We have so many good wishes and people sending congratulations and love after last week’s WOW! spread at our wedding.
We all love a happy ending and it’s fair to say that our big day with just six guests in the middle of a pandemic was certainly not what we expected, but it was very real and very authentic and our happy ending.
It’s funny, on rare days like this, the magic that happens. People kept asking for more of my wedding pictures, so I’ve shown a few more here. If you missed last week, you can check out last week’s article at the link below.
Brendan and I were married in my home ward in Bishopstown, Church of Descent of the Holy Spirit, to a friend of the family, Father Bertie O’Mahony. We took a few pictures at Shakey Bridge as this place reminds me of my late father.
Emer O’Callaghan at home with her dog princess.
We then went on with our six guests and had a lovely meal from my neighbor and family friend, Adrian, Head Chef at the Cork Vienna Woods Hotel, and the owner Micheal Magner was just fantastic for us.
There is so much to write about our wedding and I want to try to be as helpful as possible to those waiting on their own wedding day.
I would be lying if I said the restrictions on guests don’t bother us, but for anyone reading this and not sure what to do with their upcoming wedding, my advice is simply to do it. I know it’s not what each of us wanted or planned, but the day is magical and I don’t know if it is the gods of love or our loved ones in heaven that are doing this.
We are so glad that we did it now and we no longer have all these worries and waiting times. Both of our families knew that these rules were not ours and that a certain level of love and understanding is of great help to any couple, and for that understanding we will always be so grateful.
RECOMMENDATIONS
There are so many people we can thank for helping us make our day so amazing. First, the O’Callaghan and Healy families for all the love and understanding, our bridesmaids, junior bridesmaids, flower girls and groomsmen who sat in cars outside the church but stood up for photos.
Karl and Laima from Memories Bridal Boutique, Cork, where I also got my beautiful dress and a two-tier 5-meter Catheral Veil and the blushing pink one-shoulder bridesmaid dresses.
Emer O’Callaghan with her mother Marie before she leaves the house. Marie’s hat is from Eileen from The Hat Gallery in Bishopstown and the dress from Vanity Fair in Kildare.
Aime O’Shea Designs who spiced up my wedding shoes I got at TK Max Douglas but got a designer personal touch to make them so wow.
A very special moment for Emer O’Callaghan with her big brother Eddie. Eddie’s suit and shoes are from Tom Murphy Menswear Cork
Brendan and his father Jimmy and my brother Eddie’s suits and shoes were all from Tom Murphy Menswear Cork. The flowers were all made and personalized for me by the lovely Tracey in Forist4U, BlackRock, Cork.
Paul von Togher Stationers printed out my bulk notebooks and also made balloons. My close friend Pam and her husband Mark looked after my dog Princess so well for the day. Princess also had a little dog wedding dress that was very funny on her.
Clair Butler sang at our mass without instruments, without a microphone and has the voice of an angel. The wedding bells, Castlemartyr, provided my white feather shrug and my beautiful pearl bag. Our rings are from Sharon in E-Jewels Limerick. I really hope I haven’t forgotten anyone!
A SPIN AROUND CORK CITY
The wedding car was from Christy, Weddingvintagecarhire@gmail.com, a vintage car and it was class. Christy was the nicest man ever, he helped me with my dress and even wore my veil to church.
My brother Eddie asked Christy if he could put together a nice photo of my father and me when I was four driving to church and sure I was almost in flood when I saw this. “My eye makeup is going to be ruined, boy,” I said.
I was like the queen waving to all the spectators, all waving and beeping back. A poor lady stepped out the side door of the church on Washington Street and Christy sounded the horn. Well, she jumped back in the door in shock, laughed and waved when she saw us.
The friendliness of strangers who wish us all the best was really something special and certainly a big highlight for our day.
Brian Roche’s wedding cake from Baker Boy, inspired by Elvis.
THE CAKE
I’m very old-fashioned in a lot of things, I like a lot of old-fashioned ways. I loved viewing my mother as a bride on her wedding day as a child and she had a high crown on her head. I found exactly that for my wedding online. My bridesmaids got me a beautiful wedding sake box for it, so please God, I can pass it on in good time.
Emer O’Callaghan at the old door in Cork’s Vienna Woods Hotel with her 5 meter long, two-tier Cara veil from Watergrasshill, which she got with her dress in the Memories Bridal Boutique, Feather Shrug from Wedding Bells Castlemartyr, Cork.
I opted for a two-tier 5 meter veil so I could walk up the aisle with it over my face. I felt a bit like a beekeeper and said to Eddie: “Go slowly now, I can’t see anything here like!”
Another thing we decided on was our wedding cake. Brian at Baker Boy did an excellent job with a 5 tier biscuit cake, just like the wedding cakes from before.
I had always loved Elvis Presley’s wedding cake and I always said at home that if I get married I will get a cake like the king!
So an Elvis cake that we had and I just loved it and yes we all still eat it! You will see a black cat in a frame that came from my parents’ wedding. My mother wore it on a ribbon with her bouquet of flowers. I put it in a frame next to our wedding cake, this cat is over 50 years old now but it was so nice to have something from my parents’ wedding anniversary as part of our wedding.
THE GROOM
As I said last week, the poor old groom barely gets a peek inside, all the attention is on the bride and the pressure to be beautiful with it. I thought Brendan looked so handsome in his tuxedo and his father Jimmy.
We buy locally and support as many as possible. That’s why I really think it’s so important now as a business woman.
PICTURE BOOK
They say a picture can say a thousand words. We couldn’t be happier with our great photographer Magda Lukas.
Your photos are so intimate and just perfect.
She knew I needed good shots of my makeup, dress, and veil in my work, and her attention to detail was phenomenal.
While I tend to blink a lot in the sun, Magda knew exactly when to find the best angles, we can’t wait to see our wedding album!
Emer O’Callaghan at Cork’s Vienna Woods Hotel.
TAN, NAILS AND MAKEUP
It is not easy to be a pandemic bride, I can tell you, without access to a hairdresser, beautician or make-up artist. I was very blessed to be able to do all of this myself and my tan was St. Tropez Mousse. My sister-in-law, Zara, who was my Bubble family, turned her back on me and walked the streets with me every day for months to prepare for the wedding. All of my sisters-in-law helped me a lot with my wedding in many ways.
I love a nice red lipstick so I went with a long stay Rimmel matte. I just rolled up my own eyelashes and strapped on three coats of Benifit Theyre Real Mascara. Working hard on my skin, I did a facial on myself this week and masked myself daily throughout the month.
A big thank you to everyone who helped make our wedding day so magical.
Emer O’Callaghan named Irish Beauty Therapist of the Year for Emerald Organic Beauty Products Ltd, which operates as the Emerald Beauty Clinic. A multiple award-winning gold standard Therpaist 2008-2021 www.emeraldbeautyclinic.ie follow us on Facebook / Instagram
