Dublin City Hall Wedding

A Dublin City Hall wedding is simply a stunning choice of ceremony in the heart of Dublin! For those looking to add variety to their day and choosing a non-religious ceremony in the heart of Dublin City, it ticks all the boxes.

Dublin City Hall: A Historical Gem

Dublin City Hall’s architectural brilliance showcases the city’s history. Built between 1769 and 1779 by architect Thomas Cooley, it boasts a stunning mix of Georgian and neoclassical styles. The facade’s symmetry, adorned with elegant columns and intricate detailing, presents a sight to behold.

wide shot of couple facing each other during ceremony in Dublin City Hall

Historical Significance:

Beyond it’s architectural beauty, Dublin City Hall holds immense historical significance. Initially serving as the Royal Exchange, it became a hub for commerce and civic affairs. Today, it stands as a symbol of Dublin’s governance and heritage.

Why Choose a Dublin City Hall Wedding?

Dublin City Hall – She’s classy lads!

The venue exudes an air of elegance and sophistication, making it a popular location for weddings. The interior’s graceful design, from the majestic rotunda to the polished marble floors, creates a captivating ambiance. The sense of grandeur elevates the wedding experience, offering a touch of sophistication.

Stunning Architecture in Dublin City Hall

Every nook and cranny of Dublin City Hall tells a story of architectural mastery. The rotunda, with it’s magnificent dome and ornate decorations, serves as a breath-taking focal point for ceremonies. The interplay of natural light through the windows adds to the enchanting atmosphere, enhancing the beauty of the event.

The light, the light the light!! I have never shot in a venue with such beautiful light! There is light coming from all directions of the building which makes for stunning portrait sessions after the ceremony. So, if it does rain and you aren’t able to explore Dublin, there is no shortage of choices for a Dublin City hall wedding.

Some things to note with regards to the light, when thinking of seating arrangements, ask your celebrant if you can face your guests during the ceremony. This will mean the your faces will be facing the light coming in from the large front doors. This will lend to more flattering images of the two of you. PLUS you get to see your guests!

couple walking down Parliament Street with Dublin City Hall in the background

A Dublin City Hall wedding rundown

The Ceremony:

No matter the size of the wedding, the circular shape of the building somehow envelopes the party to create a super intimate and special feel to the ceremony. The sense of history and elegance amplifies the emotions, creating a truly memorable ceremony. The size of the space accentuates the commitment shared by the couple.

Cost:

The costs to book your wedding at Dublin city Hall is slightly higher than most venues, €1250 for the ceremony which includes 200 guest chairs and tow oak tables and ornate chairs for your nuptials. In my opinion, it’s worth it, when you walk in there you will understand why! The space is yours for 3 hours so, considering that a civil ceremony is generally only 40 min max, most couples offer their guests a champagne reception whilst they get their family photos and some portraits done in the venue.

The staff are always there to help and offer advice on what you may need. Feel free to contact theme here cityhall@dublincity.ie for all your information.

Check out a wedding at Dublin City Hall information guidelines here.

Getting those stunner pics:

As I said before, the venue offers so many options for wedding location spots. I always say to clients to get their family photos done to the right of the venue next to the large windows and with the stone wall as the backdrop.

Bride and groom facing each other at Dublin City Hall

After family photos, I take my bride and groom around this location, playing with the type of light that is there to offer, walking up the stair case and a few outside the front entrance of the building.

The beauty about a wedding at Dublin City Hall is its central location to literally EVERYTHING Dublin has to offer! I take my couples for a lovely stroll around the city before they head to their chosen reception venue.

I like to keep locations personal to each couple so we can create images that are unique to their character but if you want some inspiration either check out my blog on my favourite Dublin City locations or read below for how Anna and Ian created their stunning images for their day. Simply magic!

Where can we book our wedding reception?? Well, the choice is endless as there are amazing venues within walking or a short taxi ride away.

Some suggested venues are below:

The Clarence Hotel – check out Ella and Kevin’s intimate ceremony here

Fallon and Byrne

The Merrion Hotel – check out Garret & Dermot’s Intimate ceremony here

25 Fitzwilliam Place – Check out Ray and Victor’s New Years eve ceremony here

The Dean Hotel

The Shelbourne

Why not be creative and hop over to your special pub for a few hours and then go to your favourite restaurant?!

That is exactly what Anna and Ian did and I just loved it! Have a read on how they did things their way!

I absolutely loved my time with Anna and Ian. They were fully intent on creating a day that had personal significance to them as a couple. They knew they didn’t want to go for a large affair and only wanted their nearest and dearest with them to celebrate. Dublin city was where they met and the streets of Dublin hold many fond memories for them both.

They allowed me to create a path for them for the photoshoot but I also asked them to tell me where exactly was special to them so we could make the photos more personal. Both Anna and Ian wouldn’t be the most confident in front of the camera (or so they told me anyway!) but on the day, they were up for anything and they really enjoy the shoot. It really does show in the photos!

Advice to brides and grooms here: 99% of my clients are camera shy, FACT. By simply embracing the process and enjoying their time together, all my couples make amazing pictures filled with fun and love.

They came to Dublin City Hall together, enjoyed a beautiful ceremony held to Moya Corcoran with their very special people and left filled with love and laughter for their photos around the city.

After a relaxed pint of Guinness, we ventured down the streets to The Duke where they held relaxed drinks and chats with their wedding party before heading off to their dinner at Lennan’s Yard. The Duke was the perfect place for them as it was where they used to frequent for many years when they first started dating and worked in town. I loved how the bartenders knew their names!

Enjoy Anna & Ian’s story below:

bride and groom looking out into the light at the balcony of Dublin city hall

1 How did you two meet?

Some would say that we have met in work.. but this is not entirely true. It is a fact that we both started working in New Ireland Assurance on Dawson Street in 2007. I have started in April and Ian joined the team in September. He was brought around the floor and introduced to everyone, this is the moment Ian met Anna. He thought I was an awfully grumpy bitch. And he may have been right since I don’t even remember meeting him that day… My side of the ‘first glance story’ is actually much better. I met Ian in the Duke, on some Thursday night when a bunch of us decided to go for ‘one’ and ended up staying ‘out-out’ in good oul Reynards.. now gone unfortunately (fun fact – I actually now work in the building which was built in the place where Reynards once was… there is no escaping the memories!). It was a mad time back then when I was drinking my body weight in vodka and red bull and Ian was doing push ups in bars after a few pints.. Clearly I was much less of a bitch after a few drinks because he has decided I am the one! We were a very tight group of work-friends, constantly out and about up to no good. He did ask me out all right on a date, for dinner. Allegedly my answer was: ‘I don’t think it is a good idea..’ – he has never asked again so technically we have never been on a date! You could say Ian and I were good mates (ehem with benefits) for a looong time before I even considered holding hands.

2 How did you get engaged?

– We got engaged on Fuerteventura 17th October 2021. We were together for 14 years at the time. On a one of the last days of a two week holiday and a couple of days before my 40th birthday. And no… I did not expect it at all! This may have been the first and the last time to date that I was speechless. We came back from an amazing dinner to our villa, and Ian presented me with a box saying – I hope you will choose your own.. – in the box was a soulmate necklace with a note: “Never forget that I love you. If I could give you one thing in life I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes, only then would you realise how special you are to me.’ I don’t think I spoke a word for an hour or so. Completely shocked!!

3 How did the wedding planning process go? How long after your engagement did you begin planning, any wedding planners or did you plan things yourselves, how did the planning process go.

– It took us about 6 months to tell everyone that we are engaged and this is when we started to think about planning the wedding. I wanted to elope.. preferably to Vegas but eloping in general was my idea of the wedding. Ian preferred to bring everyone over to Poland for a big fat Polish wedding. After a few months of research we have decided that we want our wedding to be a celebration of our relationship.

We wanted to introduce our families and friends to our story and what better place to do it than Dublin were our story started. It was a total ‘no frills’ event but everything what has happened on the day of our wedding had at least one background story, at least one link to some story from our time together. Planning started in February 2023 and we got married on 17th October 2023 – exactly 2 years from the day we got engaged.

4 Who were your wedding suppliers? You can give a shoutout to any wedding suppliers here and talk about why you choose them and what they were like!

Choosing the suppliers was all about ‘that warm and fuzzy feeling’ or ‘connection to us’ exercise:

1. Venue – Dublin City Hall – I may be Irish now but I am still a tourist visiting all the historical sites and museums all around the Island. DCH was a no brainer. It is absolutely stunning, the acoustics are fabulous, it takes a breath away from eveyone who walks in there for the first time. Staff in DCH are so helpful and personable. Flower arrangement on the table was the only decoration that we had in the room and that was all what was needed..

2a. Drinks reception 1 – in the DCH – Lovin Catering – canapés and Prosecco – the easiest supplier we have ever dealt with. We booked them in 2 hours, and they dealt with DCH directly. Canapés were delicious and macaroons were to die for.

2b. Drinks reception in The Duke. This was (and always will be!) our local. We worked across the road so there was a time that we spent A LOT of time there.

If the walls could talk… We have asked Dave the manager to book us the back section of the bar, our usual spot for a couple of hours. Again.. no decor just fab Guinness, great attentive staff and memories – the old ones and the new ones in the making.

3. Lennans Yard Restaurant on Dawson Street – it is a relatively new venue on a Dublin City scene. We stumbled upon it after the ‘green book’ appointment just after midnight and stayed for a drink. It was so cute, quirky and well run. It was a quick decision. Amanda was an absolute gem and made the booking so easy! Again – no special decoration needed. Restaurant room has such a fab architecture and is so cozy and cute that it is all what’s needed. We moved down to the Stables after dinner for drinks, chats and music. It was magical!

4. Flowers – Absolutely Fabulous Flowers in Celbridge. This is our go to place for flowers for over 10 years now. Everyone commented on the bouquet. And all the credit goes to the ABF because my request was – can we get autumn flowers since it is October with some navy in it.

5. Make up/hair – Ellen #5 Celbridge. It is my one stop shop for all things beauty for years now and I trusted them wholeheartedly with the whole Miss Congeniality job to make me look and feel like a bride.

6. Celebrant – Moya Corcoran – absolute gem. She has made that day all about us and our 15 year relationship. Planning was effortless and the delivery was so warm and personable. Moya made sure this ceremony reflects entirely.

5 Who captured your day? Tell us about the photography and why you choose this person, what where they like to work with and if you’re please with your results.

When we contacted Moya in April about the ceremony on 17th October and mentioned that we don’t have anything booked – she gasped! She said straight away – photography is so important and you need to hurry! Few days later she sent us a couple of Instagram links. First one we looked at was Dena’s. We absolutely loved how ‘real’ the photos looked. After a few Whatsap chats and a zoom call we knew Dena is the one. I could copy my google review here but all I am gonna say is – we are close two 3 months in since the wedding and we still look at these photos, laugh out loud or awe over them. Absolutely stunning and so so so us!We didn’t have a videographer and no regrets!

6 What did you wear?

Here please tell us about the suit and wedding wardrobe – name and designer and where you got it from. Why did you choose your wardrobes and what you loved about it. Also lease provide details of the grooms suit and where this was from and if by any designer and what style/colour.

No frills approach spread to the wedding wardrobe choices.. Ian wore a simple navy blue suit with a grey woolen waistcoat Peaky Blinders style. My dress came from the internet, Unique Vintage website. It was 100% cotton, ivory/off white, off the shoulders swing dress. To add some colour I got the fluffy navy petticoat – also on the internet. My local alterations lady Erika, brought some navy satin ribbon from Venice to make a belt and some add ons. It worked out pretty well in the end. I wore navy blue vintage wedges with it which allowed me to walk all around the city for the day.

Bride spinning around at the front balcony of Dublin City Hall

Couple standing outside old entrance of central bank

7 What was your favourite moment from the day? You can both include your favourite moment or moments from the day and any cute/funny memories.

Anna – So much happened during that day and it was all so emotional and fabulous that its very difficult to pinpoint a favourite moment. A quiet pint of Guinness in Hogans is definitely up there though. Best gift from the photographer – 20 min of just the two of us talking about the ceremony and how the day went so far.. the laughs we had! In general the photo session on the streets of Dublin was class – my vanity surprises me! But also the exit song.. Rose Tattoo by Dropkick Murphys – class! Ian- walk from the Morgan Hotel in Temple Bar to the Dublin City Hall, the excitement!