This Irish-American celebration in the heart of Dublin city was simply wow! Tara and Neil are based in East London and they didn't see themselves getting married in a church or having a hotel or manor house wedding. They fully embraced the magic of a city wedding as they tied the knot at Fallon & Byrne with a colourful, informal, fun, and sentimental celebration.
Your jaw will drop instantly over the incredible style which includes everything from a breathtaking linen bridal co-ord to the grooms party in Hawaiian shirts (and there was even a zoot suit in the mix). You can also look forward to stunning dried flowers, bridesmaids in mix and match pastel shades, sweet décor ideas a plenty, and wonderful music. The incredible pictures from Stephanie Joyce Photography will serve as a pure dopamine hit!
Tara is from Dublin while Neil is from South Dakota. They met in London in January 2020 when their mutual friend Daniella brought Neil to a salsa night event that Tara had organised. She tells us, "Daniella proceeded to forget her ID so couldn't get into the bar so herself and Neil had to wait for me and another friend to finish our class. We met later for a drink but Neil was doing Dry January so that didn't last long? On the way home Daniella was very skillful, and even though the three of us lived in the same area she opted to take the tube and left myself and Neil to the bus journey, on which we chatted the whole way home."
They became running buddies as they lived 10 minutes from each other and the rest is history! "We've often joked that between my busy social life and his tendency to take every shift at the bar he was currently working at we just would have never had time for one and other had the world not stopped." Tara is a self declared "organisation diva" and quite the romantic and she had told Neil early on that she would like to be the one to pop the question.
She explains, "We’re also a couple that don’t feel like stereotypical gender roles have to apply and I didn't feel like either waiting around for the man to propose, or be blind sided by a proposal that was not fully welcomed (Something that had very nearly happened in a previous relationship!). So we took a trip to Paris October 2022 and I thought why not here! I arrived earlier on the Friday to hit the Louvre and scope out a quiet spot for a proposal (the typical, tiny budget Parisian hotel room wasn't going to cut it). I knew neither of us would want an audience but quickly realised Paris is much like London… not many quiet spots! So I met Neil for a later dinner and we hit a bar. After many drinks and worrying my nerves were going to fail me, I begged him to come and take a walk along the river with me around midnight. (My hopes that it would be quiet were rewarded and the beautiful walkway along the river provided the perfect spot for a proposal)."
As Neil doesn't normally wear jewellery or watches, Tara got him a replacement bracelet. "Bracenet is a company we both appreciate as they make their bracelets by catching drift nets in the oceans and I got us matching one with the Irish Sea mixed with the Arctic Ocean (we've got serious pipe dreams to visit Alaska one day). Long ago I had broken Neil's original one trying it on so on that clear night in Paris, walking along the romantic river Seine when I coyly told him I had a little gift for him and showed him the bag he recognised it immediately and said thanks and went to put it in his pocket! Little did he know that I had gotten two pendants for the bracenets, one saying 'Marry me', and the other saying 'Yes'. No, I didn't get a no and as one friend said… if he said no he didn't get a bracelet."
"So I urged him to open the bag and he obstinately kept pushing it into his pocket so I swore at him and said and got down on one knee. He was appropriately speechless, realising his mistake and held my hand while I weeped through as much of the prepared speech as I could get out. I was such a mess that when he helped me up and gave me a hug I had to ask him if he had said yes ! He said yeah, he even said 'Oui', to fit the setting."
How incredible was Tara's bridal look by Linen Lara? Comprised of a 100% linen crop top and flowing skirt, she accessorised with bright pink platform heels and flower drop earrings. "These ladies from Lithuania were amazing. They made everything custom for me and did it so affordably! We messaged back and forth and they helped me to design a skirt I liked, combining styles they already had and then they let my friend send them his drawings for a top and they happily made it. The bridesmaids' two-pieces were also from the label, also custom made for their waists. They were so helpful I can't praise them enough!"
Neil's love of Hawaiian shirts inspired the floral theme which included chic and colourful dried floral bouquets with purple being a driving hue. Tara picked out Neil's elegant dark green wedding suit. "Neil had asked me to come along with my dad and I had dark green in my head for ages and they were both looking at greys and I was like, "Hey guys, what about this one?"
Originally the couple had planned to have a marquee wedding on her godmother's land but it was going to be tricky to get their family and friends there. "I had lots of friends who had been to Fallon & Byrne weddings and they raved about the food and that was really important for Neil. They provided us with their beautiful space and their excellent wedding planning skills and led us novices through it all."
The couple eloped in Hackney Town Hall in May 2023 and when it came to their Dublin wedding day they asked their "vivacious and hilarious" friend Sebastian to officiate.
Oh the style! Tara's mum was gorgeous in a green midi that she bought in India while her dad wore a dazzling purple zoot suit. "I have worn it twice as a Willy Wonka costume. We had bought it together nearly two decades ago in a dodgy warehouse in LA, it was an experience! The place was full of brightly coloured suits and he was so overwhelmed he let me pick the colour. He was only sorry he hadn't bought the matching hat!"
Their ceremony readings were integral to making their celebration as special as possible. Neil chose the poem To Her by the first poet laureate of South Dakota, Charles Badger Clark, which paints a picture of the beautiful landscape of South Dakota that he adores. "Our friend Daniella read two Rupi Kaur poems, one about the awe of motherhood and women, aimed at my own parents who really taught me how important it is to respect and be kind to your partner no matter what challenges come your way."
The second reading was about finding someone whom you don't need but want and can together set a city on fire, in an electric way! "This was aimed at myself and Neil who are both fiercely independent and encourage that in one and other, while providing support and love." The feeling of joy and love was undeniable as the couple danced down the aisle after their ceremony to Sexual Healing by Hot 8 Brass Band.
The couple held their drinks reception in The Pav in Trinity. Sweetly the bride created bunting using photos of herself and her husband throughout their relationship, dated in order too! "We didn't have much of a budget for decorations but this was a way to really make the space personal and special and people had great fun perusing the photos hung up onto the walls of the bar. It was great fun as I went there for Uni, the Americans got to see home iconic settings and even the end of a cricket match! And I really had wanted some of the day to be outdoors and we got so lucky with the weather!"
The bride initially had a different idea for her wedding co-ord. "I had planned to paint it with flowers but just fell in love with it when it arrived. My mum's friend also painted some beautiful flowers on the bow of my dress, as mentioned I had thought I would wear a coloured dress, which I had planned to be fully painted with meadow flowers by the same friend but I had fallen in love with the white and she really kindly offered to just paint the few flowers on the bow and this felt like a little personal pop of colour."
We adore Neil's rainbow-coloured rubber wedding ring and Tara wore an engagement ring his mother had given them, which her father had gotten made in Hawaii! "He was a professor of geology there when he met his wife-to-be."
When it came to the reception styling they named their tables after cocktails and as a big photo fan Tara made the table settings out of mini Instax-sized photos of the guests with her and Neil. "In the run up to the wedding we had a great time going through photos and printing the pictures. People really loved it and it was a great conversation starter for guests. It did result in a tad bit of a rush on the morning of the wedding when I was printing pictures on my bedroom floor that Neil had taken the day before with American relatives whom he hadn't seen in a while."
Getting the music note-perfect was a top priority! "I painstakingly made several Spotify playlists for the day and I have to say the one for dancing was a big hit! We had The Wonder of You by Villagers, but the live version from The Ivy Gardens with the horn section. I am big into music and toyed with Frank Sinatra. Only Fools Rush In by Villagers provided a little more room for just throwing our own shapes. Neil is not a fan of dancing and we had no prepared routine so the less formal song was the better choice and I really love them!"
She has the following nuggets of wisdom for couples planning their special day. "I think you should decide what you want from the day and plan accordingly. It took us a little while to realise we just wanted somewhere our friends and family could enjoy food, drinks and dancing and that actually it didn't need to be so unique or non-traditional. There's a formula for weddings and it's there because it works. It's your relationship and guests that make it special. And it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg."
A huge congratulations to Tara and Neil on their dreamy Fallon & Byrne wedding. A special mention to Stephanie Joyce Photography for sharing the full-of-joy images with One Fab Day, you can see even more in the gallery below.
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