Romantic castle — check! Gorgeous color palette — check! Beautiful good-looking couple with a fantastic energy and attention to details — check, check, check! We are so excited to share with you the epic wedding of Brittany and Nick this week! The “royal bohemian” theme was rich in a jewel tone color palette, punctuated with pops of meaningful personalization throughout the day. The emphasis was on having fun, enjoying beautiful Ireland, and creating a gorgeous document of the day that relives every impeccable detail down to the finest. Superb photography once again by the uber-talented Shane of Aspect Photography. And a real treat for you this week —  make sure to check out the wedding video at the end by Story of Eve! 

High school sweethearts

Brittany and Nick met back in high school and worked at the same restaurant together. Nick was smitten from the start, leaving Brittany flowers and sweet notes on her car but Brittany played coy.  As time passed, they grew apart. But eight years later they ran into each other at a club downtown and struck up a conversation. They dated for the next seven years before Nick popped the question in Paris, along the Seine with Eiffel Tower in backdrop. It was perfect.

Back to the beginning

When it came time to start planning, Nick spear-headed the efforts for a destination wedding. They wanted to share their love of travel with their family and friends, and Ireland held a special place in their hearts. “We picked Ireland because Ireland was the very first place that we traveled together,” recalls Brittany. “We fell in love with the people, the food, and the beautiful countryside…most of our guests hadn’t traveled internationally before so we wanted their first experience to be inviting and positive.”

Brittany and Nick had their hearts set on a castle wedding from the get-go. On their site visit Adare was actually closed for renovations so they were looking at booking with their second choice. As the clock ticked and it became decision time, Adare opened just in time and the breathtaking renovations exceeded their expectations. “We got a call from our planner Sile saying that Adare had re-opened and it was stunning. So we put our faith in our planner and booked it without even seeing it! It was the best decision we ever made!”

The Details

Brittany conceptualized the overall theme and vibe of the day, merging historic castles and Irish ruins with the elegance of the ballroom and gorgeous jewel tones in “royal glam with a flare of bohemian and vintage edge.”  She’s a systems engineer specializing in machine learning and AI, specifically in retail and literally wrote a book on the subject (wow!) and used her skills to effect when planning her day! We’re completely in love with the color palette showcasing bold romantic garnet and ruby tones with pops of amethyst, sapphire blue, and romantic ivory.  Lots of fresh greenery livened the space and accent of gold elevated the design. Brittany brought in the vintage tones in her look, including  her stunning RIVINI gown and custom hand-embroidered and beaded belt that served also as her “something Irish” being made by Magnificence Bridal based in Ireland! Girl – we love a good pair of shoes and her Choos were S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G. But our favorite part has to be her gorgeous Maria Elena headpiece, beautifully echoing the bohemian and regal vibe with Swarovski crystals. Nick looked every part the handsome prince. Their spiritual ceremony was heavily bespoke, an emphasis on their vows that took on the theme of equality and marriage as a partnership. Their son also played an integral part in the day, reading a poem called “An Uncommon Love” and being bearer of the unity candle.  Bringing in a touch of Irish tradition via handfasting rounded out the emotional, meaningful wedding ceremony that was beautifully decorated with florals expertly prepared by Frog Prince. One of our favorite details included how Brittany and Nick beautifully honored her late father: she had a locket holding a picture of him so she could have him close the whole day, and saved a special seat during the ceremony — the photo speaks for itself.

As the guests enjoyed cocktails (open bar!), Brittany and Nick toured the castle grounds with their photographer Shane. An insanely gorgeous portrait session at the monastic ruins on site created some of the most breathtaking images we’ve ever seen. Call to dinner opened the doors into a ballroom lit with glistening crystal chandeliers and a full pop of jewel tone colors. Guests were invited to “find their face” to find their place — a cute DIY personalization Brittany created herself.

A Piece of Advice

“Make sure to set aside some time for yourself on the day. For Nick, it was the moment he had to himself before the wedding in the Tack Room. Brittany echoes the sentiment, recalling her time getting ready and spending the morning with her bridesmaids. It’s a great reminder to set aside some time for yourselves on the day to zen in. Also enjoy the planning process — do your research, start early and do a little at a time. I make one big decision every month!”