They met playing Volleyball for their company team and whilst Dawn struggled to decipher his Irish accent over the din on the court, Paul had no trouble spotting her million watt smile. Their friendship bloomed and in time, they became inseparable.
I would like to share with you that when Paul laughs, his eyes sparkle and the way that Dawn looks at Paul means that it’s impossible NOT to see how in love she is with him but when it comes to love stories, you can’t beat a great proposal story so rather than giving you my version, here it is in Dawn’s own words:
“Paul took me to New York for a “milestone” birthday. He’d kept it a secret and I didn’t know where we were going until we were in the departure lounge! I love New York, it’s the city in all my favourite programmes and films. We shared the flight with Snow Patrol and Paul loves to tell everyone that I didn’t recognise any of them even though I was sat down next to the lead singer! It’s why one of the songs we played while we signed the register was Chasing Cars!
Paul really spoilt me! We spent the journey drinking champagne and stayed at a New York icon, the Waldorf Astoria! Whilst in New York, we had a shopping day along 5th Avenue (can I just point out he bought more clothes than I did!) and we ended up at Tiffany. He suggested we should look at engagement rings because somewhere down the line he might need to know what types of ring I liked. So we browsed for a long while, found a ring we both liked, and then left the store to continue browsing in Harry Winston and De Beers! After traipsing round all the jewellers we could find, Paul asked me what my favourite ring was and I told him that I was comparing everything back to the ring at Tiffany and nothing matched up – he laughed and said “One day!”
The following day we were walking around Central Park, watching the iceskating and generally clowning around. On the way back to the hotel, he said we should stop at Tiffany again because he hadn’t taken any photos of me by the Tiffany shop sign. After taking the photos, he told me he had his passport and just stood there smiling. I was quite confused and didn’t understand what that had to do with anything… He told me that without his passport he couldn’t buy the ring I loved and without the ring he couldn’t ask me to marry him! He told me that the whole trip had been planned just for that moment… then he whisked, a shocked and speechless, me inside!”
If you’re not grinning from reading that I can’t think why not!!
I really liked these guys from our very first meeting and won’t deny, I was really touched that Dawn had plucked up the courage to get in touch after telling me, very honestly, that she really didn’t like having her picture taken. By the end of the wedding, I was almost as in love with these guys as they are with each other. I’ve never been to such an intimate, relaxed and fun wedding – with only around 28 guests, this was a truly close knit affair. From the fabulous acoustic version of ‘500 miles’ during the ceremony to the lawn games, ceilidh and hog roast – this wedding was completely and utterly stonking. Yes. I said stonking.
Enjoy the images!
Venue: Hill Place, Swanmore
Florist: Jeanette Rawson
Hair: Amy Larkin
Makeup: Sarah Keenan
Dress: Maggie Sottero – McElhinneys, Co Donegal
Suit Hire: Barlett & Butcher, Alton
Entertainment: Cheesecake Band
Catering: Small Piece Catering
Invitations: Designed and made by the Bride
