A Dublin couple has become the first to be married in Bewley’s of Grafton Street – 20 years to the day after their first date in the iconic café.
A chance call led to the wedding of their dreams for Sarah Brittain and Luke Carton from Perrystown, who met as children when both of their families were adopting children from Romania.
“We really wanted to do something special for our wedding and we rang Bewley’s more in hope than expectation after a friend said they might go for it,” said Sarah, a social worker.
“We thought they might think we were nuts, but they said yes and within a short space of time the plans were being laid for the first Bewley’s wedding.”
The venue hosted the full ceremony and reception for 90 people upstairs in the cafe and such was the success of the event that Bewley’s are now taking bookings for further weddings and other private events at the historic venue.
And Sarah and Luke this week became the first people to experience afternoon tea at the Café.
“Bewley’s has always inspired the most magical stories – from their first date to our first wedding, we are thrilled that Sarah and Luke are the first to taste our afternoon tea experience,” said Bewley’s Café Managing Director, Cól Campbell.
Bewley’s first afternoon tea experience, featuring a lavish selection of savoury and sweet treats made in their in-house bakery, launched today and can be booked online at bewleys.com.
Sarah and Luke first met as children in the early 90s when both of their families were attempting to adopt Romanian children.
“My parents had seen the horrors of Ceausescu’s orphanages on TV and decided they wanted to adopt another child,” said Luke, an IT sales manager.
“Sarah’s mam ended up sitting beside my dad at the assessment, and both families became friends through the process, which took a few years.
“We were always the older kids at the special meet ups for families who had adopted. I was always looking out for Sarah, and eventually I plucked up the courage to ask her out.”
Luke was from the Navan Road and Sarah from Knocklyon, so the 18-year-olds agreed to meet on neutral ground in Bewley’s for their first date on June 15 2003.
“We each had a mocha which was a first for both of us. The place was buzzing, and it has been magical for us ever since,” said Sarah.
“Getting married here was a fantasy of ours, and it went like a dream. The whole staff got behind it and it was like we had another family putting on the day.
“The team at the Café took us through the whole process – from the most amazing food tasting through to fixing my dress on the day.
“The food was unbelievable – a lot of the guests said it was the best wedding food they ever had.”
The two children that the families adopted – Luke’s brother Aaron and Sarah’s sister Anna were witnesses at the wedding.
The couple were also walked down the aisle by their three children Harry (11), Ollie (7) and Milo (3).
Bewley’s Afternoon Tea Experience can be booked at bewleys.com.
Pic credit: Andres Proveda
