Kayla, a mental health counsellor, and her cinematographer husband, Tom, tied the knot on 5th September at the enchanting Tinakilly Country House in Wicklow, Ireland.
With its breathtaking estate, lush gardens, and sweeping sea views, Tinakilly provided the perfect backdrop for their celebration, inspired by the couple’s love for all things mystical and medieval. Their day, planned by Kate O’Dowd of Love and Gatherings, was filled with warm, romantic touches, from a handfasting ceremony to wild floral displays and candle-lit ambience.
Kayla’s bridal look was a vision of romantic elegance with a Sarah Seven gown, complemented by cherished family jewellery and a beautiful Kamperett veil that exuded medieval charm. With the allure of wild Irish scenery, and a nod to Renaissance Faire style, their wedding was a celebration of rich heritage and personal style, perfectly encapsulated by the romantic and magical setting of their venue.
Our love and gratitude to the wonderful Chris Copeland for sharing his photography.
Explore Our Shop
Did you know that we also have a shop full of hand-picked designs and curated categories that we know you’ll love? From bridal gowns, to bridesmaids dresses, veils, shoes, jewellery, hair accessories, bags – even gifts for newlyweds.
My makeup artist was Mandi – she was absolutely delightful and her glam was perfect. I did my own hair as it was quite short. My scent was Roses by Chloe. This was one of the first scents, back in 2015, that I wore around Tom that he complimented.
I wore the Ivory Velvet Crown from Kamperett and my shoes were the Mary Jane Ema heels from LoQ. I was incredibly grateful for my comfortable Mary Jane heels, but felt the veil was what made my look so special. It was something one might see Princess Isabella from Braveheart wearing, or even Arwen of Lord of the Rings!
The Dress
Sarah Seven
I was told I could email if I had any concerns and since they knew I was bringing the gown abroad, they were diligent about helping us know how to travel with the gown to keep it in the best condition.
I would highly recommend Sarah Seven of Chicago to every and any bride as the experience was so positive (I’m sure their other locations that carry this brand are just as wonderful!).
We both knew we wanted a minimal yet elegant and simply elevated look to our day. As silly as it might sound, our wardrobe metaphorically captures how our relationship/love feels.
It’s not too showy, it’s always effortless, but if you get close you can see the time and energy and dedication that has been put into it (i.e., Tom’s subtle touches of gold jewellery or my unique pearl earrings and necklace).
Tom loved his double breasted suit with no tie as it felt authentic to his more laid back, yet always thoughtful, way of presenting himself.
The Ceremony
We hired the wonderful Celebrant, Niamh Callery of Anu Celebrancy. She was truly perfect in every way.
Our readings included a poem by Atticus and ‘Soulmates’, by Lang Leav.
We included hand fasting in our ceremony, which is an ancient Celtic ritual where the tying of the hands together symbolises the binding of those two lives.
We also wanted our siblings to feel special on our day, so we shared our first drink as a married couple with my two brothers and Tom’s two sisters in front of everyone towards the end of the ceremony. It supposedly is a tradition (yet no one really seems to know about it, lol!) we were told about to symbolise the connecting of two families.
We both wrote our own vows and spoke them to one another during the ceremony – we each wrote out around two pages worth! An excerpt from my vows: “One of the first love letters you ever gave me stated: “I’ll stare at you until you stop staring at me” — A bout de soufflé. & here we are, nearly a decade later, still staring. Still breathless. Of course, I start to think about how I have even had the extraordinary privilege to look at you, see you, & witness you. What a gift. Out of all the places or times to be alive, I was charmed by crossing paths, crossing one’s live of vision, with you.”
An excerpt from Tom’s vows: “I wildly remember the moment I fell for you. Watching you amble through an empty Art Institute, your smile illuminating room after room, shining new light on Monet & Renoir. I pretended to pause & admire piece after piece, instead stealing a glance at any opportunity. All I could see was you. The back of your head gazing into a landscape, your short hair, hands clasped behind your back — a painting of its own, forever etched into my memory. You were magnetic and radiant, incredibly beautiful, familiar.”
My wedding band was purchased from Mejuri and was The Pavè Diamond Thin Dôme Ring. We chose Mejuri as I wanted a stackable band to go with my sapphire engagement ring and for it to be something I could wear every day without it feeling like it was too much.
Tom’s wedding band is the Remy Signet Ring with a green sapphire from Meadowlark. We found this brand when searching for the engagement ring and Tom knew he wanted something that tied into said engagement ring.
Photography
Our photographer was Chris Copeland. What is terrifying to think about, is that we almost didn’t book Chris! Before linking with Kate, we had already booked another photographer for the wedding (who was great!), so we thought we were all set… until I had a bit of a panic one night and emailed Kate in a frenzy since she was worried the wedding might not be captured in the way she wanted.
To no one’s surprise, Kate immediately had Chris on call and booked for us! So it was all meant to be and we’re so thankful. Chris captures all the important moments, while also making sure to collect all the small details as well. His photos are like stills from a movie and Tom being a cinematographer, specially in love with lighting, immediately trusted Chris’ eye when he shared his own inspirations and love for light.
On the day of, Chris made us feel so comfortable. Things never felt awkward, forced, or anything like that. He was instantly one of the group and fit in with us perfectly. We would highly recommend Chris to everyone and anyone!
How They Met
Back in 2012-ish, at a good friend’s basement rock show, I stepped out of my comfort zone and introduced myself to Tom, who radiated the warmest energy. He was technically in the midst of becoming unavailable, but a seed was planted that cold winter night nonetheless.
Three Years-ish Later, after a few years of traveling, serious personal growth, and other relationships coming and going, Tom and I crossed paths once again.
There’s this phenomenon people talk about where you just know, and maybe we sensed that back in the basement of 2012-ish, but it was really solidified when we realised we were both watching The X-Files—and had paused on the same exact episode, at the same exact time. I don’t think either of us ever finished that episode! The universe was working overtime to get our attention, because, come on, what are the odds?!
Our romance began soon after, and we officially started dating in January of 2015. Like any relationship, we’ve faced challenges: family losses, semi-long-distance (suburbs girl with a city boy), an introvert and an extrovert learning to compromise, the pandemic… all of it. There’s so much gratitude for these challenges because we’ve learned, healed, and grown so much stronger together.
And wow, have we had so many unique experiences along the way—new jobs, promotions, and degrees; moving in together and creating a home; loving our sweet cat Calypso; countless travels across the U.S. and abroad; and building our chosen family.
In September of 2021, we traveled to Taos, New Mexico, on the recommendation of a close friend. On the 25th, to be exact, we were overlooking William’s Lake after a long, gruelling hike straight up the side of a mountain (elevation 11,040!) when Tom asked me to spend the rest of my days with him. It was the easiest question I’ve ever answered. We celebrated by running back down the mountain straight to the Bavarian Lodge for a cold beer and a massive pretzel.
Tom got his suit from Suit Supply – they knew the suits inside and out. They encouraged trying different styles, but were always respectful of whatever my husband said or reflected on. Tailoring, getting the dress shirt, and dress socks were all done on site which also made the shopping experience with them that much more seamless. The suit was the dark grey double breasted Havana Suit. Tom’s shoes were the Penny Loafer from Morjas. Tom also wore a necklace that I gifted to him – a shorter gold chain with a tiny gold medieval sword charm.
The Reception
Tinakilly handled all things food related for the wedding, but we had the amazing Happy Pear in Greystones cater our breakfast/lunch before the wedding!
Julieanna Walsh of The Studio Florist was recommended to us by Tinakilly – and she went above and beyond our expectations. We chose her since we loved all the variety of flowers she uses, while also seeming to not have one specific style making her versatile and in our opinion, exactly what you want in a florist.
She asked for inspiration and pulled from that perfectly by bringing in lush wild flowers. We asked for ‘as many flowers as you can manage’ and she did exactly that. We gave her the reigns and she steered us well.
During the ceremony and drinks reception, we had The Asgards perform, later, after dinner, we had traditional band Joseph Forde Music from Westport, Co. Mayo and in the evening, we had Velvet DJs.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
This may sound obvious, but whether you’re having a local or abroad wedding, get yourself a wedding planner who you genuinely connect with, respect, and trust when it comes to taste and get them before you make any official decisions.
I wish we would have found our wedding planner, Kate, earlier in our process since their are a few things I would change now if we could go back and I know Kate would have had all the answers. I have known and have heard of many brides wanting to skip out on the planner, but it is worth every single penny to have someone fully there for you every step of the way. Kate was our saving grace!
