Emma Louise & Mark

Our Story

A little bit about you both:

Myself and Mark both grew up in Tallaght. We met in Secondary School and in our final year we started going out together. We have been together 14 years now

Tell us a bit about the proposal:

9th December 2016 while I was in town (Dublin) getting a tattoo, a few minutes away unbeknownst to me, Mark was on Grafton street with my sister in tow picking out an engagement ring!! Mark had planned to propose at Christmas but having had the excitement of finding the right ring, he came home and proposed to me that night! It was perfect just us two in the house we have made a home.

What suppliers did you work with?:

Cake - Cakes by Jen
Flowers - Flowers by Enda
Photography - Touch Photography
Ceremony - Miriam Fitzgerald of Spiritual Ceremonies
Makeup - Nicole Lynch Bridal Makeup and hair
Dress - Pearls and Lace
Wedding Rings - Chupi
Bridal Jewellery - Chupi
Ceremony music - Niamh Hogan Music
Drinks Reception Music - Chris of Erin go Bragh
Night music - Chris of Erin go Bragh
Dj - First Class Entertainment and Events
Decor - Most beautiful pieces supplied by the wonderful Tulfarris

The beauty parade:

Dress - Pearls and lace

Headpiece - Rosie and Dott

Suits - Savoy Taylors Guild (Kildare Village)

Makeup - Nicole Lynch Bridal

Nails/Tan - Mc Greals Skin Clinic

The Big Day:

Our ceremony was held in the beautiful Poulaphouca Suite at Tulfarris. Tastefully decorated by the staff and comfortably housed our guests. Ideal for small or large weddings the room is very well set up and catered for civil ceremonies.

Our photographs were taken in the beautiful grounds of the hotel and even managed to swing into married life under a gorgeous tree! Great photo opportunities outside.

We booked the manor house and as it was so private before the ceremony we took some "First look" photographs in the stunning drawing rooms of the house. We had our own moments here tight before we got married and it was so special and beautiful. Afterwards we took more photographs in these rooms and in the drinks reception adjacent to the manor house too! We have some sneak peeks from pur photographer and the surroundings just look stunning!!

The food!! Where do we start? We had our tasting in August and it was an extremely hard decision to make because all the dishes we were served were absolutely delicious. Each one knocked out of the park by the rest! We decided on the Chicken and Mushroom Bouchee, Butternut squash soup, Lime and Ginger Sorbet, The Hake and Chicken Supreme for mains and because all of the desserts were stunning in their own right, the assiete of desserts was just perfect!! We also arranged for sandwiches earlier in the day for our guests which went down a treat and were so fresh and tasty!! Late evening we had some nibbles (pizza, goujons etc) served to our guests as we partied the night away. Again very well received and enjoyed. The wines were beautiful and the prosecco to die for! Cannot commend the catering staff enough!!

Our first dance was to an old Irish ballad called Grace played beautifully by Chris of Erin go Bragh. The Russborough suite was so well set up for dancing and the ambient light was perfect for our first dance as husband and wife. We also danced to a song that we would have played together in school for our music practicals by one of our favourite bands. An acoustic version of "Every Thug Needs a Lady" by Alkaline Trio. It was our shared love for this band and music that brought us together in the early days.

Post Wedding celebrations:

Our second day we enjoyed a fabulous breakfast in the hotel before having to pack up and leave. We were elated the day happened but equally sad it was over. However upon leaving we could see the staff setting up for the wedding for the following day and we smiled because they were going to experience Tulfarris and knew they would have a fantastic day like we did.

Why did you choose Tulfarris?:

Having moved to the area 8 years ago, Blessington has always felt like home to us. We wanted to celebrate our wedding close to home and stumbled across Tulfarris on a Christmas drive with our son. As we drove up through the entrance instantly we felt a connection and excitement. We went home and emailed Tulfarris that day and booked our wedding date 22/10/2021.

From start to finish Honora and Kate our amazing coordinators were an absolute dream. Having to deal with harsh government guidelines and a pandemic, this didnt falter their service or attitude. Every question I had was answered, every fear put aside. Honora and Kate took time to help us plan out our day to a T and nothing was too much to ask. They kindly catered for my mam who is infirm and finds it difficult to get around, catered for guests who were vegitarian and even ensured that they set up all our decor and bits and bobs on the day (even better than we imagined)

Arnold and Natasha on the day were absolutely fantastic. Guiding guests around, looking after my mam and making sure she could easily get from a to b, to helping me around the hotel, fixing my dress and ensuring myself and my husband had bubbles to hand as we arrived to the manor house after marrying. They literally couldn't have done enough for us and we are so grateful for there professionalism, humour and kindness on the day.

Finally to each and every one of the waiting staff, bar staff, even down to the cleaners and groundskeepers....in Tulfarris you are honestly in the best hands possible. I cannot form the words to do justice to how amazing every single person was that we came across and those who were behind the scenes but helped pull our day off without a hitch. Every member of staff in Tulfarris is a credit to the hotel and they should be proud of the team and wider team that they have.

If we could hit the reset button to our special day, we would do it in a heartbeat. Just to experience the beautiful day we were given by all at Tulfarris and for the amazing memories. Thank you all so so much.

Watermark Wedding Photography By: Touch Photography (https://touchphotography.ie/)