Jordan and Ryan’s intimate wedding day was filled with lots of gorgeous details! From custom menus, wax seals, lush florals and ruby velvet bridesmaids dresses, the moody color palette featuring pops of burgundy and magenta, soft pinks and lots of Irish greens stole the show of the day, only to be eclipsed by Jordan and Ryan’s impeccable personal style.

Make sure to check out the insanely breathtaking portrait session blog post here and the full gallery and info at the end of the post below! Gorgeous florals by the uber-talented Anthesis and gorgeous photography by the immensely talented Paula O’Hara.

   

   

   

     

    

   

   

Jordan and Ryan were blessed with an incredible sunny day for their ceremony at the Cliffs! You can see how spectacular the scenery is and makes for an most memorable backdrop.  The choice to use bright and vibrant colors really worked well against the landscape. The ruby red bridesmaids dresses perfectly popped and colorful bouquets were a stunning accent. We also encourage couples to build in enough time to really explore the terrain with your photographer for the portrait shots: you can see the variety of topography, colors, textures can produce a variety of incredible shots! Don’t worry — your guests will enjoy spending some time up here in this majestic location and exploring a bit on their own as well! 

   

     

   

   

   

   

After finishing up sunset photos at the Cliffs, everyone gathered at Vaughn’s Pub for the reception. This rustic, quintessential Irish pub is located in the heart of Ireland’s music and cultural center. We continued the moodier color palette in the pub and everyone danced the night away after feasting on fresh local traditional fare. 

   

   

   

   

   

How They Met

Jordan and Ryan met back in their freshman year of high school, part of a large group of mutual friends. “Jordan was shy and nerdy as she made all honors in every class,” recalls Ryan, “while I thought I was the funny one who was too cool for school.” Their mutual love of a good sense of humor and shared passion for soccer carried them through high school until they parted ways for university — University of North Texas for Jordan and University of Kentucky for Ryan — where they continued their soccer careers. Staying friends throughout the years, they finally decided to give dating a shot their sophomore year. Ryan popped the question six years later at Glacier National Park and Jordan said yes!

A Destination Wedding in Ireland

“Ryan and I both love to travel and have new experiences,” says Jordan. They both wanted a small, intimate wedding from the get go, so combining that with their love of travel made hosting a destination wedding an easy choice. “We wanted a location where we could see ourselves returnign to for big anniversaries, someplace we would eventually take our kids too.  After seeing Waterlily Wedding’s portfolio, we decided Ireland would be that very special place for us!”

The exact location was a bit of a tougher choice, as Ireland is spoiled for breathtaking venues and settings throughout the island. After a search, Jordan and Ryan chose the Cliffs of Moher. “We wanted a spectacular backdrop and what is more iconic than the Cliffs of Moher!”

The Details

In true Irish style, the days leading up to the wedding were douses in rain, threatening the planned outdoor ceremony at the cliffs. But as is the luck in Ireland, the morning of their wedding, the clouds literally parted and a brilliant sun shone through! The ceremony took place right at the cliffs, glistening ocean in background and majestic cliffs in their full green glory serving as backdrop. They created a bespoke traditional ceremony that included some Irish traditions like the handfasting and two readings that spoke to them as a couple.

The reception took place at a local pub (one of our favorites as you can see!). The theme was moody botanical with a hint of rustic.  Lots of gorgeous botanical floral notes including bright magenta poppies and soft green moss, fresh fruits, and lots of texture perfectly played against the rustic space of the pub. A menu inspired by local fare fed their bellies while everyone quenched their thirst with the freshest pints of Guinness. Two cakes served as dessert — one with lemon and raspberry filling and one with chocolate and cappuccino mouse.

Some of the guests retired after dinner while the rest of the bridal party went into town for some local Irish music and dancing while Ryan and Jordan took some gorgeous romantic sunset photos with their photographer, Paula. They then joined in the revelry in town.

Apart from the gorgeous looks Ryan and Jordan had that day to the glorious floral talents of Juliana at Anthesis, we were blown away by one particular thoughtful detail Jordan and Ryan included in their day. “We had traditional Irish chain quilts in our wedding colors made for our moms as our gift to them. We used a local quilter in Dublin and they turned out amazing!”

Favorite Moments

“The amazing thing about having a small wedding is that I really got to spend quality time with everybody and those little moments with family, friends, and each other. The entire day was a dream. From how seamlessly the day went with Orla’s help to Paula being the incredible photographer and human that she is, to the reception…. we wish we could relive it all over again.”

A Piece of Advice

“Don’t over think it. The best moments are the ones that you never plan. We didn’t plan to end our reception early; but we did and got to take advantage of an impromptu sunset photo shoot at the cliffs!

Waterlily Weddings truly transformed our vision into a reality. They incorporated the important details that I wanted but also filled in the gaps seamlessly when there were things that I didn’t even realize needed attention.  The day was seriously a dream and I owe it all to Waterlily Weddings.”

 

Ryan & Jordan — congratulations on a gorgeous wedding day and no doubt, the future is as bright as the sun shone on your day for you both.  We welcome you to Ireland a thousand times over.