Orla & Paul

Our Story

A little bit about you both:

I am from Blessington and Paul is from Drogheda. We met while working in the Gaeltacht in Mayo approximately 11 years ago. We were friends for a few years before we started going out. We bought a house in Drogheda in 2019.

Tell us a bit about the proposal:

We got engaged at the start of July 2020. We went wild camping in Donegal. We had pitched our tent out at Muckross head so we were the only people around. Paul popped the question and I almost fell off my camping chair! It was a real surprise. He had bought the ring during the lockdown and said nothing to anyone.

What suppliers did you work with?:

Cake - A family friend who lives in Blessington made our cake. Given that we were having 25 people we didn't need a huge cake.

Flowers - Alison from the Tangled Bramble did our flowers. They were so beautiful and Ali really went above and beyond to cover all the decorations and bouquets.

Rings - Applebys Jewellers

The beauty parade:

Bridesmaids outfits were bought online on ChiChi London.

My dress I bought on JJsHouse.

Makeup and hair was done by the PowderRoom Girls. Christine and Maria were super and both hair and makeup were perfect on the day.

Something old, something new?:

Old - Shoes

New - Dress

Borrowed and Blue - Got too distracted on the morning and forgot them!

The Big Day:

The ceremony was in Our Lady of Mercy Church Crosschapel. The church was ideal for a small gathering and so picturesque.

We had some photographs taken outside the church and then more taken on the grounds of Tulfarris.

The dinner was exceptional. Everyone raved about the food. We had fish, chicken, and steak as the mains and every single one was delicious. I chose the steak for dinner, Paul chose the chicken. Potatoes and veg with them were also delicious. Soup, starters, and dessert were outstanding.

I think the most memorable moment was in the church looking around and seeing all our friends and family, a small number but such an important group of people in our lives.

Post Wedding celebrations:

We had a BBQ in the Manor House in Tulfarris. The food again was absolutely delicious and the staff were so helpful. It was such a relaxed and enjoyable day.

We went to Donegal and Fermanagh for a mini-moon and will hopefully go abroad on a honeymoon when the pandemic ends.

Why did you choose Tulfarris?:

We chose Tulfarris for lots of reasons. Firstly it is in a beautiful location. The grounds are so lovely and with the lake in the background, it is just idyllic. Secondly, it ticked all the boxes for everything we were looking for - guest accommodation on-site, spacious event room, delicious food, outstanding staff, and close to our ceremony location too.

Tulfarris exceeded our expectations. The staff were just incredible for the entire weekend, Derek and Natasha in particular. We were so well looked after and they were a massive help. Our friends and family were absolutely blown away by the hotel and everything that came with it for the weekend.