A Soft Blue Grey Tulle Dress for a Romantic Autumn Castle Wedding

Hello lovelies! I trust you’re well. Now here’s a moody wedding for you, and I think you’ll agree it’s nothing short of beautiful.  It’s a gorgeous and ethereal day for which the couple decided to take the more non-traditional route. So without further ado, let’s get started…

Floral event designer Gia and bookbinder Gavin were married one chilly winters day, 4th November 2017, in the West Wing at Crom Castle in Newtownbutler, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

“We really wanted to create a dreamy, moody setting for our wedding day, with soft, smokey colours and loose, wild florals. We wanted to honour the Northern Irish landscape in November with its connections to ancient Celtic traditions of the past.”

Images by Sean and Kate

“I looked at lots of places for inspiration for the aesthetics, including colour palette ideas and wedding ideas which were nature-inspired, dreamy and romantic. I follow so many floral and event design companies on Pinterest and Instagram too.”
Florals played a large part of the aesthetics of the day with beautiful huge floral arrangements adorning the ceremony room and vases of wild flowers covering the wedding breakfast tables, all created by florists Hedgerow in New York.

“As a floral designer myself, the flowers were of the utmost importance to me. I went with a palette of blush and peach pink, navy blue and smokey greys with white and burgundy accents. I had to have garden roses so I chose the David Austin Kiera rose, which is a pale blush/peachy pink colour.”

“I accented my bridal bouquet with raspberry and blackberry scoop Scabiosa, dark-centered white and pale blush anemones, antique hydrangea, blue privet berry, dark blue elderberry, viburnum berries, pink snowberry, trailing branches, seeded pods and ivy. Some of this was foraged directly from the Crom Estate property.”

In keeping with the theme and non-traditional values of the couple, Gia chose a bespoke made otherwordly and utterly stunning blue grey long-sleeved gown by Ela Siromascenko in Milan for the day, featuring heavy embellishment, lace, tulle and a low back.

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“My gown was custom-made and was a collaboration between myself and the designer. I loved everything about it, especially the colour which was a smokey blue grey with a hand-beaded and appliqued floral lace bodice.”

“I  wore my favourite scent, Aboutkir by Maison Louis Marie. I’ve always worn fragrances with Patchouli as the base note. This one has notes of jasmine, amber, eucalyptus, cedar wood, vetiver and nutmeg. It’s a dark and spicy scent which was appropriate for the season and the setting.”

Accessorising with a pair of Badgley Mischka heels, a moonstone, sapphire, white diamond and yellow gold necklace from Catbird and black pearl and white diamond vintage drop earrings, Gia’s ethereal look suited the day perfectly.

Gia’s bridesmaid also looked stunning in a pink and white long-sleeved lace detail dress by the same designer, and their hair was perfected by Karen Conroy at Vibe Salon in Cavan, and make up expertly applied by Joanne Conneely from JC Makeup.

Rounding the wedding party off in style was groom Gavin who chose a blue two-piece suit from Saks Fifth Avenue as his wedding look, accessorised with a pair of Naot shoes.

After meeting online on Match.com in late 2015, Gavin proposed not quite one year later and the couple were engaged for 1.5 years before taking the plunge.

“Gavin proposed with an antique Art Deco diamond and platinum engagement ring with pave leaf filigree on 21st April 2016, at the Serevan restaurant in Amenia (Hudson Valley), New York. We were engaged for a year and a half before the wedding.”

The brides father walked her down the aisle to a traditional Irish folk song called She Moved Through The Fair, and Hazel Alderdice, the Civil Ceremony Registrar in Omagh and Glenda Proctor from Cloud 9 Ceremonies officiated the ceremony, which included a hand-fasting ceremony, a cake and ale ceremony and a ‘jumping the broom’.

“We wanted a ceremony that honoured our very personal and spiritual beliefs. Although we were both raised Catholic, our beliefs lean more towards the non-traditional, Pagan in particular in honouring God through nature and the seasons and a connection to our ancient ancestors pre-Christianity.”

“As a result, we chose an ancient Celtic hand-fasting ceremony which binds our hands with a knitted Irish wool cord, a traditional sharing of cake and ale (American brownies to honour my nationality and Guinness as the ale to honour Gavin’s), both of which symbolise the beginning of our life together.”

“And finally, ‘jumping the broom’, which symbolises sweeping away our former lives and entering our new lives as husband and wife.”

“The vows for the hand-fasting ceremony were particularly meaningful to us and the ceremony itself was incredibly beautiful and meaningful. It began to rain, only for a moment, hitting the glass ceiling of the atrium in Crom Castle which was an amazing moment.”

“Our wedding rings came from Soho Gem in New York. I chose an eternity platinum filigree band with alternating diamond bezels, and Gavin chose a plain platinum band.”

Irish husband and wife photography team Sean and Kate were recruited by the couple to capture their special day on camera, and what a gorgeous job they did. From the moody atmosphere to the stunning natural light, each image is like stepping right into a fairytale.

Following the ceremony, guests headed for the wedding breakfast room, a room beautifully and classically decorated with wild blooms and a neutral palette. The wedding cake, made by The Cakery in Omagh, was a simple two-tier and rustic affair, made from blackberry and elderberry lemon cake with a birch texture white chocolate icing decoration, with handmade icing flowers, berries and leaves.

Horseshoe & Saddlers of Ennikillen in County Fermanagh provided the catering and Campbell Raw Press designed and made the elegantly simple stationery.

“All our stationery was custom-made and hand drawn letterpress, featuring an antique Irish elk antler motif on grey St. Armand handmade paper with handmade watercolour liners. Our favours were from Soap From Nature via Etsy and were organic chamomile and elderflower handmade soaps, wrapped in parchment paper.”

Once the formalities of the day were over, it was time to kick back and relax and enjoy the evening’s entertainment which came from The Irish House Party Band and The Wedding DJ.

“Our first dance track was Tennessee Whisky by Chris Stapleton. It was the first song that Gavin played for me because it was meaningful to him on so many levels.”

Words of Wedded Wisdom

“The only words of wisdom I have for brides to be is to try to relinquish control. Since I’m a floral and events designer who has worked on so many weddings I’ve lost count, and the fact I planned my own weddings (as this is my second marriage), I know how easy it can be to try to micro-manage every little detail. Doing so loses the joy and magic of this incredibly special day.”

“Once you’ve chosen your vendors, allow them to do their jobs and try to relax! Your wedding day will be unforgettable no matter what. Most likely, things will run seamlessly and exceed your expectations, but even if they don’t, appreciate the unexpected surprises that happen. They add their own magic. Like life and like love, your wedding day will be perfectly imperfect and you wouldn’t want it any other way.”

A big thank you and congratulations to the newlyweds and a big thank you to Sean and Kate for capturing the mood of the day just right.

Until next time…

Much love,

Holly x