A Temperley London Gown For A Natural, Low-Key, Laid Back, Rustic Style Wedding Under The Trees

I've already featured one of my top five bridal wear designers on Love My Dress today, now it's turn to feature another.  Megan, a professional cellist and Brian, a headchef/restaurateur, tied the knot on 20th August this year. The whole laid back, chilled out nature of this wedding is heart-warming – you wouldn't guess that much of it was planned and organised in the month leading up to the day itself, and Megan looks just perfect in her 'Amoret' gown by Temperley London, which she purchased from Little White Dress in Castleknock (Dublin).

The couple's wedding ceremony had a beautiful, rustic, organic feel to it, taking place outdoor and under the trees at Ballyvolane House in Castlelyons, Fermoy, County Cork…

"Ballyvolane House is just incredibly beautiful, and I loved the idea of getting married outside under the trees, so took that as my main inspiration. The trees were our backdrop, unfussy and natural. Neither of us are very glitzy people – we just wanted a simple, classy, elegant day, and Ballyvolane was exactly that. Pinterest was enormously helpful with choosing my dress, the girls dresses, my shoes, and flowers."

Photography Copyright (c) 2013, This Modern Love

Temperley London wedding dress

"Brian and I met in a pub in Dundrum, where I am from. I had just come home from travelling in Australia and Japan, and met up with an old friend in the new bar that had opened. Brian was at a house warming nearby and turned up at the bar later that night, and he caught my eye, with his handsomeness and alternative look (lip ring, beard and long hair)! I was a bit alternative myself after backpacking, and it turned out he had been travelling too.

It wasn’t until later that night though that we met, on the dance-floor, which is somewhat unusual for both of us! His friends then didn’t see him for the rest of the night, and he ended up in a lock in with me, my friend and the owner of the bar, plus a few others too, which was good craic. I went on holidays the next day for a week and when I came home we organised to meet up, and we went on our first date to Kehoe's in Dublin City, where we sat drinking Guinness and chatting all night.

Brian lived on Duke Street, one street over from me, so we tended to always meet in Kehoe's at the beginning of our relationship. My friend met her partner the same night at the pub, and its mad to think we are both still with them seven years later, them with 3 kids now – it's quite some story!"

Temperley London wedding dress

"We only got engaged at the end of march this year, in Kehoe's where we had our first dates! Brian and I were walking around town looking in bookshops for books on foraging, or so I thought. Little did I know it was all a ruse. I was really helping him, and wondering why he was being so lazy about it when we had gone in specifically for that reason! I found him two, and he bought them and off we went.

We were walking by Kehoe's, and he pulled me inside, said he felt like a Guinness; it is not unusual for us to grab a mid-afternoon pint occasionally on our day off, with a cheeky toasted sandwich. So I thought nothing of it. But he started acting a little odd, and talking very seriously, and I realised what he was doing!"

Temperley London wedding dress

"I'm pretty shy, so I started shrinking in my seat, and worrying that people could hear!! Eventually he got it out, and I was giggling nervously, as though I'd only just met him. After a while I realised I hadn't said yes, and promptly reassured him that of course I wanted to. Surreal moment!"

Temperley London wedding dress

"My Mum wasn’t well, so we decided that we wanted to have a short engagement, and got to planning our wedding, hoping we could do it in July, only three and a half months later, but that didn’t work out and we got our date of 20th August instead, leaving us four and a half months to plan  everything. 

Sadly, my Mum passed away at the end of May, which was so unexpected, and so shocking. She had been really excited about the wedding, and had chosen my dress with me, which made it extra special. But she declined so rapidly, it left us all reeling."

Temperley London wedding dress

"All plans shut down, and we were about to cancel six weeks later, but with a lot of encouragement from family and friends, we decided to go ahead, as Mum would have wanted us to, and it somehow felt wrong to cancel, as though it was letting a part of her go.

It gave us all something to work towards, and focus on, but I have to admit, it was really very very hard, and I only started looking for bridesmaid dresses, shoes, flowers etc in mid july, one month before the wedding. So it was a little stressful, but I did it.  Keeping it simple, and not worrying about too many details was the only way to manage."

Temperley London wedding dress

"Our number one venue! Ballyvolane House is in Castlelyons, Fermoy, County Cork.  We chose it as the grounds, house, and wedding tent/rustic barn were everything we wanted for a wedding. A garden party/festival vibe, with friends glamping in the gardens in tipi's. It just had a really relaxed feeling, but extremely professional at the same time.

Food was also very important to us with Brian being a chef, so when we went down one night to try it out, we were blown away and knew it was the right place for us. The owners, Justin and Jenny Green, are incredible at what they do."

Temperley London wedding dress

"I'd been to two shops before Little White Dress, just to try on different styles, and i didn't really enjoy the experience. I'm not a girl who dreamed of getting married, or was one to get excited about all the stuff leading up to a wedding, i just wanted to be Brian's wife, and keep it low-key.

The dresses I had tried on didn't feel like me, they were too structured, or backless (which was the style in vogue this year). I can't go braless, but wanted a bohemian vibe, and when I saw the Temperley London 'Amoret' dress on Pinterest, I knew it was for me, and when i realized there was a shop in ireland who sold it, I was so relieved! The minute I tried it on I knew that was it. My mum adored it too, so it was extra special"

Temperley London wedding dress

"My dress was classy, feminine, elegant, non-structured, and very light, just perfect for a summer wedding. Obviously with the time frame I had, I couldn't order a bespoke dress, as they take seven months, and under my sad circumstances, the shop were extremely kind to sell me the dress off the rail, and it was only a week old. They put me in touch with a fantastic dress alterer, who took it in and did an amazing job. I was really very lucky."

"My shoes were Badgley Mischka's 'Naomi' T-Bar wedge sandals (purchased online from America."

Temperley London wedding dress

"My Dad walked me down the aisle, which he only realised at the very last minute. I had forgotten to tell him! Initially I had thought myself and Brian would walk up together at the start, but Brian decided he wanted to be driven in the Ballyvolane Landrover with his groomsmen to the ceremony site, and see me walk up the aisle. I'm glad we did it that way in the end, and it was nice for Dad too, even though both of us aren't that comfortable with all eyes on us!"

Temperley London wedding dress

"I had thought to fore-go all the traditional wedding things, like bridesmaids, being given away, the first dance, etc, but I had four bridesmaids (people who know me might think that odd, as I'm not a gaggle of girlfriends kind of girl), and I really loved having them there in the morning getting ready, keeping a smile on my face. In the circumstances, it was a sad day, as well as happy, and I needed all the love and friendship I could get that day, and they supplied it to no end. So the morning was memorable, but the BEST moment was getting to the top of the 'aisle' and seeing the look on Brian's face when he saw me.  I too was in awe of him, he looked amazing! The whole ceremony was full of love, giggles and good vibes from everyone around us. I could feel it filling us up, and i gathered enormous strength from it."

Temperley London wedding dress

"The readings were important in that they represented us and our relationship.  Most people seem to have the same ones these days so we were pleased that we hadn't heard ours at a wedding before. One wasn’t a proper reading, it was something I found on Pinterest and changed the wording a bit to turn it into a reading. The main one was 'Union', by Robert Fulghum, which suited us well, and had a lovely sentiment."

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

"My bridesmaids wore dresses from Monsoon andMarks & Spencer nude shoes.  I bought each of the girls the 'Grace Kelly Drop' necklaces, and they wore their own earrings. I wanted to keep it really simple."  

Temperley London wedding dress

"Our menus and table plans were printed by Ballyvolane Housee themselves, which was fantastic. We didn’t have ceremony booklets, just kept it all simple and low-key."

Temperley London wedding dress

"Our photographer was Tim from This Modern LoveHe was our number one choice, for his documentary/alternative style. We thought he would best fit us, and he was absolutely amazing. We love our pictures, and that they aren't typically weddingy. He was really easy to work with, and we barely noticed him running around quietly taking pictures. Just brilliant, and highly recommended. His lovely wife Claire, behind the scenes, was fantastic to work with too."    

Temperley London wedding dress


Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

"My friend made gorgeous bunting with Megan and Brian written on it. We hung it up in the dining area, and it looked perfect. We also had a big poster of our instagram photos in a frame, and we put that on a table with our guest book, a Dr Seuss saying in a frame and our massive chocolate wedding cake. We didn’t need to do too much to the place, as Ballyvolane have the place styled the way we like it anyway, with lanterns, and beautiful table settings, which made life pretty easy for us. Mary's flowers were so beautiful, they dressed the place perfectly too."    

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Temperley London wedding dress

Words of Wedded Wisdom…

"I would say not to get bogged down by too many details, keep it simple, and fuss free as much as possible.  Everyone always says it, but it really is true that the day goes by so fast. I was worried that I didn't get to talk to everyone, but people understand it's hard, so don't stress about it afterwards. Book a fabulous honeymoon, because you deserve it after all the wedding planning, and you really need that time as couple to unwind. I can't stress that enough!

On reflection, I would have tried not to get so stressed the week leading up to it, but I'm not sure thats avoidable for anyone. I kept thinking I had forgotten something, but of course everything was done. I had been pretty laid back about all the details, and then panicked towards the end that I had been too laid back, and should have done more!! You sort of feel pressured to do more when looking at weddings online, especially american weddings. Keep it about you, you want people to say that your wedding is a perfect representation of you as a couple."

Temperley London wedding dress

Such an incredibly elegant day – just what we adore here at Love My Dress. Huge thanks to photographer Tim at This Modern Love for sharing these really beautiful images – are they tempting any of you brides to go and try on some Temperley London wedding dresses ?  We would love to hear from you if so.

If you love this style of wedding, you can explore more outdoor wedding style on Love My Dress here.  And you can be as inspired as Megan by the amazing Pinterest by exploring our own Pinterest boards right here.

Megan, I'm pretty sure your Mum will be so happy right now, thank you with all our hearts for sharing your beautiful wedding day story with us and huge congratulations to you and Brian.

All my love,

Annabel

Heart

Photographer – This Modern Love
Venue + Catering – Ballyvolane House, Castlelyons, Fermoy, Co Cork
Brides Dress – Temperley London 'Amoret' dress from Little White Dress in Castleknock (Dublin)
Brides Hair piece – fresh Gypsophila
Brides' shoes – Badgley Mischka's 'Naomi' T-Bar wedge sandals (purchased online from America
Grooms Suit – Louis Copeland + Ecco 'Dixon' in Walnut + Mrs Bow Tie bow tie & pocket square
Bridesmaids – The Monsoon Daisy Dress + Marks & Spencer nude shoes  
Florist – Mary O'Gara
Cake – Brian's brother, Paul
Entertainment – Doug Sheridan for the ceremony and Smash Hits for after dinner  
Rings - Delphi Antiques + The Wedding Ring Shop
Hair Stylist – Upstyle Junkie (Audrey Cashman)
Make-up Artist – Ruthanna Crowley (email [email protected]

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Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

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