Fun-Loving & Adventurous Sliabh Liag Elopement in Donegal

What’s more romantic than a couple staying true to themselves? That’s exactly what Genesis and James did when they planned their Sliabh Liag elopement in Donegal, Ireland.

Together with a pair of witnesses, they headed to the rugged coastline to exchange their vows. The windy weather and blue skies made for the most spectacular photos too. Oh my.

I love their outfit choices, the trip to the pub with impromptu live music and that the following day they headed off to get matching tattoos. From their Disney proposal to the love lock and ice cream, you’ll be sure to adore their special day.

Thanks ever so much to Wild and Green Photography for sharing with us these sensational captures of Genesis and James’ incredible celebration.

Sliabh Liag Donegal Elopement

The Proposal

During our first trip to Disney World in Florida (my 1st time ever but not his), May 14th, 2022 – I was running around the park excited about my dream of going there being fulfilled.

JD booked that trip and told me it was my birthday present. I was so eager to take photos at Cinderella’s castle before the crowd rushed in, but he delayed and said we should go on a couple of rides together.

Afterwards, we walked toward the castle, where I was surprised to see his brother and brother’s wife. I thought that a sibling trip to Disney was a surprise. Right then, he got down on one knee and proposed to me in front of Cinderella’s castle.

I did not see any of it coming, so much so that I was wearing a hilarious goofy hat that he asked me to take off before proposing. Best day ever! We went on to go on rides, enjoy the day, and ordered fairytale champagne at one of the restaurants. I was also given a wedding pin by the concierge.

The Vision

A small getaway wedding with just us and two friends as witnesses that we met while living in Seoul who are from Tramore, Waterford in Ireland.

Exploring a new place together, what we do best, for a week; followed by a small ceremony with the focus only on each other. And, honestly, an excuse to travel and an excuse to keep it small – for ease of planning and again keeping it intimate.

The Venue

Our photographer worked with us to help create our perfect day – Shauna gave us a range of options based on a questionnaire she had us fill out.

We chose Sliabh Liag as it was stunningly picturesque and heavy on the natural beauty. We were blown away and the small-town feel of Donegal appealed to us.

Your Outfits

We went for something simple, classic, and that we felt comfortable in! We went for custom elements that were reflected in my lock necklace with our initials and the groom’s custom cufflinks that had our wedding date and a clover.

The Ceremony & Music

We opted for songs from our favorite Rom-Com, About Time. We loved the wedding scene from the film and wanted to incorporate music from the soundtrack.

How Long will I love You by Ellie Goulding
Il Mondo by Jimmy Fontana

Your Photographer & Filmmaker

Shauna Ward – Wild and Green Photography

The Styling & Decor

We let nature be the backdrop so we did not include additional decor.

We went to a local florist in Donegal town and asked Geri to make something simple with white flowers with elements of green and blue to reflect the natural beauty of Sliabh League.

The Honeymoon

TBD! We will plan for a honeymoon in the next couple of years because we continued the wedding celebrations by having a destination wedding to celebrate with family and friends in Panama where the bride’s family is from and currently lives.

So after vacationing for a week with our loved ones, we will plan a honeymoon in the future that will hopefully kick off our next stint of long-term travel.

Memorable Moments

The day was spectacular! It was everything we dreamed of and more. We were joined by our two best friends who live down in Tramore, County Waterford, who served as our witnesses. We became close friends after meeting in Seoul, South Korea, where the bride taught English for a year. After a beautiful ceremony at the cliffs, we were welcomed at the visitor’s centre to do our signing.

Afterwards, we crossed the road to the Rusty Mackerel where we were surprised with musicians playing wedding music during their trad session. We got our photos printed onto pints of Guinness, and after dinner, we headed to Fintra Beach for a sunset dip to close out the day! There was a bright rainbow when we got there.

The very next morning, we had an appointment at Zombie Dollz Tattoo Parlour where the groom got a ring tattoo, and then we both got matching tattoos with the wedding date and words grá mo chroí.

The night before the wedding we were driving up from Tramore, and when we were about 45 minutes away from our destination, we got a flat tyre on a road that was in the middle of fields with nothing within walking distance. After calling around we got connected to Shane from S.Duffy Tyres who was able to help us out and gave us not only the gift of us being able to make it to our wedding, but a box of chocolates as well!

As we were talking to him, we realized his cousin, Siobhán Duffy Browne was our dedicated person at the civil registration office whom we had been talking with and filed our intent to marry with! Small world!

We stayed in an Airbnb the night before on Slieve League Avenue in Carrick, and the host was sweet and decorated the space with wedding balloons, a congratulatory note, and some chocolates.

After we got ready in the morning and as we were leaving to head to the ceremony, an older couple who lived in the neighboring home were heading inside, and when they saw us in our wedding attire, stopped to chat with us, offered wedding advice since they had been together 50+ years, and asked for a photo together.

The ceremony at the cliffs was chaotic in the best way! It was a beautiful sunny day though it had been raining the entire week leading up to the wedding, but it was very windy and cold so our friends had to try and hold my veil, and everyone’s hair was blowing everywhere.

We included traditional Irish handfasting in our ceremony and Lee let us choose the symbolic colors for each ribbon, we also had a beautiful whisky toast, and Lee read off some of the lyrics of Home to Donegal.

Advice For Other Couples

Your wedding day (or days) are yours to create as a couple! Have fun during the ideation and brainstorming process – no idea is too out there.

Come together to decide what you both envision, what things are representative of your relationship? What brought you two together and how can you honor that or include it on your wedding day? Be sure to honor yourselves and relieve yourselves from outside pressures or societal expectations.

The process can be tedious but remember the bigger picture and remember that you are surrounded by family, friends, and wonderful vendors who are there to help you every step of the way. At the end of the day, it’s about celebrating the love you two share and the future you will co-create.

Lastly, let the little things go – leave room to go with the flow as not everything will be perfect, but it will turn out perfect for the moment.