Philip and Conor's Festive Nuptials at Hillsborough Castle

Jean Barrett Quinn
Dec 23, 2024
2 min read

In honour of their first wedding anniversary, I thought I would take a little walk down memory lane and share this beautiful wedding from December 2023 at Hillsborough Castle.

Philip and Conor chose to have a Humanist Wedding Ceremony because of its inclusivity and authenticity. It was essential that their ceremony celebrated their relationship and welcomed and celebrated all of their guests too. They believe that Humanism celebrates the diversity of people’s experiences and perspectives, and encourages kindness so that we can all make the most of our lives in the here and now.

Conor and Philip admitted that they did not like being the centre of attention, preferring to let others step into spotlight. They are intellectuals, deep thinkers and speak a tech language I may never understand, yet I am well versed in the universal language of love, a language in which everyone is included and celebrated. And so, this was simply a story of when a boy met a boy, became best friends, fell in love and chose to spend forever together.

It was imperative that Conor and Philip felt like their love, their story was validated, honoured and celebrated. They were mindful to include close friends who contributed to the ceremony. Their dear friend Roisin performed their signature song 'When the right one comes along' with her sister on harp. A familiar, favourite for many in the room yet the lyrics landed a little heavier considering the context.

"All that changes is only everything

When the right one comes along."

Philip and Conor shared;

"Going into this process we really weren't sure what we were looking for but I can now say without hesitation it was exactly you and everything that you did for us. You were able to bring out a part of ourselves that we didn't know we were capable of expressing, and we will be forever grateful that we were able to share that with our family and friends. Many of our guests asked us throughout the day if we knew you personally already because of how intimately you understood us and our story. We feel so proud to have been able to celebrate ourselves so wholeheartedly and we would not have been able to do that without you. Thank you for everything."