Joy Gardiner & John O’Brien
August 19, 2017- Mary Mother of God Church & Ashley Park House, Tipperary
Photos courtesy of Darren Kirwan Photography
From the moment John O’Brien laid eyes on Joy Gardiner on a night out in Ennis, the cheeky Clare man used his charm to woo her. The instant spark led to true love for the couple and soon John was planning the perfect proposal in Italy. “We were holidaying in Italy and John arranged a couple of nights in Verona. We stayed in a beautiful suite overlooking Juliet’s balcony. He had a fabulous restaurant booked and after dinner we strolled around Verona taking in the sights by night and next thing I knew he was down on one knee! It was all very romantic, he did well,” the bride gushes.
A wedding date was set for August 19, 2017 with a ceremony at Mary Mother of God Church followed by a reception at the breath-taking Ashley Park House.
Joining the couple on their perfect day were bridesmaids Edel Gilroy and Lisa Woods and grooms people Joanna O’Brien, Alan McNamara and Mark Flaherty. The bride and grooms’ beautiful children Clara and Donnacha O’Brien were flower girl and page boy.
SPECIAL MEMORIES
“My dad giving me away was a very special moment and being with our parents and family the morning of the wedding. It was so lovely to share the excitement with them. Having a remembrance table in the church for our loved ones who unfortunately couldn’t be with us was a nice touch,” Joy said.
HOW WAS YOUR EXPERINE AT ASHLEY PARK HOUSE?
“I remember the first time we visited Ashley Park, as we drove up the long driveway towards the house we were completely blown away. The lake, the gardens, the pavilion- it was just so beautiful! The house was so charming as we went inside it was like we were stepping back in time, it was so enchanting. It had the perfect mix of old rustic country house and old-world grandeur, while feeling like we were right at home. We knew this was a special place, it stole our hearts! When we attended a friend’s wedding there we were sold! We contacted Margaret to book it for our wedding straight away. Annie Ruffles provided us with the amazing vintage finishing touches,” the bride recalls.
“Margaret and her team were fantastic to deal with from the start. With Ashley Park being a family run business, a lot of care was taken to ensure that our wedding day was exactly the way we wanted it to be. Margaret was always so obliging and so helpful, when it came to our day everything went so well. The staff were professional and efficient it all ran so smoothly. Our guests were very impressed with the setting and food it meant so much to us,” the couple said of their dream venue.
www.ashleypark.com