Where did you meet?
We met through Tinder! Genevieve is originally from the US, and she was working in Dublin after completing her master’s here. We first met in 2016 for a drink in the city centre and clicked right away. Genevieve had only a year left on her visa so we had about a year together in Ireland before doing long-distance when she moved to Washington, D.C.
Can you tell us a little bit about the proposal?
In the summer of 2017, we went to stay in Genevieve’s hometown of Las Vegas, and I got to meet her family for the first time. Near the end of the trip, Genevieve had booked a surprise night for the two of us in The Cosmopolitan hotel. After dinner, we went back up to the room and there were rose petals laid out and a beautiful view of the Strip and Bellagio fountains at night. It was lovely just having that private moment to ourselves.
When did you get married, and what made you chose Butler House as the venue?
We had our wedding in Butler House in July 2019. We wanted somewhere that was historical and interesting for guests visiting from abroad, and it had to have good food too! Butler House ticked all the boxes - gorgeous rooms, a lovely garden for photos, and friendly staff.
Tell us a bit about your dresses?
We kept our dresses a surprise from each other till the big day. My Mam saw pictures of both dresses beforehand - just to make sure they wouldn’t clash or be too alike.
Genevieve got hers in a boutique in Las Vegas, so it travelled a long way to Kilkenny! They were actually filming a new version of ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ in the boutique the day that Genevieve stopped by to go dress shopping. The store owner was kind enough to let her in to shop in the background while filming was going on.
I rented my dress from Covet in Dublin. I’d definitely recommend renting to other brides. You get to choose from some amazing designs, save some money, and you don’t need to worry about storing or cleaning it afterwards.
What was the most exciting/memorable part of your day?
One of the best memories was after the ceremony, seeing all of our friends and family enjoying themselves in the garden. It was amazing to people from all places and walks of life mixing together and having the craic.
What was the one thing you wanted your guests to remember from the day?
We knew that we’d have quite a few people travelling from abroad, so we wanted them to get the chance to enjoy something uniquely Irish. There is so much interesting history and architecture in Butler House and Kilkenny City itself, and there was lots of fresh Irish food on the menu too.
For the Irish guests, we wanted to share some of Genevieve’s background. During the ceremony, we exchanged leis made from orchids - a tradition from Hawaii where Genevieve was born.
Tell us a little bit about your experience planning your wedding with Butler House
All of the staff at Butler House were so friendly and accommodating. It was great to have their expertise on-hand. Our event co-ordinator even helped us to plan the seating arrangement in the ceremony room - something we had no clue about! They really put us at ease which is exactly what you need when you’re planning a big event.
Photography by Brian Hutchinson