We are so excited to celebrate with you! We wanted to provide some info about the flow of the weekend, especially for all those traveling far distances to be here for our big day. We can't thank you enough for all your love and support. See you in June (and hopefully before)! -Colleen & John

About the wedding events

Friday: We'll host a casual welcome reception with drinks and traditional Irish music. It will run from about 8-10:30pm and is of course optional. This is simply a chance for us to hug everyone hello and for you to enjoy some pre wedding frosty pints and belly laughs.

Saturday: The ceremony will be at 3pm in the walled garden if weather permits. It will be on grass so plan accordingly! In the event of rain, we'll get married in Hunter's Yard.

Following the ceremony, we'll have a cocktail reception followed by dinner and dancing. Irish weddings have both a band AND a DJ! In the late night DJ set, that's where we will Rock the Boat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8LRi1NlK0c) to make all your Derry Girls dreams come true. We will have coffee and tea available all day and night keep you going!

The wedding will officially end at 2am and then we can retire to the hotel residents' bar. To our US guests, we believe in your ability to represent the country well and to stay up past midnight. ;) We know we can count on all the Irish guests to be there. But of course if you are tired and jet lagged, feel free to slip aways when it's time to rest.

Sunday: The Irish Day Two. This is a staple of Irish weddings where the bride and groom can let loose with their nearest and dearest in a more casual setting. Join us for finger food and music where we can relive all all the shenanigans from the night before. This will be in Kilkenny proper.

What to expect at an Irish wedding

Good craic (which means fun)! Weddings here are marathons, not sprints. On Saturday, the ceremony will start at 3pm and won't officially end for about 12 hours. So pace yourselves! Especially since we plan to do it all again Sunday for those of you that can join our Day Two pub celebration.

Dress code

Some guests have asked what cocktail means. Clearly dress code terms vary by continent. It just means normal wedding clothes. The wedding is not formal or black tie. But wear a gown if you want! Anything goes. We honestly don't care if if you come in Converse. Whatever you are comfortable in and want to wear is fine by us.

Transportation

We will provide transportation to/from Mount Juliet and Kilkenny on Saturday and Sunday.

For the wedding on Saturday, the bus will depart Kilkenny at 2pm to bring guests to Mount Juliet. Return trips to Kilkenny will be available at 11pm, 12:30am, and 3am.

On Sunday, a bus will bring those staying at Mount Juliet to Kyteler's Inn at 1:30pm, and will be on hand for a return trip around 8pm.

These times are all subject to change as we are still finalizing details. We'll update the timetable as we get closer to the wedding so please check back.

A note about the bar

We love you all, but there is no way we can afford a 12 hour bar tab. :) Weddings in Ireland are always cash bar. Our wedding will be a hybrid with some open bar, but please note that at times drinks will need to be purchased.

Dietary restrictions

There will be vegetarian and vegan dinner options available upon request. For other dietary restrictions or allergies, please try to let Colleen or John know in advance so we can alert the hotel.