Photographs courtesy of Darek Novak Photography
Coming home to tie the knot in Ireland is the dream of many Irish expats who have a life abroad but always hold a place in their heart for their home country and their dream wedding day in our enchanting land. As was the case for Niamh Farrelly and Stephen McDonald, who made the move from their native Co. Kildare to Toronto to pursue their careers. A well thought out proposal from Stephen to Niamh at their Canadian home was just the beginning of their Irish wedding adventure.
“As the door opened I knew something was up as Stephen stood there in a shirt asking for my hand to lead me out to the balcony. With that he dropped to one knee and popped the question and the floods of tears ensued! The phone calls to everyone back home to let them know were brilliant and everyone was so happy for us”, Niamh shared.
There was no question for the pair as to where they would hold their wedding. “It simply couldn’t be anywhere else. Home is where the heart is!”, the bride said. Spoiled for choice when it came to venues, Niamh and Stephen narrowed it down to their favourites and sent the bride to be’s parents to check out Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort.
“We had looked at a few venues and sent our families on a few missions to scope places out. We knew Moyvalley from a few years back. Niamh’s mom has experience with working in weddings, so when she gave the seal of approval we went ahead and contacted the hotel. Once we got in touch with Orla Flanagan the Wedding and Events Manager, we knew we were golden. She was an absolute superstar!”, Stephen said.
HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH MOYVALLEY HOTEL & GOLF RESORT?
The venue was excellent, we had our ceremony in the Ballyna House followed by a drinks reception in the house too. There is a lovely bar there and because we got the good weather we had the musicians set up on the back patio and play tunes in the sun! Everyone went over to the hotel then for the dinner which was top notch by all standards and the staff were absolutely brilliant. The food was gorgeous and we received plenty of compliments after. The venue looked amazing, Movalley provided the seating arrangements and looked after the table decorations for us and it was amazing! The overall experience was thoroughly enjoyable, stress free and something we will always fondly look back on! Orla and her team were absolute quality and made our wedding so special.”
