June 9, 2018 – Ballinacurra House
Photos courtesy of Tomasz Kornas Photography
Sarah Prunty and Andrew Challen had both been living in Perth for a number of years when they first met, but it was in Lisbon that they initially crossed paths. Surgical trainee Sarah and Flight Doctor Andrew met at a medical conference in Lisbon when introduced by mutual friends. It was here that the pair’s romance began and their relationship continue to grow as Andrew proposed while the pair were trekking in New Zealand. With the wedding date set for June 9, 2018, it was Sarah’s Irish roots which lead the pair to a ceremony in St Mary’s Church in Innishannon followed by a reception in the luxurious Ballinacurra House in Kinsale.
The pair opted for a two-day wedding which was thoroughly enjoyed by both the newlyweds and their guests. “On the first night we had a Cuban themed party with cocktails, burritos and salsa dancing. It was the perfect warm up for the weekend. The wedding day itself was a cocktail style menu with a jazz band playing music throughout,” the bride explains.
The pair recall their ceremony as particularly special, as well as taking their photographs as husband as wife. “Surprisingly, this was actually one of our favourite parts of the day. We got to walk around Ballinacurra’s grounds with Tomasz and just spend some alone time together as husband and wife,” Sarah says.
Sarah also credits the staff and service at Ballinacurra House as having an integral part in their wedding’s success. “They gave us the custom wedding of our dreams. We really wanted a less formal event to allow people to socialise. A cocktail wedding is very popular in Australia but I was worried that most Irish venues are still very keen on sit down meals. However, Ballincurra worked with us to organise the less formal wedding we had dreamed of,” Sarah adds.
How was your experience with Ballincaurra House?
“The staff at Ballinacurra made my day so easy and enjoyable. I felt that they really listened to what to what I wanted out of my day and made it happen. They were full of incredible and original suggestions to make the day more exciting and flow better. Orla Walshe and her team worked with us to create the less formal wedding we had hoped for while still serving amazing food and drink throughout. David Rice and his team put on a culinary feast and the cocktail menu was amazing. I can’t thank them enough for all they did.”
