Real Weddings: William and Henrique’s waterfront wedding in Co Limerick
Limerick residents William and Henrique tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony overlooking the River Shannon. They championed local suppliers and incorporated special elements as a nod to Henrique's Portuguese and Brazilian heritage. The highlight of the night, though, was the drag queen trio, who had everyone on their feet all night long.
THE COUPLE
William Duffy, senior manager in financial services, and Henrique Vaz Saraiva, technician in pharmaceuticals.
THEY LIVE
Rosbrien, Limerick. We bought a lovely little terraced house and live there with our kids and dog.
THE VENUE
PHOTOGRAPHY
Sinead Kiely Photography. Sinead is a Limerick-based photographer with an excellent back catalogue. She also guided us through the day with ease.
THEY MET
We met in Bar Rua in Dublin in 2019, and within 6 months, Henrique moved in with William and his kids in Limerick.
THE PROPOSAL
Strange as it may seem, we do not have a proposal story. We just knew that we would get married one day.
THE SUITS
The suits were from Connolly Man on Patrick Street in Limerick. We chose navy and baby blue suits that complemented each other. Henrique wore a blue suit and navy waist jacket, and William wore a navy suit with a baby blue waist jacket.
THE CEREMONY
Our ceremony took place on the top floor of The Strand Hotel. The hotel organised everything. We just had to show up and walk down the aisle. We chose the hotel because it was intimate and had amazing views over the River Shannon that took in the historic King John’s Castle, St. Mary’s Cathedral and Thomond Park, to name a few. The ceremony was officiated by Patricia Irwin from loveandcherish.ie.
THE RECEPTION
We had 100 people at the reception, which was also on the top floor. The room was full of natural light and had a beautiful wraparound deck that again took in all the sights. The room was decorated by the hotel with amazing centrepieces on the tables. The five-course silver service banquet included the most beautiful food and catered for the various diets of the guests, including a Brazilian flavour for our guests visiting from Henrique’s home cities of Guimaraes, Portugal and Sao Paulo, Brazil. The hotel was excellent with all the nieces and nephews, and also ensured that the reception was very intimate at the same time.
THE ENTERTAINMENT
The ceremony music was performed by Lesley-Ann and Phil. Again, Limerick-based but both with strong connections to Eurovision. Lesley-Ann was a backing singer on Eurovision, and Phil is the nephew of Niamh Kavanagh.
The entertainment afterwards was provided by three fantastic drag queens from Cork. Dakota Mode, Liam Bee and Letycha Le’synn. They did amazing drag performances that had everyone on their feet, and Dakota Mode DJ’d the night away
THE DECOR
The Strand Hotel provided all of the decor. It had everything we needed, and it was easy for our guests to get to and get home from. It was completely stress-free because the wedding coordinator (Keeley) took care of everything. We stayed in the presidential suite for a few nights, and it was absolutely amazing. We just showed up, and everything was prepared and ready.
THEIR TOP TIPS
Top tip: simply enjoy your day. We were so easy going and left the hotel to organise everything. At the end of the day, they were the professionals. Keeley and all her team did an amazing job, and we could just relax and enjoy catching up with family and friends.
THEY WISH THEY HAD
We wouldn’t change a thing. For William, it was important that his four children were included in the ceremony, which they were. For Henrique, it was important that his family were there from Portugal and Brazil, and they were. From the moment we checked in to when we checked out, it was just perfect.
THEIR BEST MOMENTS
- There were so many moments, but cycling the tandem bike down Clancy’s Strand to King John’s Castle was so much fun. We got a lot of curious looks. It still makes us chuckle.
- William did his vows in Brazilian Portuguese, which Henrique certainly didn’t expect.
- William’s mother (Patricia) and oldest daughter (Caoimhe) walking him down the aisle.
- Henrique’s grandmother (Maria Fatima) and grandfather (Joao) walking him down the aisle
- William’s oldest son, Callum being his best man, and his younger kids, Millie and Lucas also helping.
THE FIRST SONG
Make it Better by Hermitage Green.
Being from Limerick, it was important to have a Limerick band, and Hermitage Green’s Make it Better spoke to both of us. The lyrics were especially poignant for us, and it is just a bloody brilliant song. We also had Lesley-Ann and Phil sing it for us as we walked down the aisle.
THE CREW
Grooms’ Suits: Connolly Man. Florist: Every Blooming Thing. Food & Decor: The Strand Hotel Limerick. Music: Lesley-Ann and Phil. Celebrant: Patricia Irwin. Entertainment: Dakota Mode, Liam Bee and Letycha Le’synn.
See more photographs from William and Henrique’s wedding in the gallery below.
Photography by Sinead Kiely Photography.
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