Since that weekend, we have pretty much been inseparable, and Paolo Nutini has been the soundtrack to our relationship.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
We first met when we were both living in Dublin. As is the way these days, ours is a love story that started with a swipe right on Tinder. So, I suppose we are another happy ending for online dating. Yvonne’s family and friends were visiting her at the time we matched, and it took her a few days to reply to my message, so I was unsure if my cheesy pickup line had hit the mark, haha.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Peter: I thought Yvonne was very cute right from the start and I still remember the smile she had on her face when I saw her for the first time. Yvonne: I found it very sweet the effort that Peter put into making me laugh and feel comfortable, I think he was a bit nervous but he used humour to break the ice. I was also attracted to how happy he was just being himself around me.
Yvonne’s English wasn’t the best at that stage, so Google Translate was our third wheel on our first fate. It may sound a bit stereotypical, but our first date was at an old pub called Grogan’s. I know it doesn’t sound like the most romantic of meet-up spots, but it must have worked because we ended up going on a mini pub crawl around the city. Ironically, though, we somehow ended our night in a salsa club, so I think we had an influence from both cultures by the end of the night.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Our third date was on a Friday; we went to see a Paolo Nutini concert. We ended up spending that whole weekend together, and by Monday, we knew we were meant for each other. It was effortless to be around each other, we don’t remember there being any of that initial awkwardness when you are getting to know someone. For us, it just felt like we were already lifelong friends. After being around someone for many days in a row, you get a sense of what life would like to be together, and we know we are very compatible. Since that weekend, we have pretty much been inseparable, and Paolo Nutini has been the soundtrack to our relationship. We even played his music at our ceremony.
Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…
My proposal idea was to take Yvonne away on an unexpected weekend to Venice. I booked our flights and found an amazing hotel I knew she would love. The only problem was that I didn’t realise that the particular weekend I had chosen was during the Acqua Alta, the time when the floods in Venice were at their peak. In the end, walking around the city through a foot of water was a unique experience and added a sense of adventure to the trip, haha.
On our second night, I had pre-booked a restaurant that looked very romantic online, and my intention was to get down on one knee during the meal. However, the restaurant was not as advertised. We were pretty much the only customers dining that night, so the restaurant was silent, and we could hear the dishwashing machine in the kitchen going throughout the meal. It wasn’t the mood I was going for, which meant I had to scrap my original plan and think on my feet. After dinner, we went for a late-night walk through the city streets. Thankfully, the streets were very quiet, so we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves, and once we were crossing the Rialto bridge, I seized my moment and got down on one knee and popped the question. Spoiler alert, she said yes!
What was one element you were happy to splurge on?
For us it was hands down the décor of the dinner as a whole, the moment we saw it all put together it was breathtaking. The surroundings can add some much to your experience and the mood you are trying to set. I think focusing on that for us was well worth it.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
There were definitely some stressful moments throughout the day. A memorable one for us was our first dance. We are a bit of a perfectionist couple, so we spent a few nights in our kitchen practising a simple dance routine to do on the wedding night. But right from the beginning, the dance didn’t go as planned. To start, the DJ was meant to play the whole song, but for some reason, he started the track about 30 seconds into the song, so right from the get-go, we were a bit lost. What made things worse was that in practising, Yvonne never told me how long her dress would be, so I ended up stepping on it a lot. Thankfully, we managed to get through it, and looking back on it now, we definitely laugh about it.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
For my dress, I really wanted to do something different. I love fashion, so I decided to design it myself to be more involved in the process, and it was fun to create a dress just for me. Luckily, I knew a retired dressmaker who used to make dresses for the best bridal labels in Spain. I love how clean but, at the same time, dramatic my dress was. I wanted a moment of mystery and drama at the ceremony with the volume of the sleeves, veil and train length. But once the dinner started, you could remove these accessories and keep the dress with clean shoulders but still very romantic.
The second dress made by Ze GarcÃa Barcelona was a completely different vibe. It represented my other alter ego as a woman, more feminine and glamorous. It was very 80s femme fatale inspired with a hint to the Dolce Vita from the 50s. It had a Bardot neck with a corset body made from beautiful silk. It also had some extra fabric folded in the middle, which gave it a pleated effect and gave it a Greek marble sculpture vibe.
We had a second-day wedding at the beach, so obviously, I needed a third dress! Let’s call it the sunset party dress and it was made by Rita Miller. For us, the sea is a big part of our lifestyle, so I wanted something that represented that part of our life. I also wanted something that I could give a second or even third life to! It’s fun to think about what colour I will use to dye this dress next. Maybe I’ll start with a pastel colour and end up in a brown or black?
LOCATION Hostal de la Gavina, s’Agaró, Spain, @lagavinasagaro PHOTOGRAPHER Lukas Piatek, @lukaspiatekphotography STATIONERY Bego Viñuela, @caligrafiabilbao FLORIST Studio Floral, @studiofloral HIRE Furniture and Cutlery – @canigueralmesasconesencia ENTERTAINMENT String Quartet at dinner – Moana Strings, @moanastrings; Singer at party – Gigi McFarlane, @gigimcfarlane WEDDING DRESS Custom Made BRIDE’S CEREMONY SHOE Manolo Blahnik, @manoloblahnik BRIDE’S CEREMONY & PARTY ACCESSORIES Earrings – Completed Works, @completedworks BRIDE’S PARTY DRESS Ze GarcÃa, @zegarciaoficial BRIDE’S PARTY SHOE Manolo Blahnik, @manoloblahnik BRIDE’S SUNSET PARTY DRESS Rita Miller Atelier, @ritamilleratelier BRIDE’S SUNSET PARTY SHOE Mascaro, @mascaro_official BRIDE’S SUNSET PARTY ACCESSORIES Earrings – Custom Made BRIDE’S ENGAGEMENT RING Vintage Art Deco TUXEDO Pal Zileri, @palzileri GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Bow Tie – Armani, @giorgioarmani GROOM’S SHOE Tods, @tods GROOM’S SUNSET PARTY SUIT & SHOE Ted Baker, @ted_baker_menswear
