We’re here to bring you another fabulous Bridal Bible!! Make sure you have a read to get all the best advice from real brides when it comes to all things weddings.
This time we met with Aisling McCarthy to learn about her big day. Aisling got married in Portugal and planned her destination wedding from Ireland.
1.Where did you buy your dress and how long before the wedding?
I bought my dress in Sharon Hoey in Merrion Street in Dublin. It was a Suzanne Neville special! I bought it in February.
2.Who did your hair?
Hair was really important to me, so I worked with the wonderful Tracy in Peter Marks in Blackpool shopping centre. She was my shining light and helped me with the overall vision, the colour (in the months building up to the wedding) and extensions. The final styling was done in Lisbon with the lovely Olga from Slash.
3.Who did your make up?
Make up was with the girls from Slash in Lisbon.
4. Where did you get your jewellery & accessories?
Jewellery and accessories all came from Azure and honestly my headpiece which Audrey designed made my outfit and truly defined my overall look. I loved it.
5. Where did you get married and did you look at many venues before deciding on that particular one?
We got married in this beautiful old Quinta & Woods (in the city of Lisbon). Our heart was set on Lisbon so we only looked at 5-6 venues before we settled on that one.
6. How many bridesmaids did you have and where did you buy their dresses and accessories?
I had four bridesmaids and we bought their outfits in & Other Stories (my favourite shop!). Accessories were from Azure and matched the outfits perfectly.
7.What did you find the most challenging aspect of organising your wedding?
Organising a wedding abroad can be quite challenging. We did not make it easy for ourselves though… we created our wedding from scratch, so we sourced gospel choirs, street performers, planners, caterers, celebrants etc. There can be issues with language barriers where small details can get lost in translation and managing budgets with so many vendors was tricky!
8.Brides always mention how difficult it is to find shoes; where did you get yours?
Nope not me. I bought mine the day before I flew to Lisbon – a gold pair of Kurt Geigers in BTs in Dublin. On sale too…
9.Were there any individual touches that you added and that you particularly loved about your day?
Lots of them!
The venue was incredible and very Lisbon. It was very special to us – it was rustic, fun, very Lisbon and rooted in nature!
The music was my biggest stand-out – we had an incredible gospel choir from Lisbon, an incredible Saxophone player from Brazil and soulful street performers…
Finally, arriving into the venue in Tuk Tuks with my bridesmaids, father & flower girls was pretty memorable.
