Keelin Ward spoke to Oliver Callan on RTÉ Radio 1 about her gothic wedding, complete with a double coffin brought from home. Listen back above.
Crows, skulls, black roses and a double coffin… No, these aren’t Halloween decorations but the dazzling decor at a recent wedding in Trim Castle, where the bride and entire wedding party wore black.
Alternative weddings and especially wedding looks are trending across bridal sites lately, from wedding gowns in all shades of colours and unusual settings chosen over the traditional church. But as bride Keelin Ward puts it, it could never have been anything but this for her big day.
“Because that’s me and I was just being myself”, she told Callan. “That’s what I love. What’s tradition anyway? I like to do things my own way.”
Dita Von Teese’s wedding dress on display as part of an exhibition entitled ‘Wedding Dresses 1775-2014,’ at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, on April 30, 2014
Ward joins a long list of brides who opted for something particularly eye-catching for her nuptials, such as Dita Von Teese, who married Marilyn Manson in a shimmering purple taffeta design by Vivienne Westwood for their wedding at Gottfried Helnwein’s Castle in County Tipperary, or Gwen Stefani, who wore an ombre pink and white design by John Galliano to marry Gavin Rossdale.
Gwen Stefani with her father Dennis Stefani at her wedding reception in 2002
Ward’s dress was designed and made by Niamh Lynch from Bespoke Bridal in Marley Park, she said. “I told her exactly what I wanted; I just wanted black lace. There was a built-in corset as well; I wanted a high neck on it, a very dramatic train on the back and long lace sleeves.”
“I can’t stand to fit in”, she told Oliver.
Photo: Keelin Ward
Next, it was designing the space in Trim Castle, and Ward turned to Charlene Waldron at Elegant Events.
What did her husband Anthony contribute to the festivities, Oliver asked? “He paid for it”, Ward deadpanned.
Photo: Keelin Ward
Speaking about the special day, Ward said: “Everybody had an amazing day; it was brilliant. It was one of the best days of our lives. We’re very happy, our children were very happy, our family and friends were very happy. We all really enjoyed the day.”
Photo: Keelin Ward
The couple’s wedding seemed to be fitting for a pair with an especially memorable and dramatic engagement story.
After meeting almost 15 years ago after a house party, when Ward came to collect her friend the following morning, Anthony proposed five years later in a particularly romantic way: on screen at the Diamond Cinema, now the Arc Cinema in Navan.
Photo: Keelin Ward
“He popped up on the screen; he had it pre-recorded, and he organised it with the cinema”, Ward recalled. “I nearly died. It was brilliant though, I’ll always remember it.”