Persian-Inspired Wedding Weekend at Adare Manor

For Haley and Robert, celebrating their marriage meant honouring two traditions. Their wedding day at Adare Manor brought together a Catholic church ceremony followed by a Persian ceremony during cocktail hour. Each was given its own place in the day, rather than asking one tradition to make way for the other.

The Catholic ceremony was the official part of their day. On arriving back at Adare Manor, guests were welcomed with champagne and music before being invited to take their seats for the sofreh aghd in the same space. The two were very different in character, one traditional and solemn, the other dynamic and deeply personal, and both were equally important. Rather than stage the second as another formal event, it was built into cocktail hour, so guests moved naturally into it rather than feeling as though they were sitting down for a second ceremony.

Afterwards, everyone spilled outside, where a jukebox and live sax accompanied cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Energy naturally kept building throughout the day, and wild dancing had already broken out in the ballroom, before the couple had even made their entrance. Then came the surprise: Haley's sister had organised a flash mob for the newlyweds, continuing a long-running family tradition. Haley had suspected something might happen at some point during the weekend, but she had no idea what, where or when.

A planner by profession herself, Haley had done an immaculate job before I joined them six weeks out. It was probably the easiest six-week takeover I have ever had. From that point, I took over the vendor team and the logistics of a very dynamic day. With two ceremonies, multiple transitions, a six-course dinner and plenty happening in between, the timing needed to be carefully managed without allowing the day itself to feel managed. My job was not to reinvent Haley's plan, but to execute it faithfully and give her and Robert the freedom to fully enjoy what they had created.

And they did. The energy built as the day went on, culminating in a dance floor that did not stop until the very end.