Lauren, a commercial litigation attorney in New York City, and Brian, who works as an operations manager at a hedge fund, Tiger Pacific Capital, are both from Castleknock, Dublin, but met for the first time at a mutual Irish friend's Halloween party in New York in 2010.
Lauren, who studied at Trinity College Dublin, was in Washington for her admission to the US supreme court in 2014.
“Brian joined me for the weekend and we went for a cycle around the memorial parks,” she recalls. “It was 25 degrees and he refused to take his jacket off – it was driving me crazy.”
Forty-five minutes later, an overheated Brian proposed with the ring he’d been hiding in his pocket.
The couple invited 160 guests to their a wedding reception at Parknasilla, Co Kerry – close to Lauren’s parents’ beach-house in Ballinskelligs. A guest of honour was Lauren’s grandmother, Brid Frewen. On the eve of the wedding, everyone gathered in Sneem village for oysters and live music. Brian kicked off the morning of May 23rd, 2015, with a swim in the sea.
For Lauren, “it was only when the portable dress steamer – hauled from New York – exploded and the bridal party spent an hilarious 30 minutes hopelessly trying to steam my [Oscar De La Renta] dress by holding it in the shower, that the day started to feel like mine. From that moment on, it was full of laughter – truly perfect (or perfectly imperfect).”
Music during the church ceremony included a mix of opera, from the Drawing Room Opera Company, and traditional Irish songs. Lauren walked down the aisle to Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffman, and the couple exited to Brindisi, from La Traviata. The service also included a poem from the couple's favourite poet, Louis MacNeice.
During the cocktails at the reception, Brian's parents Peter and Phyllis Wong organised a Chinese tea ceremony. Brian and Lauren had planned a three-day trip to the Amalfi Coast after the wedding. "But after a week of late nights, catching-up with friends, and the wedding itself, we/I were exhausted . . . so I managed to convince Brian to spend the extra time just hanging out in Kerry," said Lauren with a laugh.
“It was a lot colder and the only real attraction that we made it to was a holy well down a dirt road. But between the cozy fires, beach walks and lots of time to ourselves, I think we are agreed that was an absolutely perfect few days.”
Brian and Lauren live in Brooklyn Heights, New York.
Photographer: Ian Weldon, ianweldon.com Sarah Geraghty
