Meet the latest couple in The Chupi Wedding Series: Aoife & Clive. With Covid-19, their guest list was reduced to just 6 guests. Having gone ahead with their wedding day and looking back on it, Aoife & Clive said they wouldn't change a thing. For any brides to be wondering if they should go ahead with their big day, we hope Aoife & Clive's gorgeous wedding inspires you to go for it!

We met in April 2017 by both swiping right on Tinder! Clive lived in Laois and I lived in Dublin so he must have been up in Dublin with his friends for us to match on the app. We went on a date in Hogans soon after and it all took off from there. Fast forward to November 2019 and I had moved down to Laois and we got the keys to our house. I had to make the move as Clive is a farmer – it all took a little time to relocate but it worked out just in time for Christmas that year.

We got engaged in Patagonia in Chile. We travelled to Chile in January 2020 for another friend’s wedding, along with a great Irish and international crew. We spent 3 weeks there in Santiago, Valparaiso, the Atacama Desert, Puerto Varas, and finally Patagonia.

We did not know what to expect due to all the chopping and changing and unexpected drop in numbers after Christmas, but we enjoyed it even more than we had anticipated.

Clive left it to the very last minute as, in typical Irish girl fashion, I refused to go for a walk to a scenic spot after numerous early mornings on tours. He proposed to my great surprise, just before we checked out on our last day! It was so nice to go home to our families after a fantastic holiday with more great news. We joke that we very luckily got our honeymoon in before we got engaged, as it doesn’t look like we’ll be going to any far away destinations in the near future.

We had planned to have a big wedding at Kilkea Castle in Co Kildare, but of course with the pandemic, everything was thrown up in the air. We ended up having the ceremony at the gorgeous Kilkea Castle as planned in February 2021 – we are very grateful to them for facilitating this.

Then we went to the beautiful Inch House Ireland in Stradbally Co Laois, which is local to us, for our small reception and dinner. We plan to return to Kilkea Castle in 2022 for a party with our wider family and friends.

We realised that we wouldn’t change anything about the day as we are so happy to have gone ahead.

We loved everything about our wedding day. We did not know what to expect due to all the chopping and changing and unexpected drop in numbers after Christmas, but we enjoyed it even more than we had anticipated. We both got ready separately and then met for some first look photos at Kilkea Castle before the ceremony.

We were able to stream the ceremony live to our friends and family who couldn’t be there thanks to our celebrant, and this really helped us to feel loved on the day as so many people tuned in. After the ceremony we had a quick toast and took a few more photos before heading off to Inch House Ireland.

It felt like there were four seasons inside of two hours but we managed to capture all the memories before settling down for great food and drinks with our immediate families. We realised that we wouldn’t change anything about the day as we are so happy to have gone ahead. Our day was also made so easy and ran seamlessly thanks to all of our fabulous suppliers (Leanne Keaney Photography, Pat Clarke-Browne Humanist Celebrant, Something Blue Acoustics, and Miscellany Cakes).

A memorable part for both of us is the time just after the ceremony, we got to go for a walk just the two of us on the grounds of Kilkea Castle as the sun had finally come out. The photographer came with us and took a few pictures. We both remember feeling so relaxed and happy to be married and also relieved that after all of the upheaval of the year, we had made it and everything had gone according to plan.

My dress was the Stella Gown by Theia Bridal, which I bought from Folkster Bridal in Kilkenny. It’s actually the only dress I tried on! I had seen it before when my best friend Sophie was trying on dresses earlier in 2019. She ended up opting for a different dress there but this one stuck in my mind.

In May 2020, I had booked a slot to go dress shopping at Folkster but due to the lockdown, this was cancelled. Roisin at Folkster advised that this dress was no longer being supplied and they only had two left as off the rack dresses. She offered to send it out to try on at home.

I did this and showed it to my friends and Mum on Zoom. We all loved it and so I decided to keep it! It was the easiest dress shopping experience and it all worked out despite the restrictions. I also ended up getting my shoes and accessories from Folkster too.

I chose Chupi jewellery for my wedding pieces as I was conscious of trying to buy ethically and Irish.

Given the fact that we have all been separated for so long during the pandemic restrictions, we hope that our families will remember the pure happiness we all felt on the day at being together and also having something positive to celebrate, in the midst of such uncertainty in the world.

We have received so many good wishes and kind cards and gifts from those who couldn’t be with us – we are so grateful and we hope that our family and friends who tuned in virtually were similarly happy to be part of a joyous occasion in some small way.

My engagement ring is a grey diamond Love Is All ring with a gold polished band and my wedding band is the Crown of Faith. I also gifted my bridesmaids with Chupi bracelets to thank them for being so supportive to me in the run up to the wedding, even though they couldn’t actually attend in person.

I chose Chupi jewellery for my wedding pieces as I was conscious of trying to buy ethically and Irish. Grey diamonds are not historically associated with the same type of conflict as regular diamonds. I was also interested in lab-grown diamonds or moissanite for the same reason; however I just loved that grey diamonds are something different and unique, and when I saw them in person I knew that they were what I wanted to choose.

The gold from Chupi is also recycled which was similarly great to hear. I got to choose the engagement ring in person at the store just before the first lockdown and had an virtual appointment for the wedding band.

My Chupi rings are a reminder of great memories and a great day. They remind me of how lucky I am and always make me smile and cheer me up whenever I look at them. I hope to add to my collection in years to come to mark other special memories, occasions or achievements.

Photography: Leanne Keaney Photography
Humanist Celebrant: Pat Clarke-Browne
Music: Something Blue Acoustics
Wedding Cake: Miscellany Cakes
Flowers: Blooming Amazing Flower Company