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What started as an office romance in Seattle 12 years ago for Anna Tholse, from Sweden, and Sligo native Paul Vickers culminated in a cool Dublin wedding on March 13th 2015.
The couple (who maintained a long-distance romance before Anna came to Dublin in 2005) have three children – Noah (seven), Elin (five) and Alex (three) – and got engaged on Christmas morning seven years ago in Rosses Point. “We wanted a party, a day out to celebrate with our family and friends, and an experience for all of us to remember,” said Anna.
After a civil wedding ceremony, the couple invited 25 for lunch on the canal boat La Peniche and a further 25 to dinner that evening at Drury Buildings Italian restaurant. The bride's mum flew from Sweden, her cousin Molly from Germany, and her brother arrived from London on his motorbike.
The groom's sisters, Alison and Susan, were, according to Anna, key to the planning and execution on the day. They decorated the dinner venue and organised the singer-guitarist who played the couple's first song after the meal: The Blower's Daughter, by Damien Rice.
Crucially, after the scheduled hairdresser got waylaid that morning, they jumped in and fulfilled his role perfectly.
Anna, in a 1950s cocktail dress and peacock-patterned shoes she found online, was accompanied into the ceremony by Elin, her bridesmaid and flower girl. Noah was the ring-bearer.
“The whole day was an absolute thrill,” beamed Anna. “We felt on top of the world and didn’t stop smiling once . . . It was certainly one of the best days ever and is on a par with each of the days our children were born.”
Photographs: Darek Novak, photosligo.com
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