An Anais Annette Gown and a Crown of Flowers for a Romantic and Bohemian Northern-Irish Wedding

Happy Sunday my loves.  Are you up to anything nice today? Whatever you do, make sure you make just a little bit of time to sit down and enjoy today’s gorgeous Irish wedding, organised all the way from Vancouver!  Its fresh, romantic and blooming lovely and just what we need to enhance the weekend.

Meet Trevor (landscape gardener by day, artist by night) and Sarah, who works for Heritage Vancouver by day and is also a singer in a folk band- a multi talented pair!  The couple married at the beautiful Limepark in Northern Ireland on the 13th of May 2017 and created the most beautiful, luxuriously bohemian type of day that I know you’re going to adore.

“I have always loved bohemian styles, and knew that our wedding would reflect that. Trevor and I are both quite creative people, so we wanted a venue that itself was creative and Limepark gave us that.  We also hoped for something quite romantic, that reflected an Irish charm, given that is our heritage.  I have always been an ‘earthy’ person, so wanted a palette that was very green and natural.”

Images by Chris Copeland Photography

The talent behind the lens today was the fabulous Chris Copeland – I love how he has captured the romantic and laid back vibe of this lovely day.

“Chris was amazing.  Trevor and I fell in love with his style when we were first starting to research photographers.  We wanted a photographer that was more documentary in style, less about capturing a gazillion posed photos of family members, and more about capturing the intimate moments, all the while being very creative.  Chris gave us this and more.  We hit it off instantly over Skype, sharing a passion for travel, Vancouver and four-legged friends, so we knew he was the best choice for us.”Sarah looked every inch the bohemian beauty in ‘Amelie’ by Anais Annette, which she purchased from Union Bridal in Vancouver.  I just adore the slim silhouette and beautiful lace bodice, tapering out into the delicate skirt.  The slim straps add a modern twist while the bow at the back is just so romantic.

“I loved the romantic bohemian style of my dress, not to mention how comfortable it was when I had it on!  The two tone aspect to it was also really interesting.  Anais Annette is based out of Toronto, Canada, and it was great to support a local designer.”

To accessorize, Sarah chose a soft tulle veil, handmade for her by friend Kady McKappin, which she later swapped for a romantic flower crown, made by florist Jil Peterson of The Stables Flower Company.  On her feet she wore heeled sandals by Betsey Johnson and for jewellery, a silver bracelet given to her by her brother the night before.

“I also wore a small amount of Chanel No. 5 perfume that Trevor gave me, that was given to him by his mother, who got it from Trevor’s father many years ago.  That was very special.”

Hair and make up was the work of Toni Michelle and Sarah chose to wear her hair in soft waves with natural make up and a rose pink lip, which went beautifully with her relaxed romantic style.

“Trevor and I met through a mutual friend.  We hit it off instantly, and the rest is history.  Trevor proposed one sunny Sunday afternoon in Vancouver.  He hired a speedboat and we took the boat out near Stanley Park.  It was such a beautiful day, and the view of the mountains was so clear.  We had our beagle puppy, Lola, with us too.  She was pretty nervous so I was holding her and trying to calm her down while trying to take a picture of the mountains.  Next thing, I looked down and there was Trevor, down on one knee with a ring in his hand.”

Sarah walked down the aisle on the arm of her dad, to ‘Lifening’ by Snow Patrol, she and Trevor’s favourite song.  She was preceded by her bridesmaids and flower girls, and the picture of the littlest flower girl arriving at the top of the aisle is just fabulous!

The ceremony was led by family friend Pastor Bert Ritchie, who conducted a civil-style ceremony for the happy couple.

“Trevor and I asked a close friend to read from her favourite novel during the ceremony.  We let her choose, and only found out what it was on the day.  She chose an extract from ‘The Alchemist’ by Paul Coelho, taking sentences from one of the chapters and read this aloud to our guests.  She highlighted the sentences she read, which centred around love, and actually gave us the book afterwards as part of our wedding present too.”

To cement their vows, Trevor and Sarah exchanged wedding bands, purchased (like Sarah’s engagement ring) from Spence Diamonds in Vancouver.

“Trevor chose the engagement ring completely on his own and went for a vintage cut, which I was absolutely blown away with.  I ended up getting the matching vintage band, and Trevor went for a simple silver ring.”

Trevor wore a dark blue suit by Calvin Klein, purchased from Hudson’s Bay Company, paired with a crisp white shirt, grey slim tie and shoes from Ted Baker.

The bridesmaids looked very elegant in full-length gowns of the palest pink, purchased from ASOS and worn with their own shoes, while the two little flower girls looked just as lovely in dresses from our Little Book for Brides members, Monsoon, with little cardigans from the same store.

Sarah and her maids all carried the most luscious huge bouquets, full of texture and shades of green, created by Jil Peterson of The Stables Flower Company.

“When I first spoke with Jil about the style that we were hoping for, she knew instantly how to bring that to life through her flowers.  She came with suggestions that would reflect our earthy, romantic and bohemian vibe and we loved what she created.”

“We chose Limepark because of its rustic charm and beauty and the fact that it was nestled along the causeway coast, where we first met.  The gardens are so wild and definitely offered that ‘free-spirited’ vibe.”

“The wonderful thing about Limepark was that we could rent a number of décor items from them, which was really helpful for us as we were planning the wedding from afar.  We rented lanterns, chalkboards, crate boxes and candles, which worked out perfectly, and suited our style to a tee.  I also made a lavender toss instead of confetti, using lavender from my bridesmaid’s mum’s house.”

Catering was the work of The Old Barn Catering Co., while the delicious flower-topped chocolate cake was made by a friend.  For favours, guests were provided with a shot of Bushmill’s whiskey to warm them up and get them ready for the evening celebrations.

“We had a two song first dance.  The first first dance was ‘Need your love so bad’ by Fleetwood Mac, closely followed by ‘Roadhouse Blues’ by The Doors.”

“This probably sounds clichéd, but literally every single moment was my favourite; from beginning to end, it was magical.  What made it even more special is that we got to spend a day with all of our close family and friends and with Trevor and I living in Vancouver, we only get to see our family once, maybe twice a year, so that made it even more special!  We only wish it could have gone on longer.”

Entertainment came in the form of band Mystery Train, for whom Sarah’s brother is the drummer, while for the after-party, two DJ friends (Greg Wallace and Gary Hassin) did the honours, keeping the dance floor full to bursting all night.

 

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“Relax.  Have fun.  Plan a wedding that reflects you and your husband to be, and no one else.  It’s a time to celebrate each other, celebrate your love for each other and to do so with all of your close family and friends- keep remembering that.  It’s not about anyone but you two.”

So many thanks to Sarah and Trevor for sharing their beautiful day with us all.

I so love a floral crown, and Sarah’s is a beauty…  If you’re similarly in love, take a peek here for lots more brides with beautiful blooms for headwear.  To explore Chris Copeland’s work a little more, have a look here at another wedding photographed by him which we featured last year, while for more beautiful Irish or Northern Irish weddings, take a look here.

Happy long weekend!

S x