When Australian girl Rachel and Irish guy Mat got engaged at their home in Australia, they began to look online for the perfect wedding venue. Rachel kept coming across Ballyvolane House and soon realised it really was the only option for them. With the dream venue secured real wedding couple Rachel and Mat organised a low key garden party wedding (complete with a sparkling Jenny Packham wedding dress) which was captured by Brosnan Photographic and we have the privilege of a little sneak peek to enjoy.
Aussie girl Rachel met her Irish guy Mat, shortly after he moved to Australia. They met on a night out and chatted, but it wasn't until the urge for fast food kicked in that romance ensued. Rachel explains..."We met at a bar in Melbourne, Australia (my home city), Mat had recently arrived in Australia and I was on a girls night out. Mat and a friend managed to break the ‘girls night protective shield’ and talk to us, we chatted for a while before heading our separate ways. Later that night my friend demanded a Subway cookie and we bumped into him and his friend enjoying a late night snack. We swapped numbers and the rest is history…"
Fairly inseparable after their late night snack, a few years down the line Matthew decided it was time to propose. Rachel describes the day. "Mat told me to go and buy myself something pretty as we were going out that night. I was pretty certain I knew what was going on, just not sure when it would happen. Meanwhile he cleaned the house top to bottom. When I returned we headed out for the night and I was treated to a 7 course degustation with matched wines (I had to pass on a few of the wines for fear I wouldn't remember the night!) After dinner we wandered around the city before heading to our apartment where he sent me to our room so that he could ‘prepare’. 20 minutes, and an extremely tired girlfriend later I was finally treated to what he had prepared. Candles up the staircase to a living room decorated with flowers and a trusty wine. Mat got down on one knee and presented me a wrapped box (he was uncertain as to whether or not to leave it wrapped as it was so pretty) and 5 minutes later I was saying yes and putting on my beautiful engagement ring. It turned out that the date was the 13th of October and as we were both born on the 14th of our respective months, he wanted it to take place on our special date. Hence the delays before heading home and once we’d returned. Mat is not generally a romantic so the whole affair was a wonderful surprise."
As they both live in Australia Mat and Rachel relied fairly heavily on blogs for choosing their Irish wedding suppliers. When Ballyvolane House kept reappearing Rachel and Mat just knew it was the perfect wedding venue for them. Rachel gushes..."I relied heavily on blogs and reviews of venues to get a feel for them. It got to a point where I could see a single photo of a wedding from Ballyvolane House and recognise the venue. The location was stunning, Justin and Jenny have worked tirelessly to create the perfect blend of old and new with the house and the glamping, the converted barn and marquees. I was in love."
The wedding was kept very informal with an outdoor non-religious ceremony, which Mat and Rachel wrote their own vows for. Although a stressful element in the lead up to the day, Rachel and Mat can't recommend writing your own vows enough. "Something that really personalized the day for us was our writing our own vows. Although extremely stressful and inevitably left until the last minute, they really aded a personal touch to the ceremony bringing everyone into the present and getting people laughing."
For her bridesmaids Rachel chose mismatched blue bridesmaid dresses to suit each of the girls own styles. The girls then paired their dresses with complimentary shoes in shades of nude. Super pretty and definitely outfits each bridesmaid could wear again.
Rachel's own dreamy embellished wedding dress is a Jenny Packham design, which she styled with loose pink flowers in her (gorgeous) hair.
For the reception Mat and Rachel wanted a real garden party vibe. To acheive this look Mat and Rachel decorated the already stunning Ballyvolane House with various antique and borrowed treasures, DIY stationery and little chutney wedding favours made by Mat's mum.
The tables were then further decorated with lush flowers and framed book covers, which acted as table names.
Advice wise Rachel and Mat, like lots of real wedding couples, advise getting a videographer. "Get a videographer. We almost didn’t but were super glad we did. George our videographer was amazing and his footage of our day is such an easy and effective way to show people how amazing it was."
For their honeymoon Rachel and Mat planned an amazing trip covering Iceland, Copenhagen, Oktoberfest, Munich, Austria, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzigovina, a 7 day Croatian island cruise across two yachts and Thailand before returning home to Australia. Not jealous at all..Huge congratulations to you both and thanks so much for sharing your wedding day with us all. A big thank you also to Christina Brosnan for sharing her work with us. To see more from Christina visit www.brosnanphotographic.com
