Kilkenny couple Gráinne Howley and Matthew Donnellan last Saturday celebrated their €30,000 “Gold Wedding” from goldenpages.ie The couple won the wedding in May this year as part of a campaign to highlight the many resources that can be found on goldenpages.ie
The style of their wedding was then decided by a competition in which all aspiring Irish wedding planners were invited to participate. The ‘Old Style Carnival’ wedding concept, proposed by Lindsay Moynagh from Rathfarnham, Dublin, was chosen by the couple, earning Lindsay €30,000 for her creativity.
Last weekend, Grainne and Matthew passed the ‘final threshold’ and said their vows in Foulkstown Church, Kilkenny, before celebrating with friends and family in Kilkenny’s Newpark Hotel.
Grainne and Matthew’s dream ‘Old Style Carnival’ wedding was brought to life by professional wedding planner Jillian Godsil, using suppliers listed on goldenpages.ie Every aspect of the wedding had an original edge, combining vintage glamour with playful elements. Guests were treated to cookies, ice cream, punch, and champagne on arrival. The reception room was decked out to reflect the carnival theme, and diners feasted on a unique evening meal of roast pig on a spit. The Irish public also had the chance to share in Grainne and Matthew’s special day, as the wedding was broadcast live on www.goldenpages.ie from 4.30pm to 5.30pm.
Gráinne and Matthew first met in college in 2003 and there was an instant attraction between them. They got engaged in 2007 and decided to get married in August 2009. However, before the wedding they found out to their delight that Gráinne was expecting a baby so the wedding was postponed.
That September their beautiful daughter Arwen was born, and three months later Gráinne was expecting a second baby – another gorgeous daughter Alex.
Wedding preparations took a back seat again when their world was turned upside down as they found out Alex had spina bifida. She was born in August 2010 and spent the first three weeks of her life in hospital. It has been a tough road for Gráinne and Matthew over the last few years, but it has brought them closer together.
Grainne said, “Matt really is my best friend, my soul mate and my rock. I know I can count on him for anything and vice versa and we are over the moon to have won the goldenpages.ie Gold Wedding competition.”
