She Noticed His Smile From Across the Street: Molly & Garrett's Wedding at Ashford Castle
- Author: Natali Grace Levine
- Wedding date: 04/18/2026
- City: Galway
Love Story
“Garrett, however, has a different version of events - he’s convinced that my friends and I followed him and his friends into Raleigh’s (definitely not!!).”
Molly had recently moved back from Ireland, where she completed her degree in Law and Psychology at the University of Limerick. Garrett was finishing his senior year at Berkeley, studying Law and Media. They were both at Raleigh’s Pub, a local institution just off campus, on the same night. Molly noticed Garrett’s smile from across the street a few hours earlier and never imagined he’d walk up to her later that night. Garrett has his own version of how it unfolded, which Molly finds both incorrect and endearing.
She had just come out of a long-term relationship and wasn’t looking for anything serious. A few weeks in, she called her mom and told her how perfect he was, insisting she’d promised herself to stay single for at least a year. Her mom’s response was simple: “Why don’t you just give him a chance and see how it goes?” And now they’re married.
A defining moment came in November 2023, about a year into their relationship, with the loss of Molly’s brother Charlie. Garrett showed up in ways she never imagined - cooking their entire Thanksgiving dinner and flying over 6,000 miles between California and New Hampshire to support the family, all while serving as captain of the UC Berkeley Men’s Water Polo Team. “He was willing to give up everything he had worked for to be there for us.” They got engaged at Carmel Beach in October 2024, a place that holds deep meaning for Garrett’s family, whose home in Pebble Beach dates back three generations. A few hours later, both sets of parents met them at The Lodge at Pebble Beach for dinner, where they opened a bottle of Dunn Vineyards 2000 that Garrett’s dad had bought the day he was born, saving it for exactly this kind of moment.
About Your Wedding
“What mattered most to us was that our love story stayed at the center of everything.” One hundred guests. Three days. A castle in Co. Mayo that Molly and Garrett had promised themselves they would marry in - a promise made on a post-graduation trip in 2023, before they were engaged. They had spent a weekend at Ashford with a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary, who gave them advice on a long and happy marriage.
The aesthetic drew deeply from Dior - specifically from Jonathan Anderson’s takeover of the house, with its clovers, Lady Dior stitching, delicate florals, and ladybugs. Lily of the valley, Dior’s favorite flower, appeared throughout. The Lady Dior stitching pattern inspired the dance floor. Molly’s parents’ 1998 wedding provided another thread of inspiration - the same Claddagh they used in their stationery was woven into Molly and Garrett’s, and the same model wedding car, a 1958 Silver Cloud Rolls-Royce, was tracked down as a nod to the love story that came before theirs.
Throughout the weekend, honoring Charlie was quietly and intentionally woven into everything. A custom ice cream sundae built around his favorite toppings. Baby Guinness shots were served with dessert, so everyone could toast to him together. Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” - one of his favorites - was dedicated during the ceremony. “So much of our planning included moments where we said, ‘Charlie would have loved this.’”
Morning Details
Shauna Lawlor and Sarah Dineen, Molly’s hair and makeup team, became more than vendors across the weekend - they held her hands before she walked down the aisle, kept her laughing, and brought a calm only the right people can produce. On the morning of the wedding, Emma from Bruce Russell surprised Molly with a tiny ladybug figurine, knowing she associates ladybugs with Charlie. It meant everything - “although I’ll never forgive her for making me cry that early in the day!” The stationery and family crest, designed by Angela Desvaux, carried the full weight of their story: California poppies and the Berkeley bear for where they grew up, the Berkeley book for where they met and Garrett’s family’s four-generation connection to the university, a harp and Claddagh for Molly’s Irish heritage, daffodils for both their grandmothers, and angel wings for Charlie - “Charlie’s Angels,” as the family always says.
Bride Getting Ready
“The moment I tried on my dress, I just knew. My mom knew too - and at that exact moment, two little girls walked by and waved at me. It felt like a rom-com.”
The dress was Nicole + Felicia, found at Kinsley Couture in San Francisco. Molly had visited The Bridal Atelier in Limerick with friends shortly after getting engaged and confirmed she wanted a statement ballgown. But the actual moment of finding it happened with her mom beside her, in the way those moments tend to when the right dress walks into the room. Her approach to the rest of the weekend’s looks was equally decided: “why not?” She loves fashion, embraced every opportunity, and at one point paused to think about how proud her younger self would be.
Molly also prioritized Irish designers throughout. Mary O’Sullivan created a custom toile outfit reflecting both their stories - Berkeley, Limerick, Nancy Blake’s pub. Kimberly Tin from Maya Grisham customized the now-legendary Kerrygold bag with “Mrs. Dunn” and their wedding date, and made Molly a crystal Cosmopolitan bag for the rehearsal dinner that made her feel like she was in Sex and the City. Her mom wore a seafoam Vivienne Westwood. Her dad wore a tailored Brioni tux - a noticeable transformation from his usual casual look.
Groom Getting Ready
Garrett’s tuxedo was custom-made through J. Hilburn, with personal embroidery details that turned out perfectly - the kind of thing that sounds small until you see it in person and realize it made the whole look. He got ready with his closest friends, the same people who had been there through Berkeley, water polo, and everything that followed. There’s a specific quality to a groom’s morning when the man has known for a long time exactly who he’s about to marry - unhurried, certain, anticipating not the outcome but the moment of finally arriving at it.
Ceremony
The ceremony took place at Ballintubber Abbey, officiated by Father Charlie - who had told them at the rehearsal to simply feel everything, even if that meant laughing the whole time. That’s exactly what happened. The church was full of joy, full of laughter, full of people who had traveled from California and beyond to be in the room.
Molly had spent the night before the wedding apart from Garrett, which was harder than expected - she couldn’t sleep at all. “I just couldn’t wait to see him.” Walking down the aisle to Céline Dion, she teared up seeing him at the top. The moment she reached him and hugged him, everything shifted. “Garrett feels like home to me, so finally hugging him after all the nerves and anticipation was such an overwhelming sense of relief.” “I still tear up thinking about the look on his face - he looked so proud and so happy to be standing there.”
Her dad’s speech was another moment the room will not forget. Usually reserved, he spoke about Garrett in a way that left nobody dry-eyed. The entire room chanted “Johnny! Johnny!” before he started - a detail that made Molly so proud she could barely stand it. Music ran through the whole ceremony, from Céline Dion to Pink Floyd to Luke Combs, each song holding meaning for them as a couple or individually. “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd was dedicated to Charlie.
Photoshoot After The Ceremony
Just married, Ashford Castle, and a photographer who gave them a code word in case they needed a break. Michael from Story of Eve had both of them laughing within minutes - at one point he had Garrett in boxers, socks, and a dress shirt taking Vogue-style getting-ready photos, which set the tone for everything that followed. Neither Molly nor Garrett had been professionally photographed before and had been nervous about it. By the end of the weekend, it had become one of the easiest and most enjoyable parts of the entire three days.
Wedding Venue & Decor
They had looked at one other venue - Adare Manor - but there was no real competition once they arrived at Ashford on that post-graduation trip in 2023. Planning a full three-day castle buyout across multiple spaces, without a marquee or traditional ballroom, was no small logistical task. But that complexity is precisely what made the weekend feel the way it did. “The feeling we had the moment we arrived at Ashford was completely unmatched” - and moving from space to space throughout the castle felt effortless, almost like stepping into an 18th-century ball.
The staff were a significant part of it. From her very first visit in 2021, Molly felt like a VIP - not because of the wedding, but because that’s simply how Ashford treats everyone. Sharon, Gregory, Lisa, Shane, Robert, Tyler, Jack, Vicki - and Paddy, who has been at Ashford for over 50 years and brought holy water from Knock to their room to ensure good weather. “Where else in the world does that happen?!”
The palette was rooted in Dior - Lady Dior stitching on the dance floor, lily of the valley throughout, clovers and ladybugs woven into the details. Angela Desvaux’s crest appeared everywhere. Irish phrases sourced from historical research, historical prints and patterns tracked down by Angela, every detail carrying intention and a story behind it.
Couple's Advice
“Our biggest piece of advice would be to let Ashford Castle be Ashford Castle. It is one of the most extraordinary estates in the world, and its beauty speaks for itself. Rather than trying to transform the venue, we chose to lean into its timeless elegance, using our décor to complement and elevate the surroundings rather than compete with them. In many ways, the castle became the centerpiece of the celebration.
We would also encourage couples to embrace the estate experience beyond the wedding itself. Ashford offers so much to discover, and we intentionally created opportunities for our guests to immerse themselves in it - from falconry and archery to a private history tour of the grounds before our farewell celebration. Those moments were just as memorable as the wedding day itself and allowed our guests to experience the magic, heritage, and sense of place that make Ashford so exceptional.”
Reception
The first dance was to “Simply the Best” - a song Garrett had claimed as theirs a few weeks into dating, sitting in Molly’s Berkeley apartment drinking cosmos and listening to music. She had laughed and pointed out they weren’t even official yet. He was right anyway.
Food was a genuine priority across the whole weekend - they chose everything they actually love. A seafood bar on Friday night. Chef Liam Finnegan created deeply personal menus for the entire weekend, including a custom California-style sushi roll during cocktail hour that he said was his first ever. Multiple tastings to perfect the Cosmos and Old Fashioneds. And then, after the Sunday fireworks: “Dunndash.” Molly’s mother-in-law had been told for years that Molly, despite being jokingly named “Master Chef” in college, had never cooked a single meal - delivery drivers knew her by name. So she arranged a full late-night fast food setup: quesadillas, mac and cheese, burgers, milkshakes. “It was literally my dream.”
At 5am on their wedding night, Molly and Garrett jumped in the fountain - a tradition Robert from Ashford had told them about years earlier. It was freezing. Convincing the Californians took some effort. And in true Garrett fashion, the second he jumped in, he lost his wedding ring. The entire hotel spent the next morning searching for it - a friend literally in the fountain, staff tracking down a metal detector - until Keenan found it and cheers rang out from the gardens. “It was such a surreal moment, and one that could only have happened at Ashford.”
“We were so lucky to work with such a kind, fun, and genuinely caring wedding team.”
Wedding Team
- Photographer Story of Eve
- Venue Ashford Castle
- Wedding Planner Bruce Russell Events
- Videography @tynegate_films
- Content Creation @shannonsanderscc
- Portrait photography & prints @philipwhite.io
- Church @ballintubberabbey
- Pavilion Marquees @pavillionmarquees
- Entertainment @hightide____ @johnthornton732 @thebohemianstrings @roisinlily @tracygallaghermusic @themixtapeband @singerssecreto @dstringsirl @therisersband @thehitmachinerdrummers
- DJ @gordoj
- Hair @shaunalawlorhair
- Makeup @smomakeup
- Florists @shopthegarden
- Production @gorilla_design_ltd @cavs_ireland_
- Transportation @ashfordchauffeurservices @classicandexecutivecarhire
- Fireworks @rocketpyro.ie
- Miscellaneous @maisonavalon by @angedesveaux, @burkes_clonbur
- Guinness Printer @printmypint
- Dressing Services @tsbstyling
- Catering @caterhire.ie
- Total Event Rental @totaleventrental
- Cake Maker @brokenspooncakes
Are you sure you want to delete this project?
Cancel
Other Real Weddings
Montpellier
10/13/2026
Wedding
Bucharest
10/13/2026
Wedding
Nairobi
10/06/2026
Wedding
Lake Garda
10/02/2026
Wedding
New York City
09/28/2026
Wedding
New Orleans
09/24/2026
Wedding
Campi Salentina
09/22/2026
Wedding
Lake Como
09/18/2026
Wedding
Austin
09/15/2026
Wedding
London
09/11/2026
Wedding
Detroit
09/08/2026
Wedding
Los Cabos
09/06/2026
Wedding
Puerto Vallarta
09/04/2026
Wedding
Mexico City
09/01/2026
Wedding
Florence
08/25/2026
Wedding
Santorini
08/21/2026
Wedding
Show More
