I was thrilled to be invited to my friends, Clodagh and Kyle’s wedding. The wedding was in Ireland, which I had visited once about 5 years ago and loved; so I was so excited to have the opportunity to go back again. You can read my other posts about Traveling Ireland and my recommendations for Dublin here.
My friend Lucy, was nice enough to drive Caitlin and I from Dublin to the wedding. The actual ceremony was at The Church of the Sacred Heart & St. Brigid in Kilcullen, County Kildare, and the reception at the Rathsallagh Golf Club, in Dunlavin, County Wicklow.
It was exactly what I imagined an Irish wedding to be; women in fascinators, a gorgeous old Irish Catholic church and the lush green Irish country side as the background. During the wedding ceremony, the majority of the readings were done in traditional Gaelic, which were beautiful.
After the ceremony was over, we had a couple of hours before the reception began. It worked out perfectly, as it gave us time to stop and check in to our B&B, Moore’s of Grangecon, and freshen up a bit. The B&B was adorable and the owners, Paul and Karen, were lovely. The room was clean and comfortable, perfect for the 3 of us girls. When we were ready to go, Paul drove us to the reception, which was nice because we did not have to go back to pick up the car the next day. They also provided us with a home cooked Irish breakfast before we checked out. I’d highly recommend staying here if you are visiting the area.
The reception kicked off with a cocktail hour. Once everyone had arrived and was seated, there were more drinks and several hilarious speeches, followed by a delicious dinner. After dinner, more drinking ensued and the dance party started. For the first couple of hours, an 80’s cover band called Spring Break played, who were fantastic. Once the band finished their set, a DJ took over and played for the last couple of hours.
One major difference between an American wedding and an Irish wedding is the timeline. Irish weddings go late! Most American weddings end around midnight and then if the bride and groom are up for it, there may be an after party at a bar or somewhere else on the reception property. The Irish wedding reception, however, ended around 2am, but continued with the traditional “sing song” even later. The sing song is a drunken sing along for family and those who are left after the organized music ends. We headed back to the B&B after the DJ was finished, so we missed the sing song, but regardless still had the best night.
The whole day was a blast! It was so weird seeing so many of my New York friends in another country, but so much fun. It was so nice to be able to dress up and wear a fascinator and spend the night dancing and drinking with my friends, while celebrating the beautiful bride and groom. Sláinte Clo and Kyle, you guys are perfect together and I’m so grateful I was able to celebrate your special day with you!
NOW BOARDING: 