A man and woman walked into an Irish bar as strangers. They walked out smitten by love. As the saying goes, “the stars aligned” and in spite of throngs of inebriated, raucous, Italian rugby players celebrating their recent championship win, he noticed her across the room. Her red dress and delightful Irish smile caught his eye and his heart and the rest as they say is history. He left for home across the sea the next day and in spite of a global pandemic, love still had its way. He proposed, she said yes. Love turned in to marriage and in the bride’s words, “never have my cheeks hurt so much from smiling!”

What an absolute joy to get to be part of Grainne and Humberto’s love story and wedding. Just the three of us and the photographer, on a blustery spring day, tucked into the quiet library of the charming Pleasant Beach Inn on a wee island, not so different than that Irish island where first they met. They chose to include the ritual of Tying the Knot, an ancient tradition from the bride’s homeland, such a simple, yet deeply meaningful way of binding hands and hearts together as tearful, poetic vows were spoken. The surprise was another token gesture, from the groom’s Mexican heritage, the offering of the thirteen coins. The coins, originally meant to signify Jesus and the twelve disciples, have been part of the Mexican Catholic ceremony since long ago. They were traditionally given by the groom to his bride as a gesture of offering his wealth to her. We of course, updated the ritual and had them each offer a coin to their partner, signifying the great treasures being offered equally, one to the other.

Rings were blessed and exchanged and declarations pronounced. Kisses and a very delightful surprise from the groom to his bride closed our ceremony. They had planned to play their “song” on the phone as a first dance. Unbeknownst to Grainne, Humberto had written to the artist and asked if he would record a live performance of the song dedicated to her. Not a dry eye in the house, as they stood in their happy embrace and enjoyed their ballad.

One last delight for this happy couple. They had chosen to have a very private ceremony for personal reasons and as I left I felt a little disappointed that there was not to be a party for them. They were oozing love and joy and it felt like there needed to be a way to keep the celebration going. Once again love had its way with them. After a sweet intimate fireside dinner, they found their way to the near by wine bar, where after a year of Covid restrictions, there was live music playing and people joyfully gathering. The artist played another special song for them, they danced, people cheered and as all good fairytales end, “they lived happily ever after”

“Thank you so much for the beautiful ceremony and helping us ‘tie the knot’ We are still talking about how perfect it all was. You really outline the true meaning of marriage and love. I am so glad you captured that video too 🥰 ” – Grainne & Humberto