I think it’s fair to say that Mark planned his wedding day with Eloriana to military precision… Every last second was accounted for, no detail was overlooked and yet, like every other wedding day, somethings didn’t quite go to plan. However, that’s the beauty of a wedding day. It is often a dream come true that takes on a life of its own through the people who celebrate the event; in other words, the people who misplace the cuff links… or who delay the hair or make-up… or whatever the case may be that makes us all human.
Mark first rang me from Romania back in 2010.
We spoke at length and once business was out of the way we talked about the ongoing recession, his new life abroad, and of course, Eloriana… better known as Ellie. Weeks later I met his parents, Frank and Francis, in a Tralee hotel to iron out some of the finer details and we had a great old chat about Mark and Ellie and the ever building excitement surrounding their wedding.
When the day finally arrived we made our way to Dromoland Castle to meet the couple as they got prepared that morning.
Ellie’s hair appointment in Ennis was running behind and she was delayed in getting back to the castle for her beauty treatments at the spa. It’s no wonder she was a bag of nerves when we met her but, in our line of work, it’s something we are quite used to. In fact, we believe that most brides do not reveal their true selves until the ceremony is over. Ellie later kindly commented that Elaine set her at ease the minute we arrived and true to form, the bride began to reveal her true self as the day unfolded.
Mark was exactly as I expected. Calm. In control. Mobile phone stuck to his ear. Always two and three steps ahead of everybody else. The only thing his groomsmen had to worry about after the clay pigeon shooting and go-kart racing was “Who’s got some deodorant?” Of course, Mark came to the rescue and his brother Shane showed everyone how not to apply it.
It really is a man’s world!
My favourite part of the day was the ceremony and Fr. Larkin’s homily was inspired by the Celtic Cross that took Mark’s mother over 100 hours to hand stitch onto the priest’s vestment. The colours of Romania and Ireland were intertwined into the cross; it was a lovely touch. Fr. Pat highlighted the symbolism of the cross and its colours and he stitched a story of eternity and the importance of love around it. It was heartfelt, meaningful, and much appreciated by the bride and groom.
This wedding had everything: drama during the morning preparations, lots of thoughtful presents, two traditions meeting at the stunning Dromoland Castle, singing waiters, fireworks, and the bride was kidnapped. Which leads me to another favourite moment. Meeting the real Ellie for the first time. Let me explain…
It is a Romanian tradition to kidnap the bride from the wedding, take her to another location, and demand a ransom from the groom. Not only was this fun for me to film but I also got to speak with Ellie; no more nerves and any tension had long since evaporated at the cathedral. Her true self had appeared and her warm, friendly and caring personality won over all the bemused locals at a pub in Newmarket-on-Fergus. To say they were all shocked to see a stunning bride breeze into the bar at 11pm is an understatement but it was a pleasure to watch Ellie make friends with the locals; especially an old lady who was in her nineties.
Mark and Ellie: Thank you for your hospitality {our meal was delicious!} and thank you so much for having us as part of your day!!!
Other key vendors and suppliers:
Bluebell – Ellie and Mark identified the wedding stationary company as one of their star suppliers. In Ellie’s own words “Tara was absolutely awesome in every respect”. High praise, indeed, and we always highlight five star service here on the blog so well done Tara and Bluebell.
The Woodards – Keith and Evelyn were looking after the wedding photography and it was great to work alongside them, as always. I don’t think I laughed as much at a wedding in 2011 as I did at this one 
Dromoland Castle – Margaret, Nico, and the staff are legends in the wedding industry and they can never do enough for us. We get to film a lot of weddings at the castle and Elaine and I get to experience the wonderful service at each of them and one happy face we would like to bring to your attention is that of Roisin. You can see her serving nibbles during the teaser and she is a regular at all the wedding events. She is so friendly, great with the guests, and it’s smiling faces like hers that makes a couples day special. Well done, Roisin!
