Say hello to Diana and Andrei. They got married on a beautiful summer’s day, with a ‘fresh off the meadow’ style to describe their lovely flowers. They opted for shades of olive green and sand to lean into the summer theme.
Couple: Diana & Andrei
Wedding date: 18 June 2023
Engagement length: a year and a half
Venue: Castle Leslie Estate
Photographer: DKPhoto
Diana and Andrei met in their mid twenties through mutual friends.
“It was on a Sunday in April of 2015. Andy took me samba dancing, rooftop drinks and then to a casino. He fell for me when I chose the right colour on the first spin of the roulette (it was red) and then we shared our first kiss. While I was struck by Andy’s sense of humour and thoughtfulness when he ordered me tea instead of alcohol! During that summer we couldn’t keep away from each other while we drove around Dublin with the car rooftop down as ‘Shut Up and Dance’ played on the radio. Before we knew it, the summer rolled into winter, then miraculously into 6 years when in December of 2021, Andy got down on one knee on the rooftop of the historic Merchant Hotel… …I said ‘Yeah, I will, yeah!!!’ as our song played in the background.”
Diana wore Suzanne Neville dress that happened to be one of a kind and paired it with Freya Rose heels. Andrei wore a Hugo Boss tuxedo with mother of pearl cufflinks that matched with Diana’s heels.
Diana initially wanted a sage green theme for the bridesmaids. She ordered from Oasis and after the bridesmaids tried the dresses on they agreed it looked washed out. So they went back and forth brainstorming and Diana picked Olive green which looked stunning on all three bridesmaids.
“I hoped each one of my bridesmaids received a dress that matched their personality, figure and made them feel gorgeous so we opted for the same colour in different styles. The groomsmen were to wear black tux like my husband but after visualising our wedding day we agreed for a small summer wedding we’d love to see lighter colours and less formal silhouettes. We paired sand colour suits with olive green ties.”
“Our ceremony was very intimate with only family and close friends. We selected our favourite songs for the ceremony, one of the songs featured a lot at the beginning of our relationship, our engagement and the ceremony. My father walked me down the aisle to a song that I liked since I was 14 years of age, it was quite special. For the exit song we played “Shut up and Dance with Me” as our guests threw fresh rose petals my mum picked up in our garden that morning.
We were blessed with an amazing band Perfect Day, they played music from start to finish of our wedding day. Catherine was the vocalist and the person I emailed all the way up to the wedding week with my carefully selected list of songs. She was very helpful and made the process stress-free. In fact they were so good, my Maid of Honor will also have them at her wedding.
I worked closely with Kim Marie (our florist) to select the right flowers that would compliment our beautiful venue and to give a “fresh off the meadow” atmosphere. We asked Kim to arrange fresh flowers in a deconstructed fashion, with a lot of blush pinks, vibrant purples and fragrant garden roses. Castle Leslie generously provided beautiful candelabras to hold the flowers and candles. We were extremely lucky with a sunny spell on that Sunday as 2023 was one of the wettest summers in history.”
Diana and Andrei tied the knot at the beautiful Castle Leslie Estate!
“The ceremony was in the Gallery Room followed by the dinner and dancing in the Pavilion. The venue is surrounded by breathtaking grounds, a lake and manicured gardens. The Castle has 21 rooms, each with its own unique style and character. We carefully assigned rooms for our guests. This was always our number one venue as we celebrated a special occasion there three years prior to our wedding day. We cherish all the special moments we had there and will definitely come back in the near future. Special thanks to Roisin, Nicole and the team who looked after us, the staff were absolutely incredible and we always felt like we were in good hands.”
The wedding was perfectly captured by Daniel from DKPhoto!
“He is amazing at what he does and we were delighted when he responded with his availability for our date. Daniel is exceptionally talented at capturing skillfully and beautifully the essence of such special day. He was very professional and relaxed and it was a pleasure to work with him.”
Diana and Andrei share their favourite memories from their wedding:
“So many great memories, but probably walking down the aisle and seeing Andy’s face right in front of me as I was too nervous to look at him before we reached him. The ceremony was very beautiful, it was emotional and I’m glad we wrote our own vows. Andy’s favorite memory was walking out through the doors after our ceremony as our friends and family threw petals and cheered.”
Newlyweds give amazing advice about wedding planning. Here’s what Diana and Andrei had to say:
“Set aside even 10 minutes for each other, away from the crowd and pause for a moment to take it all in. The day will be over in a flash so savour it. Get a routine as you’re approaching your wedding day, so you are rested and less anxious. Plan ahead, do your research and book your vendors in advance. Some things will not go as planned and that’s just life. Whatever it is on the day you will not notice all the little problems that may keep you up at night. So yeah, try to enjoy all the build up and it will all fall into place. Get a videographer!”
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Venue: Castle Leslie Estate
Photographer: DKPhoto
Other Suppliers
Music: Perfect Day Band | Flowers: Kim Marie | Cake: Irina, Cakes in Dublin | Invitations: Andreea, Save the Date
