Location. Location. Location. We cannot tell couples enough, that what will make or break your wedding day is the location you choose to host it in. Luckily in Ireland there are so many areas to choose from, you are guaranteed to find a space that absolutely speaks to your soul and instantly know it’s “the one.”  Such was the case with Katie and Jake and their June wedding in Dingle!

Katie and Jake met while working together for a communications firm in Washington, D.C. They became best friends and six years later finally started dating! All of their friends and family knew they were perfect for each other before they did, so when they made it official no one was surprised! They visited Ireland shortly after getting engaged and absolutely fell in love with the Dingle area. While walking around one day it suddenly hit them — right there in the  middle of the gorgeous Dingle peninsula — that this was the place they were meant to be married in. The area sort of chose them, rather than them choosing it. And they knew deep in their hearts the small, intimate wedding they always wanted needed to happen right here. They got in touch with us at Waterlily Weddings and we immediately went to work!

Taking careful note of everything they wanted, Ballintaggart House quickly became the obvious choice. Dating back 300 years, this rustic gem was originally a hunting lodge. Today the traditional courtyard is flanked by three large bedrooms, an open plan including full self-service kitchen with all modern amenities (including free wifi), providing the comfort of the modern world with old Irish country charm. But the best feature of this venue is the absolutely outstanding views:  the entire house was strategically designed to maximize the views of Dingle Bay, Skellig Rocks, and the Reeks. Together with only a 20 min scenic walk into town, it is no wonder Ballintaggart House was given a 4* Failte Ireland rating, and is one of our new favorite venues to work with in the Dingle area!  It is truly the best of both worlds: sea, countryside, history, and a sense of going back in time. A little bit off the beaten path of Dublin, but you’ll find the quiet adventurous side of Dingle may very well speak to your soul as well…

 

  

Katie and Jake’s wedding day started off a bit gloomy. The “Irish spring” was in full effect in the days leading up to the wedding day. On the plus the rain gave way to some serious green in the Dingle countryside, but on the minus it was endangering the outdoor ceremony Katie and Jake were looking forward to. As always, Ireland pulls through and 20 minutes before the start of the ceremony the clouds parted and the sun made his appearance, almost as if on cue.

They chose to hold their Catholic and Jewish inter-faith ceremony outdoors in the courtyard, delicately decorated with greenery and garlands to enhance the stonework just beautifully.  Katie wanted to keep the decor very simple, choosing to go with a timeless and elegant greenery and white color palette to compliment the many textures of Ballintaggart House and the surrounding area. The ceremony was very meaningful and personalized, including a combination of Catholic and Jewish readings to honor both faiths, and a very special touch included the same readings Jake’s parents used for their wedding 32 years ago! No destination wedding in Ireland is complete without a little Irish details. Dara — their celebrant —  worked in some Irish  marriage traditions within the ceremony including the handfasting. And for music, the uilleann pipes, flute, guitar and mandolin set the perfect tone.

A reception followed right in Ballintaggart:  guests were invited to drinks and canapes in the pub while Soul Purpose played jazz.  A delicious dinner followed that included  a goat cheese and pear salad, cream of fennel soup, choice of roast strip-loin of beef or hake, and ended with an amazing lemon curd tart. A final touch of sweetness included their wedding cake:  carrot cake with buttercream frosting (with hint of lemon) that also added a beautiful, rustic sweet note to the evening. Dancing and more drinks in the pub rounded out the celebrations until well into the morning hours, time that Katie and Jake will remember fondly.

Congratulations Katie and Jake! We are so delighted you chose Dingle for your dream destination wedding! We wish you both a life full of happiness, complete joy, many more adventures together, and more trips to Ireland!

For more on Katie and Jake’s wedding day, check out the slideshow below!

THE SHORTHAND

Venue: Ballintaggart House  ·   Celebrant: Dara Molloy   ·  Planning: Waterlily Weddings   ·  Photography:  Aspect Photography   ·  Flowers: Ann Marie O’Leary   ·  Cake: Selina Cakes   ·  Music: Arundo (reception); Soul Purpose (reception)   ·  Dress: Claire Pettibone   ·  Hair: Up Style  Junkie   ·  Makeup: Audrey Cashman   ·   Groom’s Suit: Brooks Brothers   ·  Transportation: Dualway Coaches Ltd; Auto Cabs

Best Part Of The Day: “The ceremony. It had been a long road of wedding planning (which our planners made pretty damn easy), but after months of talking about all these details, it was so emotional to finally be there, in the courtyard with the sun shining and the beautiful traditional Irish music playing, and all of our family and friends around us.”

Bride’s Piece of Advice: “Our wedding was so ‘us.’  While that sounds cliche, we were really focused on making sure this wedding was everything we wanted and that we didn’t let our families or friends make our choices for us. Planning an international wedding is challenging: you’re not in the same time zone, you can’t meet your vendors, you can’t taste the food, etc. There’s an inherent amount of trust you need to put in your wedding planners, and thankfully for us choosing Waterlily Weddings we were in THE BEST hands. As a result, we were able to have the wedding of our dreams and no regrets! ”