By far, the coolest couple so far this year goes to Jennifer and Scott. When their gallery came in I was blown away on so many levels: that dress, that castle (!), all the cool little details… the cake topper! (love!) Jennifer and Scott came to us looking to secretly elope to Ireland. “We both love to travel and have always wanted to go to Ireland. We knew this setting was perfect as it holds so much romance with the beautiful rolling hills, often misty weather, and of course… sheep!” says Jennifer.  The original vision was to get married at Kells Priory, but that ruin isn’t available for ceremonies (make sure to check with Waterlily Weddings on a full list of available ruin venues available for your dream elopement or wedding!). Ballybur quickly rose to the top of the list, checking off all the boxes for the quintessential, dreamy winter Irish elopement Jennifer and Scott were looking for.

“We had a very smooth planning process,” says Jennifer. “The only things that were very small bumps in the road were balancing planning from another country with school (I’m in school full time to be a family nurse practitioner) and work, as well as keeping the whole thing secret!  Everyone at Waterlily Weddings was so supportive and so helpful…it made everything easy!”  For us, it was hard not to get excited about a castle elopement! Jennifer and Scott’s details, personal style, and mostly their absolute embracing of the day and the culture led to a spectacular elopement in Kilkenny. And there to capture the day so perfectly, JAM Shoots Photography.

Irish ruins. Something blue. Medieval villages and Irish pubs….Jennifer and Scott’s elopement was planned to perfection, taking in all of the cultural and quintessential icons that makes Ireland so unique.  We love their sense of adventure and how they embraced the entire day.  The pictures speak for themselves.

We are so thrilled and excited to share with you this week Jennifer and Scott’s secret elopement to Ballybur Castle and Kilkenny. This, is their story…

The Perfect Day

Jennifer and Scott stayed on separate floors of the castle so they could surprise each other later. Scott woke up early that morning, so excited, and spent some time just double checking everything, lighting the fireplaces, and being super careful not to accidentally come across Jen too soon (who, in her own right, was busy being pampered by hair and makeup in the bridal suite of the castle and listening to Taylor Swift). “I was completely at ease and stress-free,” says Jennifer, “thinking about how lucky I was to be in such an amazing setting with such an amazing person and how I was so ready for the day to begin!”

The Details

The ceremony was a mix of traditional vows and personal ones Jennifer and Scott recited to one another, all within the picturesque coziness of the castle.  “I am a non-denominational Christian in my faith, so some tradition was important to me,” says Jennifer.  “Scott isn’t necessarily defined in his religion, but is very respectful of my faith, so it was great to incorporate that with our own personal vows to make it unique.”  Wanting to embrace the culture and a nod to their shared heritage, a little bit of Irish tradition was also weaved in with an Irish blessing and hand-fasting ceremony.  Weaving in a little bit of tradition with the garter removal and first dance helped to tick the boxes.  Right after the ceremony, they enjoyed a white chocolate biscuit cake with white chocolate frosting.  We love how Jennifer and Scott incorporated a sense of humor and personal details into the details:  the cake had a tinder embellishment (as a nod to where they met) and they cut the cake with a “cakechete” — ended up being a great choice to cut through the biscuits! Instead of champagne they enjoyed an ice wine toast, a nod to one of their first vacations in Niagara Falls. They continued the Irish style celebration after pub hopping with their photographer throughout Kilkenny.   “We wanted to just focus on having fun, which is exactly what we did!” says Jennifer.

Some special details of the day included custom Star Wars Lego ring holders, “team SJM” bridal robe, and of course, the custom cake topper — LOVE their sense of humor and vibe! Just love.  The blue jacket, the flower crown, the Star Wars details as a nod to their favorite movies…. every little detail was well thought out and really worked both in theme and color.  Everything is uniquely them and really worked together to create a unique, bespoke elopement in a stunning setting.

Our Favorite Parts

“The most emotional part of the day for me was when I read my personal vows…I barely held it together,” says Jennifer. For Scott, it was seeing his bride walk in the room.  The absolutely stunning pictures at the ruins were one of their favorite parts (and ours!) of the day. “The ceremony was incredible. Cutting the cake was hilarious. Chasing sheep was epic. Riding around in our vintage car was awesome.”  Jennifer loved getting ready in the morning in particular: “I could hear Scott all over the castle talking to vendors and setting this up, but we couldn’t see each other; he would drop things off at my door that I needed and then text me when he was out of sight…it was fun.”

Any Advice?

“Make sure to remember to keep the day about yourselves. Weddings can turn into such productions and takes away from what the day should really be about.  Eloping was perfect for us because we could really make the day about us and focus on each other.”

 

Congratulations Jennifer and Scott! It was a real pleasure blogging your gorgeous elopement and I know your day will inspire others to embrace making the right decision for themselves and making sure to include all the little details that make their story unique.  PS I love that jacket!!

We wish you both a lifetime of continued happiness and adventure!

For  more details on this elopement and a list of vendors who made it happen, contact us today!