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Louise and Neal are from Ireland but have been living in Melbourne for six years and recently got Australian citizenship which is very exciting!
PLANNER
Sunshine Weddings were fantastic—Scott and the team ran the day seamlessly and Cicilia as a joy to work with throughout the lead-up.
HAIR AND MAKEUP
Hacienda San Jose was the location for hair and makeup with Ella Megan Makeup Marbella
THE DRESS
Made With Love – The second shop I visited with my mam and Neal’s mam during their Melbourne trip— just a five-day overlap to find the one so I was quick to make a decision.
THE SUIT
Tango Suit Hire – Dublin
HOW DID YOU MEET
My brother in law Eoin introduced us, he’s a friend of Neals from home.
DECOR
Yvonne, The Hacienda’s in-house decorator, looked after everything—super efficient and so helpful. I didn’t have a strong vision, so I happily took her lead. The venue is quite rustic, so we kept the styling mostly polished and simple to complement it. Shona from Bunches Florist did the flowers, and we were thrilled with how they turned out.
BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES
FIRST LOOK
I did a first look with my dad, and then he and my mam walked me up the aisle together—it was really lovely.
HOW DID NEAL POP THE QUESTION
Whilst my sister was visiting from Ireland—our first visitor in over four years after the lockdowns—we took her to the Botanical Gardens on a lovely sunny day. I was in full tour-guide mode, so when we turned a corner and saw a picnic by the lake, I assumed it was a professional setup for someone else. I even told Neal to step away from “someone else’s picnic”… and then he dropped to one knee and said, “This is happening now.” Our friends had set it up, which made it extra special. We went on to our favourite bar afterwards and met a gang of our friends for drinks.
THE VENUE
Hacienda San Jose was perfect for us: bridal party could stay together on-site for a few days (10 ensuite bedrooms) which made the whole celebration easy and fun. I didn’t want guests travelling far, so being just 10 minutes from La Cala was a big win—and hosting day two there as a pool party was ideal. It’s a self-catering venue, so it took a bit more organising in the lead-up and across the weekend, but it was absolutely worth it.
THE AISLE
Extremely excited—and surprisingly calm. We’d officially married in our local church in Ireland the week before with just our families, which took the edge off the nerves, so Spain felt like pure celebration. Having Neal’s brother as celebrant made it fun and really personal.
TAKING PHOTOS WITH US
Rebecca and Noah were brilliant—we kept it light, had a good laugh, and the wedding party’s antics made it even more fun.
DJ
Our DJ, Bob—a mutual friend—knew our taste and kept the dance floor packed all night, he was amazing.
DANCE FLOOR
We rented an LED dance floor because the usual area is cobbled—best decision. We also got a photobooth, which I’m so glad we did. We skipped table gifts, so the strips were a fun little bit of memorabilia—and the photos are hilarious to look back on.
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