As it was a summer wedding, we wanted it to feel informal and fun for everyone.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
The couple quickly bonded over a shared love of music, literature, art, and film. Paul is the lead singer of post-punk band TV People, while Cristin spent her university years interviewing emerging artists on the Irish music scene. Their early relationship unfolded against a backdrop of late-night gigs, concerts, underground raves, and summer festivals.
Travel has also been central to their relationship, and for the wedding, they created a bespoke guestbook inspired by Assouline travel books, filled with images and stories from the many trips that have shaped their 12 years together. “We wanted something to capture the sense of adventure that’s filled our life together so far,” Cristin explains.
In 2022, the pair relocated to London with their corgi, Milo. Paul now works as a lawyer in Mayfair, while Cristin works in policy communications in Westminster.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Back in 2013, Cristin and her husband Paul first crossed paths outside the Arts Building of University College Dublin. “We met in the smoking area, which, just like in a club, is often the best place to meet people!” Cristin remarks. Through mutual friends and overlapping circles, they quickly became close during their university years, making their relationship official in March 2014. An early memory Paul still recounts fondly involves Cristin scaling an eight-foot gate in high heels after a night out, determined to make it past security back to his campus accommodation.
What styling and visual elements worked best for you?
The couple complemented their clean, classic looks with white calla lilies for the bouquet and buttonhole, leaning into the simplicity of their own silhouettes. To contrast that restraint, they chose a deliberately colourful, mismatched wedding party, reflecting the relaxed tone of the day and allowing each person’s personality to shine.
“As it was a summer wedding, we wanted it to feel informal and fun for everyone, including the wedding party,” Cristin explains. “A mix of colours and fabrics felt like the right counterpoint to our more traditional outfits.” Bridesmaids wore an eclectic blend of tones and textures, while the groomsmen opted for light, colourful linens, creating a vibrant visual frame around the couple.
The florals followed the same philosophy. The wedding party bouquets and buttonholes featured bright seasonal blooms, interwoven with coloured calla lilies that subtly connected them back to the bride and groom. The palette carried through into the wider floral arrangements across the wedding venues, as well as into the bouquets gifted to their mothers and grandmothers.
The backdrop of the House was exactly what the couple had envisioned — a venue that was perfect as it was, requiring no alterations. “It was important to us that the space felt laid back but visually aligned with our aesthetic,” Cristin adds. “We didn’t want it to feel overly formal or staged. We wanted it to feel like we were out for dinner with all our favourite people and, by coincidence, there happened to be a wedding taking place too!”
What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
The creative couple spent 18 months planning their official ceremony and celebration, held on August 7, 2025. Cristin credits Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering as a guiding influence. “It forces you to ask who your wedding is really for,” she says. “We approached every decision with intention, considering what we wanted the day to reflect about us, which traditions felt meaningful, and what new ones we wanted to create.” Natural hosts, they prioritised atmosphere above all else. “We love having people over, and we love a party,” Cristin adds. “We wanted it to feel like the best version of that.”
Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?
The couple sought to infuse their personalities into every element of the day. They took a weekend trip to Margate to spend a day with jeweller Anna Loucah, designing one another’s wedding bands. Their friend and artist Eve Reddin created the stationery and designed T-shirts reimagining the couple on the iconic cover of Sonic Youth’s Goo. Paul wore his to the welcome drinks the night before the wedding at O’Donoghue’s pub, where guests were treated to an impromptu trad session led by John Sheahan of The Dubliners, surprising both the wedding party and fellow pubgoers.
“Our celebrant Lucie was so lovely,” Cristin reflects. “She really got to know us before the wedding and wanted her words to capture who we are as a couple. She said we bring out the best in each other by complementing one another’s strengths: Paul is laid-back, easygoing, and contemplative, whereas I’m more adventurous, spontaneous, and live in the moment. She described how these balancing traits harmonise us as a couple and form the foundation of our relationship, which I thought was really beautiful.”
The menu, curated by head chef Neil Mulholland, featured Dublin Bay prawns, spiced roast hake, and Irish Hereford fillet steak.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?
Cristin designed her own dress in collaboration with Dublin designer Ginan Abass. “We were inspired by the corsetry and silk of Vivienne Westwood bridal, but wanted a softer, old Hollywood feel with a less structured bodice and a clean, draped silhouette,” she explains. “Ginan was incredibly patient throughout the process as the dress evolved at each fitting. I tried on countless dresses in bridal stores and vintage shops, but they all felt like I was playing dress-up in someone else’s gown. Working with Ginan to bring my vision to life, while adapting it to suit my personality and frame, meant that on the day I felt like I was wearing an extension of myself — completely comfortable and at ease.”
Cristin paired the dress with a thrifted Oscar de la Renta cathedral veil, classic Manolo Blahnik Hangisi heels, and the Simone Rocha pearl egg handbag. She got ready on the wedding morning in her mother’s vintage Victoria’s Secret slip, a gift from her mother’s own wedding, and wore her mother’s pearl necklace from the same day. Both the bride and groom chose Le Labo fragrances for the occasion, with Cristin layering The Macha 26 over Orebella Window2Soul, while Paul layered Lavande 31 over his signature Tom Ford Black Orchid.
The groom wore a custom suit by Jasper Littman from London’s iconic Savile Row. The dinner suit was tailored with 1950s-inspired cuts for a slightly relaxed silhouette. The couple’s initials were stitched inside, and he completed the look with a bow tie and custom silver cufflinks, gifted by the bride on the morning of the wedding.
For the party, Cristin changed into an evening dress also designed by Ginan Abass. Inspired by the playful, voluminous silhouettes of designers like Annie Doble, it featured a cowl-draped neckline and a fitted waist that flared into a structured, flirty mini skirt. She paired it with a handcrafted, embellished headband designed to catch the light of the disco ball as they danced into the early hours.
Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.
The proposal came during a romantic winter trip to Bath. After a day spent at the spa, Paul surprised Cristin in a candlelit room scattered with rose petals, getting down on one knee with a traditional Irish Claddagh ring. Together, they then worked with a jeweller in Hatton Garden to create a bespoke toi et moi engagement ring, set with a diamond and sapphire. The stones reflect their birthstones, and the jeweller sourced a sapphire that echoed the one in the bride’s mother’s Harry Winston ring, purchased in New York and gifted to her mother in the 1990s, the city where Cristin was born.
They took a weekend trip to Margate to spend a day with jeweller Anna Loucah, designing one another’s wedding bands.
What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on?
Music, unsurprisingly, played a central role in the ceremony. The bridesmaids entered to Bel Air by Lana Del Rey, before Cristin walked up the aisle to Video Games. “The song holds so much sentimental significance from the early part of our relationship. I got really emotional when I heard the opening chords and realised what she had chosen,” Paul reflects.
After the meal, the couple shared their first dance to I Found a Reason by The Velvet Underground. A traditional Irish band, accompanied by a Lord of the Dance performer, opened the evening’s celebrations and quickly drew guests into a lively céilí. “It was so much fun seeing everyone up and Irish dancing, especially some of our older aunts and uncles,” Paul recalls.
Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?
My dad was so eager to hug Paul when he gave me away that he knocked my veil off in the process, which definitely lightened the mood and had everyone laughing.”
A close friend performed a song on guitar during the ceremony, while the bride’s aunt read a poem Paul had written for Cristin about a winter night they spent in Soho.
You Got It by Roy Orbison played as the couple signed the registry. When they were pronounced husband and wife, Baby, I Love You by The Ramones rang out across City Hall as guests exited to board double-decker buses bound for House Dublin, which the couple had taken over in its entirety. As they departed, tourists and passersby paused to wave, watching the celebrations spill onto the city streets.
The setlist closed with Electric Light Orchestra’s Last Train to London and LCD Soundsystem’s All My Friends. “The DJ cut the song before the drop, and we had about three angry party guests storm the booth and demand he play it from the beginning,” Paul recalls. “He let it run until the end, and all our remaining guests and I held each other in a circle, closing out the best day ever.”
What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?
Cristin and Paul chose to break with tradition and spend the night before and morning of the wedding together. “I never wanted to spend a night apart from Paul, and being together made me feel so much calmer,” the bride explains. They started the day with coffee in bed, followed by breakfast with their parents and the wedding party, creating a quiet, comforting start as everyone helped finalise last-minute details.
The week reminded us that Dublin really is like one big village, where you can bump into friends and family on a whim, discard your plans, and see where the night takes you. It cemented everything we love about the city and why we made the right choice to get married there. Our friends and family have defined our relationship and are such an important part of our lives, and being surrounded by them for a whole week in the places that have shaped our 12 years together was pure magic. We are so grateful to everyone who travelled so far to spend that time with us.
LOCATION Dublin City Hall; House Leeson Street, Dublin, Ireland BRIDE Cristin GROOM Paul PHOTOGRAPHER Zsofia Pataki – Imagined by Sofia, @weddingsimaginedbysofia VIDEOGRAPHER Nina Menzel, @chaudsoleilweddings FLORIST Precious Petals, @preciouspetalsflorists CELEBRANT Lucie O’Sullivan, @luciejosullivan ENTERTAINMENT The Irish House Party, @irishhouseparty CAKE BAKED! By SG, @baked.bysg STATIONERY Eve Reddin, @tyckid ENGAGEMENT RING Groom proposed with a traditional Irish Claddagh Ring; Regal, @regalhattongarden WEDDING BANDS Anna Loucah, @annaloucah BRIDE’S RECEPTION & EVENING DRESS Created and designed by Ginan Abbas – Golden Stitch, @goldenstitch.ie BRIDE’S SHOES Manolo Blahnik, @manoloblahnik BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Pearl Necklace – Bride’s mam’s from her wedding day; Handbag – Simone Rocha, @simonerocha_ BRIDE’S WELCOME DRINKS DRESS Reformation, @reformation MAKEUP Nicola Costigan, @nicola_costigan_makeup HAIR Sinead Styles, @sineadstyles BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Window2Soul – Orebella, @orebella; The Macha 26 – Le Labo, @lelabofragrances GROOM’S TUXEDO Bespoke tuxedo designed on Savile Row, London by Jasper Littman, @jasper.littman.tailoring GROOM’S WELCOME DRINKS SHIRT Made by our artist friend, Eve Reddin, @tyckid GROOM’S SHOES Dune London, @dune_london GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Silk Bow Tie – Hawes & Curtis, @hawesandcurtisglobal; Custom cufflinks gifted by the bride – Newbridge Silverware, @newbridgesilverware GROOM’S HAIR George Northwood, @georgenorthwood GROOM’S FRAGRANCE Black Orchid – Tom Ford, @tomford; Lavande 31 – Le Labo, @lelabofragrances BRIDAL PARTY OUTFITS Colourful mix
