An Irish Wedding In Estepona: Padraig and Sarah-Jayne enjoyed mixing Spanish and Irish traditions to create a fun filled wedding celebration!

The wedding Party.

Spirited Matters

Padraig and I met in a bar in Galway, Ireland, (our home town,) on New Years Eve 2014. With no mutual friends it was our shared love of gin that was one of the reasons our paths crossed that night. Padraig proposed in Disneyworld, Florida in July 2018, (after begrudgingly attending the North American Irish Dancing Championships.)

The Happy Couple.

Let’s Getaway

I always wanted to get married abroad. The idea behind this was to ensure ourselves and our guests a great few days away. A mixture of sunshine, holidays and a wedding – what more could you want.

Estepona was on our shortlist and once we visited it we knew it was for us. The five star beach side hotel in Estepona was the first (and only) place we viewed as a venue. From the fabulous tea, beautiful terrace, amazing food and drinks to it being a family friendly venue, we just knew it was everything we wanted and more. It is so important to understand what is essential for the couple when picking a venue and this one ticked all of the boxes for us.

We used Sunshine Weddings for our wedding planners in Spain. It was really useful having eyes and ears on the ground locally and also to be surrounded by tried and tested vendors for our big day.

The happy couple strolling through some typical Spanish streets.

All Things pretty

I wore a pronovias, (a Spanish designer,) dress and classic bridal shoes. The ten bridesmaids were in navy and flower girls in ivory. The Groomsmen were in smart chinos and shirts which were ideal for the very hot August weather.

When looking for makeup inspiration I found a picture on Pinterest of a beautiful bridal look. The dramatic dark eye, natural looking skin teamed with a pink lip was exactly what I wanted just like magic, Nicola McGeorge, my makeup artist re-created the look seamlessly at my trial and on the day. I was elated. While getting ready my sisters and I decided to practice our Irish Dancing routine to the delight of the hair and makeup team. Everyone was cheering and enjoying themselves which was lovely to see.

Let The Good Times Roll

Our theme was simply – FUN! We wanted people to have fun from start to finish. From the bubbles in the church to the ice cream after the ceremony and the balloon walls to the photo booths, having fun was our priority

The Boys.

We Shall Be Blessed

We were lucky to have a priest from our home country, Ireland, Father Gerard is living out here in Spain. We had a traditional Irish catholic mass which was a lovely way to merge Irish and Spanish Traditions.

Just Married in Spain.

Getting Stuck In

After the ceremony guests enjoyed drinks and ice cream at a local Spanish bar, followed by a cocktail hour and canapes back at the hotel. The day was topped off with an amazing wedding meal.

Our speeches were the highlight of the night. Some heartfelt speeches from the groom and groomsman and a very light hearted song about the bride written by her maid of honour (Hannah, my sister). Being competition standard Irish Dancers, myself, my sisters and some friends performed at the reception, wearing the kit of Padraigs favourite football team, which went down a storm.

Our favourite moments had to be, seeing each other in the church for sure. Spending time travelling to the hotel together and catching up with each other on the day. Enjoying the company of all of our guests and obviously partying until the early hours.

The wedding party celebrating in the sunshine.