Home is where the heart is for many of us and today's lucky couple got to celebrate marquee style in their family home. Julie and Anthony celebrated with a festival inspired wedding at Julie's parents house in Wicklow. With views of sweeping green pastures, lots of moss and sweet pea, the pair included tradition alongside pops of colour and crafty decor. Elisha Clarke snapped some lovely photos of the couple on their big day. So pull up a seat and we'll give you a little tour...
Bride to be Julie and her groom, Anthony met four years ago when they were introduced by a mutual friend on a night out - well that's not the first time we've heard that, but it sure is a one way ticket to love in a lot of cases. It was the dates that followed that meeting that got sparks flying... One of our first dates was going for a walk on the Pier at Dun Laoghaire and then going for hot chocolate in the 40ft afterwards. Tony is quite traditional and after about 6 weeks of dating, he asked me if I wanted to go out with him officially, which I thought was really sweet.
When it came to popping the all important question, Anthony kept it nice and quiet on the proposal front, making sure Julie was none the wiser... The proposal was a total surprise. We were staying in West Cork and we went for a walk up Mount Gabriel, Tony got down on one knee at the top. It was a perfect day, not a cloud in the sky. He proposed with a ring that has been in his Mum’s family for generations, which was very special. We then went sailing around Schull in his Uncles little sailing boat, which was very romantic and everyone in the village was so delighted for us. News travelled around the town in minutes! It was lovely to be in our own little bubble down there before we came back up to Dublin and started celebrating with all our friends and family.
Julie found her stunning lace dress at Cymbaline. The style is gorgeous on Julie and don't you just love the delicate flower pattern on the cuffs and neckline?
Once engaged, Anthony and Julie set to planning their big day. First things firsts, they knew they wanted a traditional church ceremony as their marriage vows were very important to them. The couple also took full advantage of the forty-five minute drive between the church and the reception. First with Julie and her father being able to enjoy the build up to the ceremony, and then with Anthony and Julie cracking open a bottle of champagne to celebrate their journey as a married couple!
Hurray! It's official for Julie and Anthony and don't they look gorgeous together!
Julie's style was feminine and elegant and her bridesmaids followed suit with dusty pink dresses and sweet pea bouquets that added a pop of colour to their look!
When it came to the reception, home is where the heart is and Anthony and Julie wanted a fun festive vibe theme for their day. Luckily Julie's family have a beautiful home in the heart of Wicklow with incredible views of the countryside, the perfect location for a personalised marquee wedding. There was even enough room to provide some of their guests with tents to camp on the property! Rumour has it the campers were the first in for burgers and sausages at the barbecue the next day!
So with a festival vibe in mind, Julie and Anthony set about transforming Julie's family home into a colourful celebration. Check out the field of balloons! I am so jealous I don't have a huge garden to recreate this magical look...
If the guest managed to pull themselves away from the colourful field of balloons, the marquee decor was not going to be a disappointment - a beautiful flower garland surrounded the doorway into the gorgeous festival inspired interiors...
If your lucky enough to have a wedding at home, there are plenty of perks to knowing your venue inside and out. Mixing it up and having free reign when it comes to serving food and drinks was something Julie and Anthony loved about the day...We served the main course, which was Lamb Tagine in a big Le Creuset Pot on each table. One person was designated with a chef’s hat on their place setting to serve their table. It was great fun and really got each table interacting with each other! We had to borrow 18 Le Creuset pots from family and friends, making sure everyone got the correct pot back afterwards was a bit tricky!
The couple's family and friends pitched in when it came to the details. They decided on sweet pea (like the bridesmaid's bouquets) for the centerpieces and enlisted Julie's mother's friends to grow it for them and there was great competition between them all to see who would have the most successful crop at the end!
Have you ever seen a prettier marquee ceiling? The pretty blue print and the patterned bunting is so cute.
The sweet mouse bride beside the cake was given to Julie's parents when they were engaged so it was a must have as part of the marquee decor!
With so much fun and gorgeous decor inside the marque it's hard to imagine this pair could fit anything else in! But they did, lovebirds Julie and Anthony's managed to set off Chinese lanterns in the field as it got dark and it was one of the top moments of their day - aw so sweet!
Julie's advice to couples planning their weddings is something she wishes she had considered for hers... In hindsight I might have got a wedding planner. It was really quite stressful in the days running up to it. I know everyone says it, but the day itself, literally flies!
Congratulations, Anthony and Julie on your special day! And a big thank you to Elisha Clarke for sharing her work with us! To see more of Elisha's work pop over to www.elishaclarke.com
The Wedding Details
- Ceremony: Rathmichael Parish Church
- Reception: Dunlavin, Co. Wicklow
- Photographer: Elisha Clarke
- Bridesmaids dresses: Ted Baker
- Shoes: Schuh
- Groomsmensuits: Chaplins
- Cars: Absolute Limos.
- Stationery: Piccolo Press
- Reception Music: Rory Quinn
- DJ: DublinDJs
- Marquee: Lpm Bohemia