Paul English and Rachel Cohen's grand wedding at an Irish five star resort was the stuff of fairy tales

Boston Globe

2 days ago

Rachel
does
remember Paul's 'power pose': arms crossed with a slight lean forward.
Paul is the founder of
career path working for
luxury brands, which, to a guy who wears 'sweatshirts and T-shirts,' was intriguing, he says.
On Friday, guests were able to explore the grounds of the 840-acre estate — visiting the falconry and taking carriage rides before the welcome dinner. Most stayed on site for the wedding weekend.
Christina Brosnan
They matched in November 2019. Rachel, then 31 and a Miami native living in New York
then 31,
was surprised that the app had connected her with someone outside of her set dating preferences. (She and Paul have a
20-year
age gap between them.) Still, when he asked her to dinner at
'She was like, '
Just go
— what else are you going to do?' says Rachel.
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At dinner, they were seated next to an Academy Award-nominated actor and an uber-famous fashion magazine editor with an equally famous bob.
'I was listening to him, but I'm also trying to listen to the conversation next to us,' remembers Rachel.
The Irish ceremony was not overtly religious, however, the pair incorporated a few Jewish traditions from Rachel's family, including a custom chuppah and breaking the glass. The couple also used Rachel's father's tallit during the ceremony.
Christina Brosnan
Paul, however, won her attention. Nerves and hesitations untangled over shared plates of pasta before they headed to a nearby jazz club called
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'It was something I didn't expect,' says Rachel, 'but it was such a great, fun, easy date.'
He said he had known the moment she stepped out of a taxi at the date's start that he wanted a second; 'but by the time we got to Groove, I
really
wanted to see her again."
His regular work trips from Boston to New York grew from a few days to long weekends during their budding romance. They took leisurely walks through the city during the day and went to hear live jazz at night, pausing for snacks and cocktails along the way.
A dozen strings musicians on pedestals lined the aisle, playing — a vision Rachel had when they first began to plan for their big day. Rachel's processional song was "Hallelujah."
Christina Brosnan
The Covid-19 pandemic, however, put those dates on hold. They talked daily, exchanging texts between meetings while they worked from their respective homes.
'It felt very quickly like Rachel was my best friend,' says Paul. 'We had only gone out a handful of times, and [then], it was nightly FaceTimes.'
When travel restrictions loosened, the relationship began to evolve. They introduced each other to close friends, and weekends together stretched into weekdays.
Guests were guided by a team of equestrians and hunting dogs to the next event following the cocktail hour.
Christina Brosnan
A turning point came around Rachel's birthday in 2022. Paul joined her on a trip to Florida to meet her family.
'It was one of those moments of 'What are we doing? Where do we want this to go?'' explains Rachel. 'Because it could either be like, we leave it as is... casual and just fun, or do we want to try to make this work?'
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Rachel had found herself falling for Paul's good humor and 'approach to humanity.' Both had been frequent daters before they met, and the contextual contrast, for Rachel, helped: 'When you meet people with substance, it's different,' she says. 'He felt like a different level — it drew me in.'
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In addition to a boots-on-the-ground planning team in Ireland, Rachel turned to Etsy, Canva, and her own graphic design skills to create personalized surprises for their guests — from a Paul-Rachel-themed Monopoly board that was left in the resort's sitting rooms to themed newspapers with information about the two and the weekend ahead.
Christina Brosnan
Paul loved Rachel's duality — her kindness, as well as, her professional ability to command a room and navigate different personalties. He remembers being impressed by her confidence when he overheard her running a meeting while they both worked from home. Her warmth won over his adult son and daughter from a previous marriage.
'[My kids] know she has my back... I think both my kids like how happy I am,' says Paul. 'It feels good to have a best friend and a partner who knows everything — the good, bad and ugly — and [is] still my rock."
By April 2023, Rachel had moved in with Paul in Boston, where they currently reside with their miniature Yorkshire terrier, Koko. While the couple calls the Seaport home base, they are largely unmoored, estimating they clock 100,000 travel miles each year.
The custom dance floor featured the pair's initials — however, it may have gone unnoticed once their band Brooklyn Soul got revelers out of their seats. Rachel gown is by designer Monique Lhuillier; Paul's tuxedo is by Pal Zileri.
Christina Brosnan
And after Paul proposed that September — moments before the 60th birthday party Rachel had planned for him at Warehouse XI in Somerville — their international mileage ramped up as they prepared for a wedding in Ireland.
The multi-day destination celebration took place at the 19th-century former manor home-turned-five-star golf resort named
They worked with Irish wedding planner
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American-born Irish dancers and social media stars The Gardiner Brothers were one of several acts that paid tribute to Irish culture throughout the weekend. The duo performed during dinner, but also "dance bombed" the couple during their reception entrance.
Christina Brosnan
The extravaganza kicked off Friday afternoon; the couple aimed to surprise and delight. A welcome party featured performers who wrote original poems, played the lira, and passed telegrams between guests. By evening, the manor Tack Room was transformed for live music, burlesque, and magic — and a tight five by Paul — before guests were sent to bed with late-night snacks delivered in custom boxes from 'Koko's pizzeria.' (One of the many custom elements Rachel had designed.)
They wed in the afternoon on April 26. While they had anticipated rain (it's Ireland), the ceremony took place under blue skies. The couple had legally tied the knot in a New York City Hall ceremony in January, but their April 'I do's were especially poignant, featuring vows they had written themselves.
'I wanted [our guests] to know what a good human Paul is — a good father, grandfather, partner, businessman,' says Rachel of her vows. 'I wanted people to see that it's more than just the one version that they know... or get to see."
The giant (inflatable) polar bear is a running joke for the couple who first saw a street artist wearing the costume while on a trip to Berlin, Germany. Rachel ordered a version of the costume as surprise at Paul's 60th birthday, where it hovered over the pair while he proposed. It would have been rude then not invite the bear to the wedding.
Christina Brosnan
Rachel's design directive for the black tie optional reception had been 'magical, secret garden.' In the manor's Grand Ballroom, floral overgrowth hung among crystal chandeliers, jewel-tone velvet draped the tables and stage, where TikTok-famous Irish dancers
newlyweds'
first dance was to Aerosmith's 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.'
F
ol
lowing t
he wedding, they stayed a few more blissful days to explore the Emerald Isle.
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The memories were
plentiful
,
for Paul, the journey
will
always be his favorite part.
'When the flight attendant says, 'Please buckle your seatbelt,' I get really excited, because it means Rachel and I are off to our next adventure.'
Read more from
, The Boston Globe's new weddings column.
Rachel Kim Raczka is a writer and editor in Boston. She can be reached at