We met at school and have been together since 2006, when we were sixteen. Jeff proposed to me at home so it was nice and relaxed. I remember it was a Wednesday evening after he had been to football training, we were due to fly to America for a holiday the next day, so we had a great holiday celebrating.
We got married in St. Patrick's Church, Rathoe, Co. Carlow and we had our reception in The Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny. After the ceremony we popped out to the lovely Altamount Gardens for our photos.
It was important for us to make sure our day was fun and upbeat. We wanted our wedding to be a wedding that our guests would remember. We had three members of the Dublin Gospel Choir at our ceremony, a jazz band called "Tea for Three" at our drinks reception which tied in well with our Gin Bar. We wanted a big party with all our friends and family!
When it came to the dress, I knew I wanted a fitted dress with detailing on the back and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect dress than the one I chose. I didn’t end up trying that many dresses on. My maid of honour, Lisa, saw that there was a Ronald Joyce Trunk Show coming to Belle Marie Bridal and suggested that we go take a look. A couple of days before we went, Lisa tagged me in a picture on social media of one of the dresses they had arriving for the trunk show. That was pretty much it, I was sold right there and then. The dress had everything I had ever dreamed of for my wedding dress. It is an incredibly elegant dress with beading on the neckline and a very low back which was just what I wanted. When we arrived we tried lots of different styles and visited one more shop on the day, but I knew from the first time I saw it online that if I still loved it when I tried it on, that was going to be my dress. It was called 'Laila' from the Victoria Jane Collection. It is made of crepe and also came with a detachable train and a detachable back necklace!
One thing I would say to future brides it to enjoy every minute of your special day because it goes by so fast. Make time for yourself and your partner to do nice things in the run up to the wedding. We did a few nights away which I was really grateful for.
If you love Laura’s dress take a look at our Erin wedding gown, which also has a back necklace detail.