A rustic themed wedding reception at the Manor Country House Hotel, Killadeas with 230 guests was the perfect celebration for the wedding of childhood sweethearts, the new Mr and Mrs Muldoon.
Carla and Luke met in school as students in their early teens and the rest is history! Fast forward to a planned holiday to Lake Garda and some precision planning by Luke he proposed to Carla during a gondola ride, Carla says “Whilst in Lake Garda Luke planned for us to go to Venice for three nights. The first night there we took a gondola ride (which I believed was just an idea at the time but Luke had it planned) he went down on one knee as we went underneath a bridge and using his late grandmothers wedding ring he asked me to be his wife, he nearly fell out of the gondola! I was so shocked and over the moon I just cried I know at this stage we been dating for eight years but with his brothers recent death I thought marriage was the last thing on his mind infact I actually forgot to say yes to his proposal lots of people were clapping and cheering and there was an Italian man playing music who met me with a rose to celebrate.” When the couple arrived home they chose a diamond engagement ring in Breaver Brooks, Belfast.
Carla had previously worked for Kita Kards (a wedding stationery business) and had some experience of weddings from her time there, so her wedding planning was easier than she expected knowing from this experience who she wanted to use for her own wedding. With a date selected and the venue booked Carla set to choosing her wedding dress and found exactly what she wanted after an impromptu visit to a local bridal salon. Carla’s three sisters Leanne, Claire and Shanelle were her bridesmaids and they found their dresses at Creative ideas bridal salon.
Carla and Luke have quite a few ‘god children’ and wanted to include them all in their wedding party so there was five flower girls who Carla says stole the show! Luke’s brother Christopher was his best man and his brother inlaw Niall and cousin Sean were grooms men who opted for a plain navy suit, Luke was dressed in a navy checked suit while the ‘mini men’, Turlough and Shea had their own style in grey checks!
Carla enjoyed all the aspects of wedding planning but her favourite planning was choosing the venue and the honeymoon, Carla says “having worked in the business I knew exactly who all I wanted so I got on the ball and got them all booked”. Luke and Carlas father spent quite a bit of time prior to the wedding cutting and varnishing logs for centre pieces for the reception while Carla collected jam jars and sent them off to Clare Flower her wedding florist to be all vintaged up.
Carla and Luke shared their first dance to the song ‘The One’ by Kodaline and they both enjoyed the reception and ceremony saying that after a nervous morning they were happy to be reunited at the top of the aisle. The couple had an extended honeymoon in America visiting Florida, Miami, Las Vegas and New York.
