We have such a beautiful springtime wedding to share with you this fine Friday morning on our beautiful wedding blog, so please sit back and enjoy the wedding of Stephanie and Donal. The couple married on 20 May 2016 at their family church, the Church of the Ascension, Annahilt, County Down, Northern Ireland and held their reception at the magnificent Castle Leslie, Glaslough, County Monaghan, Ireland.
The couple wanted to create romantic, vintage-inspired day, with a touch of sparkle. You can enjoy it in this beautiful film by Hatch Wedding Films. As these images by Fraser Stewart show, Castle Leslie is absolutely magnificent. Stephanie and Donal decided to let its splendour shine through, adding a few touches of pink and gold to bring the day together.
“We didn’t really have a style; we both felt that the venue was so gorgeous that it spoke for itself. We did both want the colour scheme to be neutral with a little splash of blush and gold. I guess you could say we had a bit of a romantic vintage-style with a touch of sparkle.”
Film by Hatch Wedding Films
Stephanie set the tone for the reception in her Anna Campbell gown, chosen at Ivory and Pearl, Comber. It is such a charming, romantic style, combining a graceful soft skirt and pooling train with a scalloped design. It has a real feel of elegant glamour with its delightful beaded bodice and detailing.
“When I first got engaged I went on Pinterest and my first pin was the Anna Campbell Gisele Lace dress. I decided to investigate to see where I could buy it and started visiting a lot of bridal boutiques. Being a very indecisive person I really struggled with dress shopping.”
Photography by Fraser Stewart
“I knew I wanted something a bit different, with some back detail and a bit of embellishment (I actually bought a dress pretty soon after I got engaged and ended up not liking it).”
“With only a few months to spare I saw that Ivory and Pearl were the only stockists of Anna Campbell dresses in Northern Ireland and as soon as I saw it in reality I loved it. It was a very relaxed dress with beautiful vintage lace and embellished back detail. It was a bit unconventional as well and I really loved wearing it.”
“A few months after we got engaged I was in House of Fraser and spotted a pair of gold Dune shoes and bought them that day. They were so pretty and brought in the gold tones. For the evening I got another pair of block-heel nude Dune sandals to dance the night away.”
Stephanie designed her veil herself and ordered it online at The Wedding Veil Shop. It frames her face so beautifully, and adds to the soft and romantic look she aspired to. And how I wish I had Stephanie’s beautiful thick, blonde hair. She wisely chose her usual hairdresser to style her hair on the morning of the wedding. I love the idea of changing up the style during the day, which ensured that her beautiful gown was shown off.
“I got my veil made online at The Wedding Veil Shop. I went for a cream, two layer, chapel-length veil with pearl and crystal details.”
“I’ve had the same hairdresser for years so there was no way I could have gone to anyone else but Deborah McCarthy from Deborah McCarthy Hairdressing in Lisburn. Deborah used to work on shows like Game of Thrones and is great fun! One of my highlights was getting ready in her salon that morning. I wanted to look casual so I wore my hair down to begin the day and kept it quite vintage with loose waves. When I took my veil out we pinned my hair to the side to show off the back of the dress. By Kerri did my make up. She was lovely to have around on the morning of the wedding and did a great job. I didn’t get a chance to fix my make up during the day and was surprised that it had stayed on all day long.”
The embellished gown is so beautiful there was no need for many additional accessories. Stephanie found a cuff on Etsy which mirrored the detail of the dress, and added simple crystal earrings from House of Fraser.
Stephanie, who works in PR management, met Chartered Accountant Donal through work, and they became engaged two years after their first date.
“We started working for the same company in 2007 but didn’t really get to know each other until 2010. Although we met at work in Belfast we didn’t realise that we’d grown up only seven miles apart! After numerous work Christmas dinners, work parties and a lot of flirting, Donal asked me out for an ice-skating date in December 2012.”
Their romantic engagement is alluded to in the styling of their reception; it’s always so lovely to see thoughtful touches like this which make a wedding truly personal to the couple.
“We were in Central Park in New York and found a quiet spot down by the lake. I asked Donal for a bottle of water from his backpack and instead he gave handed me a big leather red book, (I still don’t know how he’d carried that heavy book around all day in 35 degree heat), the book contained photos of me as a baby right through to first dates, places we’d visited together and a photo of the engagement ring.”
“When I looked up Donal had the exact ring and asked me to marry him. We then met our friends in Greenwich Village and celebrated all night together! We wanted to enjoy being engaged and the planning process, so planned our wedding for May 2016 that gave us eighteen months.”
Stephanie was driven to the church with her dad in a Silvershadow Rolls Royce from I Do Wedding Cars, and walked down the aisle to the sound of Bruno Mars’ ‘Marry Me‘, played by harpist Alice McFaul.
“My dad accompanied me up the aisle. We got married in our family church that I would attend with my dad so it was really special to me to be able to walk up with aisle with him. I didn’t realise until I watched the wedding video how emotional I was.”
“My ‘something old, something borrowed, something blue’, was made by my mum. It was a safety pin that I pinned to my bouquet that had my something old – a button from my grandmother’s wedding dress, borrowed – a silver ‘A’ initial from my mum’s necklace, and a blue ribbon.”
“I wore Gucci Guilty on the day of the wedding. It’s one of my favourite perfumes and one that I’d been wearing on our first dates and in New York when we got engaged, so it conjures a lot of good memories for me.”
I really enjoy seeing bridesmaids gowns which can easily be worn again and again after the wedding day. These House of Fraser pink gowns are so stylish and complement the gown so well in their soft hue and beaded neckline. They also have pockets! The super-cute flowergirls wore cream dresses from Asda, chosen for their beaded necklines. They paired them with fresh pearl earrings and personalised fresh pearl earrings, a find on Not On The High Street and a gift from Stephanie. They look so fresh and pretty with gold sparkly shoes from Debenhams, which picked up the colour of those worn by Stephanie.
“My bridesmaids were all different shapes, sizes and colourings so I wanted to get something they all felt comfortable in. I knew we wanted something simple and I liked the idea of knee length and a skirt and top look. After visiting a lot of boutiques and trying on various dresses nothing was really working. In a last attempt to find something we went to the high street and found the perfect dress in House of Fraser.”
“It had a lovely sheen that picked up the light and whilst it was cream it looked blush in some photos. There was beading around the neck that matched my dress and most importantly all of the bridesmaids felt comfortable in them. The dresses even had deep pockets which the girls loved for keeping their lip glosses in.”
Doesn’t Donal look handsome in his suit and black tie from Kelvin Graham? His best man and groomsmen wore matching suits, and they all added a splash of fun and colour with superhero cufflinks, to celebrate their mutual love of movies and cartoons. They also carried initialled leather wallets and mini-bottles of whiskey, gifts from Donal on the day.
“Our best man flew all the way from New York for the day so it was extra special that he was there. Donal and Sean went to university and travelled the world together (which made for interesting stories during the speeches)! Now that he lives in New York they only get to see each other once a year so all moments are treasured.”
The couple chose traditional wedding readings from 1 Corinthians 13 and Romans 12 v 9-16, and added a quotation from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby‘ to their service sheets. I hadn’t come across this before, and like its sentiment and sense of fun.
“We both love ‘The Great Gatsby‘ so included the following line onto our order of service: ͞’You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known and even that is an understatement’.”
Talking of stationery, the couple sourced their beautiful stationery from a number of suppliers, including our own Little Book for Brides member and Love My Dress sponsor The Wedding of My Dreams. If you haven’t come across this website then please pop it into your browser and take a look. As well as some lovely accessories and details for weddings, their blog is a wonderful source of creative ideas for styling. Visit their Little Book for Brides listing here for a special offer, too.
“We got the front cover of our wedding booklet designed on Etsy by Swell and Grand and then got it printed with Media Print and Design based in Belfast. My mum created the table plan using a gold gilded mirror and blush paper. Place cards were from The Wedding of My Dreams and were a mixture of gold and pink hummingbirds that sat on wine glasses. Our invites were cartoon versions of us outside the venue. Donal loves playing Gaelic football so he was dressed in his full football kit and I was in a wedding dress. We wanted something personal and light-hearted and got them created and printed by Perfect Day Print in Ballymena. We loved them and it gave our wedding guests a giggle!”
The couple’s rings were found at Belfast jewellers Murray and Co, and Stephanie’s was chosen especially to complement her engagement ring.
“Donal got my engagement ring from Lunn’s Jewellers in Belfast. I wanted a delicate platinum diamond band to sit under my ring and we found the perfect ring in Murray and Co jewellers in Belfast and a palladium ring for Donal.”
Whilst the guests relaxed, Stephanie and Donal spent a few moments with their photographer to take some of these beautiful images. I particularly like those with the fresh green spring leaves behind them – capturing the greenness of Ireland so well.
“Fraser Stewart was our photographer. I had spent months pouring over photography websites and Facebook pages. I knew exactly the type of natural style of photographs we wanted and Fraser’s photos were like works of art. As with most brides and grooms we were dreading the photo bit of the wedding day as neither of us enjoys being the centre of attention (nor did we want to be away for ages and miss the party).”
“We needn’t have worried because Fraser captured our day perfectly and we felt completely at ease with him. Despite being at the end of May the weather was a bit overcast and breezy, the grounds around Castle Leslie are beautiful and we thought we might miss out on the outdoor photos. However Fraser found a weeping willow tree down by the boathouse and we got incredible shots. Plus we only left wedding guests for half an hour tops for the photos!”
Like many couples, Stephanie and Donal debated over whether to hire a videographer, but were so happy with their choice of Hatch Wedding Films.
“We couldn’t decide whether or not to get a videographer but we are so glad we did. We wanted a natural, fun video style and Paul from Hatch Wedding Films did just this. Paul was very relaxed and so discreet on the day, guests didn’t even realise there was a videographer there. We watch it regularly to relive the day and each time we do it makes us very emotional. It really brings the whole day to life.”
Whilst the guests relaxed, Stephanie and Donal spent a few moments with their photographer to take some of these beautiful images. I particularly like those with the fresh green spring leaves behind them – capturing the greenness of Ireland so well.
“Fraser Stewart was our photographer. I had spent months pouring over photography websites and Facebook pages. I knew exactly the type of natural style of photographs we wanted and Fraser’s photos were like works of art. As with most brides and grooms we were dreading the photo bit of the wedding day as neither of us enjoys being the centre of attention (nor did we want to be away for ages and miss the party).”
“We needn’t have worried because Fraser captured our day perfectly and we felt completely at ease with him. Despite being at the end of May the weather was a bit overcast and breezy, the grounds around Castle Leslie are beautiful and we thought we might miss out on the outdoor photos.”
“However Fraser found a weeping willow tree down by the boathouse and we got incredible shots. Plus we only left wedding guests for half an hour tops for the photos!”
Photograper Fraser Stewart has captured the quiet beauty of Castle Leslie perfectly in his work. It’s easy to see why the couple fell in love with it at first sight.
“We had a list of different venues we wanted to visit with Castle Leslie being the first one. As soon as we drove through the gates we had completely fallen in love with it. There is this sense of calmness and tranquillity that engulfs you as soon as you visit. We ended up booking it that day and didn’t visit anywhere else. It ticked all of our boxes, it was a bit unique, unbelievably romantic and in the most picturesque setting, plus we knew the food was amazing which was really important to us. What’s more, the staff at Castle Leslie went above and beyond during each step of the process. We couldn’t have asked for a more magical and fun venue.”
After the service, the couple and their guests travelled the short distance to the castle. Although simple and elegant, the newly-weds had spent a lot of time planning and creating to make a beautifully-styled venue.
“We bought a lot of extras online at The Wedding of my Dreams and Etsy. This included pink and gold just married bunting, gold and blush glitter table confetti, vintage gold tea light holders, a ‘Welcome to our Wedding’ sign and fun gold printed posters with messages like ‘Alcohol – because no great story ever started with a someone eating a salad’. We ordered gold chairs from Swift Services with canopy fairy lights and up lighting to add lots of atmosphere and make it super romantic.”
The Wedding of My Dreams was also the source of gifts for the flowergirls.
“We had chocolates for the men and a little mini lavender boxed soap for the women. We gave the flowergirls personalised bags with sweets and toys for them. We got these from The Wedding of My Dreams.”
bbridesmaid
The wedding cake is simple and elegant, a single layer with swirls of frosting flowers and matching cupcakes, by Layer Cake, Lisburn.
“We always go to Layer Cake in Lisburn Co.Down for all of our cakes. Not only do they look great but they taste unbelievable, so it was the natural place for our wedding cake. I wanted a simple cake with rose swirl and a mixture of cupcakes. We topped it off with a gold glitter ‘Mr and Mrs Kennedy’ cake topper that we bought on Bash and Co on Etsy.”
I adore the addition of blowsy hydrangea heads to dress up the ends of the church pews, and match the gowns wonderfully. Their flowers were by Karen at House of Elliott, and the choice of blooms had a really personal connection for the bride.
“We got our flowers from Karen at House of Elliott in Lisburn, Co. Down. Karen was so easy to deal with and knew exactly what we wanted. We went with cream and pink hydrangeas, the bridal party had simple gypsophila and my bouquet was made up of my favourite flowers, white peonies, vendella roses, sweet avalanche roses and cream sweet peas. All the flowers reminded me of my granny and grandfather’s garden and they smelt amazing.”
Music was a recurring theme throughout the day as it is one of the couple’s passions. Their first dance was ‘Ho Hey‘ by The Lumineers.
“This song played a lot when we first started dating and brings back a lot of amazing memories. We also wanted something uplifting that we could dance to rather than something slow.”
“The multi-talented Alice McFaul played the harp and piano during the church service. She then came to Castle Leslie and played the baby Grand. During the meal we wanted relaxed acoustic background music. We booked Paul Beattie who was perfect and played some of our favourite songs during the meal. After dinner The Front entertained us with live music and a DJ until the early hours of the morning. “
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks; plan your wedding how you want it. RELAX and enjoy the day, if anything doesn’t go to plan who cares, you’re with the people you love and they won’t even notice. Try and absorb every single second!”
And how lovely to hear that Stephanie was inspired by frequent visits to Love My Dress;
“I really love the wedding features and ‘get inspired’ pages. I’ve recommended the blog to a lot of recently engaged friends.”
Thank you so much Stephanie and Donal for sharing your day with us; wishing you a very happy first anniversary! A big thank you to Fraser for your beautiful photography.
With love
Ele xx
Credits & Thanks
- Photographer - Fraser Stewart
- Film - Hatch Wedding Films
- Venue - Church of the Ascension, Annahilt, County Down and Castle Leslie, County Monaghan, Ireland
- Wedding Dress - Gisele Lace by Anna Campbell, via Ivory and Pearl, Comber
- Veil - Custom-made online at The Wedding Veil Shop
- Shoes - Dune via House of Fraser
- Accessories - Beaded cuff from Etsy, crystal earrings from House of Fraser
- Perfume - Gucci Guilty
- Groom - Black tie from Kelvin Graham, cufflinks from Etsy
- Bridesmaids - Pink gowns from House of Fraser, gold shoes from Debenhams, earrings and bracelet from Not On The High Street
- Flowergirls - Cream dresses from Asda
- Florist - House of Elliott
- Cake - Cake and cupcakes by Layer Cake and cake-topper by Bash and Co
- Transport - A Silvershadow Rolls Royce from I Do Wedding Cars
- Entertainment - Harpist Alice McFaul, Paul Beattie of Acoustic Weddings, The Front
- Rings - Engagement ring from Lunn's Murray and Co
- Catering - Castle Leslie
- Stationery - Perfect Day Print+ The Wedding of My Dreams + Swell and Grand + Media Design and Print
- Hair Stylist - Deborah McCarthy
- Makeup Artist - By Kerri