Our wedding story: ‘It was all about us and the children’

[ irishtimes.com/weddings ]

You might recognise Fiona Hickey. She's the happy bride appearing in AIB's current ad campaign, all the footage for which was shot on the day of her and Andrew Crowe's wedding on February 3rd, 2015.

Both from Co Meath, the pair met in 2001 and have been going out since 2007.

Their son, Danny, was born in December 2011 and a few weeks after daughter Hannah arrived in 2014, on Mother’s Day, Andrew proposed. In front of the two children and the two dogs.

They decided to have no guests at the wedding.

“It was all about us and the children,” said Fiona. She was set on a city centre wedding. “I love the noises, the people and the vibrancy of Grafton Street.”

When she and Andrew visited the National Gallery of Ireland's Georgian ceremony room and met events planner Sinead Leahy, "my heart instantly told me this was our wedding venue".

That morning, the bride had her hair done in Cowboys and Angels and Zoe Clarke did her make-up at the Merrion Hotel before the groom, in a suit from Louis Copeland, arrived with the children.

Fiona put on her Jenny Packham dress and the four took a horse and carriage trip around Stephen's Green (a family Christmas tradition) which dropped them off at the National Gallery just after 3.30pm for the ceremony.

The final song performed by the singer was You've Got the Love by Florence and the Machine which the newlyweds, Danny and Hannah, danced to altogether.

Andrew’s mum Ana is Spanish (and lives in Spain with his dad, Peter) and to honour her traditions, Fiona had made lavender and rice confetti the night before.

Then it was back to Ashbourne to surprise Fiona's parents, Peter and Ursula Hickey, with the big news.

Did they regret missing out? “They were thrilled,” said Fiona. “My mum always wanted her daughters to elope as she’s very no fuss and not into the mother of the bride role. So she was extra delighted. And, I had secretly borrowed a blue rosary beads she keeps at her bedside so I had them with me as a part of her.”

The couple then returned – by themselves – to the Merrion Hotel for dinner at Patrick Guilbald’s followed by a night of champagne.

Photographs: Fergus Kelly Photography, ferguskellyphotography.com

We’d love to hear your wedding story. If you’d like to share it with our readers email weddings@irishtimes.com with a photograph and a little information about your big day