Today we are loving looking back on Claire and Andrew’s incredible spring wedding day!  It’s full of everything you want out of a dream destination wedding in Ireland:  gorgeous cathedral ceremony, romantic ruins, charming Irish countryside estate for your reception complete with cocktails and law games and lots of fun!  We helped Claire & Andrew conceptualize their day, creating a custom color palette featuring gorgeous magenta, fuschia, navy, and aubergine tones that really popped throughout the day! Floral artistry and decor by uber-talented Frog Prince and there to capture the day beautifully is Moat Hill Photography.  Make sure to scroll down for the slideshow and more details on how we helped bring this adorable couple’s vision to life!

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Returning Home

Claire and Andrew met on Valentine’s day at a part in college.  After some time dating, they got engaged about eight years later.  “Claire’s favorite place to visit is her family’s lake house,” recalls Andrew, “so one summer evening, we went out to the middle of the lake to watch the sunset. It was just the two of us, her dog, and a bottle of wine and I proposed. It was a quite, blissful moment we had all to ourselves.”  When it came time to plan the wedding, they knew a destination wedding in Ireland would be their only choice.  Claire’s family is actually from Ireland, and her parents grew up in Trim/Rathmolyon.  “Ireland has always held a special place in our hearts as it is still considered our home,” says Claire. They considered a variety of locations and venues in Ireland, but Bellinter House won the day for them.  “It was so close to the church my parents and grandparents got married in, made it all feel like the right choice. Sharing the local attractions that we grew up going to with friends and family was also very special.”

The Details

We helped Claire and Andrew plan their wedding, from details to styling to conceptualizing the overall vision and look for the day.  The overall theme was “vibrant summer countryside wedding.”  We wanted to create a fun and relaxed atmosphere that encouraged the guests to enjoy themselves and their surroundings.  We created a custom color palette around fuschia and magenta tones, rich royal navy, and gold. A palette of neutrals including ivory, blush, softer pink tones, and lots of greenery helped add dimension and draw out the bold colors even more.  Claire loves geodes, so we were super excited to use sliced agates in gorgeous bright blue colors as place cards for each guests — their names written in gold to draw that color in as well. We wanted every element to be beautiful and elegant, but have more of a relaxed formal feel so everyone could kick back and enjoy themselves. The seating chart, for example, was an interactive polaroid station! And we had plenty of lawn games on hand for the guests to enjoy during cocktail hour while Claire and Andrew took their gorgeous photos at the castle and ruins! But one of my favorite elements of the day has to be the gorgeous cathedral.  We didn’t need to do much as the church obviously speaks for itself.  We just added a few floral touches to help set the tone for the day and we love the Irish blessing unity candle!

Favorite Moments

“First look, riding in our beautiful antique car, the abbey photo shoot, seeing our reception hall just the two of us before dinner (it was lovely to see our entire vision come to life!), speeches, and dancing!”

A Piece of Advice

“Seek advice from professionals by hiring a wedding planner! They keep you on track schedule-wise and offer you trusted vendors to choose from based on your vision. There are so many moving parts and it can quickly become overwhelming. Also, hiring a venue exclusively makes the reception feel that much more intimate and you have much more control over how things are scheduled.”

 

Congratulations Claire and Andrew!!! It was so much fun planning your gorgeous day! We wish you many years of happiness and more trips “home” to Ireland!