We were delighted to hear the happy news of the marriage of Olivia McDonnell (Class of 2013) to Joe Adcock (Old Ratcliffian) who were married on 28 March at the beautiful Mount Juliet Estate in County Kilkenny, Ireland.

The occasion brought together a remarkable number of Old Tridents, reflecting the strength of friendships formed during their time at Trent. In total, 16 Old Tridents were present to celebrate with the couple, with a further two who were unable to attend as they now live in New York.  

At the centre of the celebration was a friendship that began in Year 7!

Olivia and Freya Croisdale (Class of 2013) first met in the same tutor group and quickly became close friends. They remained in the same tutor group throughout main school and shared many of the same interests, including a love of Geography, which they both studied at A-level with fond memories of field trips to Wales and Yorkshire.

Their friendship continued long after leaving school. Following university, both found themselves living in south-west London, where they became part of each other’s adult lives, including meeting each other’s future husbands, both coincidentally named Joe!: “It was a real joy for Joe and I to witness Freya marry Joe Croisdale in 2023.”

Olivia and Joe’s wedding was planned by Freya, whose bespoke wedding planning and design business Freya Croisdale Weddings focuses on creating thoughtful and highly personalised celebrations. Freya’s sister, Sophie Crocker (Class of 2009), a Trent College Art Scholar, also played an important role by creating bespoke hand-painted wedding stationery for the couple.

Olivia met her husband Joe through another Old Trident connection when she was introduced to him by mutual friend James North at a local pub in Brixton.  Joe had become friends with James, and OT Joe Bonser when he met them whilst studying at Newcastle University.

Olivia told us: “There were immediate connections. We shared mutual friends, similar backgrounds and even Irish heritage, which made it easy to get along from the outset.”

When it came to planning their wedding, Olivia knew she wanted Freya involved in some capacity. By this point, Freya had launched her own wedding planning business and Olivia had already seen her creativity, attention to detail and passion for design firsthand: “I always knew Freya and her husband would be there to celebrate with us. However, having seen her natural eye for detail and her growing experience in the wedding industry, I asked if she would help us plan the day.”

Freya worked closely with Olivia and Joe throughout the planning process, helping with supplier research, logistics, communication and overall design. She created a concept inspired by the Irish countryside while ensuring the celebration felt modern, elegant and timeless. The couple chose Ireland as their wedding destination because of its personal significance: “With both of us having family in Ireland, it holds a special place in our lives, and we felt its warm hospitality would create the perfect setting for the day.”

They ultimately chose Mount Juliet Estate in County Kilkenny, which offered guests a chance to experience the best of Ireland while providing a beautiful setting for their celebrations. One of Olivia’s favourite memories from the planning process was travelling to Ireland with Freya to visit the venue and seeing her ideas begin to take shape: “She consistently thought of details we hadn’t even considered, always had a solution to hand, and never made anything feel like too much trouble.”

From bridesmaids and groomsmen to planners and family members, Old Tridents played a significant role throughout the day.

It’s wonderful to see how many of Olivia’s school friends played such important roles throughout the celebrations on the day itself: Younger brother Emmet McDonnell (Class of 2017) was Master of Ceremonies, Joe Bonser was one of the Groomsmen, while four of Olivia’s seven Bridesmaids, Storm Smith, Jenny Dickie, Kate Sotheran and Kate Walker are also friends from that special year group.

“Everyone used to say our year group was special because of how close everyone was, and I think this wedding is testament to that.”  (Freya Croisdale)

Olivia pictured with school friends: (LtoR Roisin Brown, Kate Walker, Alice Doleman, Eloise Frost,
Freya Croisdale, Storm Smith, Olivia McDonnell)

LtoR: Storm Smith, Alice Doleman, Freya Croisdale, Olivia McDonnell

Olivia shared her appreciation for the support she received throughout the planning process: “Joe and I had a fantastic day; it was beyond what we could have dreamed of and even more special that Freya helped us with all of the planning and design.”

“We truly could not have done it without her. It was incredibly special to have one of my oldest friends by our side throughout the entire journey, not only as our planner, but as a guest, sharing in the celebration itself.”

Also in attendance as guests, were James North, James Fisher, Chris Proctor, Edward McCrorie, Alex Bulter, Roisin Brown, Alice Doleman, Elodie Frost (all Class of 2013) and Hannah Smith (Class of 2015).

We are always thrilled to see Old Tridents supporting one another in such meaningful ways, and especially on such a personal special occasion.  We send our warmest congratulations to Olivia and Joe as they begin this new chapter together.

Family group LtoR: Malachy McDonnell (Father of the Bride), Olivia, Joe (Groom), Coral McDonnell (Mother of the Bride), Emmett McDonnell (brother/Master of Ceremonies)

Wedding party: Olivia Adcock (nee McDonnell) Bride. Storm Smith (bottom left). Jenny Dickie (front row centre). Joe Bonser (in front of Groom). Kate Sotheran (right of Groom). Kate Walker (top right)

Credit: Photography by Sarah Ellis, Weddings from Sarah

Read our Where are they now? feature: From Geography teacher to bespoke wedding and special events planning