bring this detail to the invitations, place settings and even hired in gold chairs for the day which were a real wow factor in the whole room décor.
Elaine was a tour to force when it came to creating the reception space of her dreams, taking on most of the projects herself with the help of her family! In fact the amazing stationary you see throughout the day was all designed and created by Elaine herself! If you love them as much as I do, you’ll be happy to hear her designs are available to buy in her own shop, A Drim Design on Etsy.
I designed the invitations, mass booklets, chair seating plan, menus, and place names and with the help of my Mother, my brothers fiancé and Ken they all came together just how I wanted. I also designed the room décor and with the addition of trees, twigs, beautiful blooms, paper globes, gold regency chairs and vintage teacups the room was transformed into a rustic romantic venue.
Often people feel that a hotel wedding doesn’t offer much opportunity to make the space personal, but Elaine and Ken found the Radisson Blu in Limerick couldn’t have been more accommodating!
It’s not all about the venue. I found this the biggest stumbling block when deciding where to get married. The pretty country house was never going to suit as I have a large family and both Ken & I have a huge bunch of close friends. Of course I’d dreamed of the marquee wedding like most other brides but Ken’s grounded nature helped me understand that this wasn’t what was important to make our Wedding day special. So we decided to put our own mark on the Radisson Blu in Limerick. The hotel staff were more than accommodating and every idea I threw at them was met with ‘yes, we can do that’. I treated the room as a blank canvas and put my mark in just about every way possible! It worked out just as planned.
As if the stunning photography wasn’t enough Rueben of Show and Tell Films was on hand to capture the day in all it’s glory…enjoy!
So there you have it! A gorgeous couple and a magical day, thanks for sharing your day and creativity Elaine and Ken,wishing you a lifetime of happiness ahead! And huge thanks to Sean and Kate for allowing us a glimpse of so many special moments. There’s plenty more magic to be found in their blog so be sure to have a peek!
Credits: Photography: Poppies and Me | Videographer: Reuben Skinner of Show & Tell | Venue: Radisson Blu Limerick | Stationary: A Drim Design | Chairs: Gold Regency Chairs | Vintage tea-cups: Me Auld China| Hair: Brenda Wall| Makeup: Susan Fox|Groom’s Suit: Louis Copeland | Pig on Spit: Adare Farm| Cake: The Fairy Queen | Bridesmaids dresses: Oasis Limited Edition| Shoes: Faith