Not only is today's wedding bright, colourful and a campsite romance (yes, as cute as it sounds!) but it really is a One Fab Day wedding! Today I'm super excited to share the wedding of my little bro Caomhan and his beautiful new wife Christine (husband and wife - still getting used to that! so grown up!) Obviously they've been sharing all the wedding madness since the very start of One Fab Day, and some of it obviously rubbed off. Their homemade and handmade wedding was a fusion of DIY and Christine and Caomhan's fantastic personal style (Caomhan too loves his fashion, you'll see). We might have travelled a thousand miles to get there but Caomhan and Christine's Canadian Camp wedding was well worth it- so we're so delighted to share a little of it all with you today through the stunning photographs by Ash Nayler and I've roped in Lucy to help tell the story, so I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did - Naoise
To explain the reason we all traipsed to Canada before you all ask - Caomhan and Christine are both from Ireland - but they've a very big sense of adventure. Having travelled the world, two years ago they found a home together in Canada, they fell in love with Pigeon Lake and now run an adventure camp there. Having fallen in love with the beautiful location, they wanted to share it with all of us family and friends, and knew that below the epic storybook tree was the perfect place for them to say I do.
So where did it all begin? Well we have to go back to 2005 when Caomhan and Christine were both working in an Insurance company in Dublin...We spotted each other across the cubicles in work but it wasn't until a night out in Dublin's Temple Bar, that we shared our first kiss (in the middle of Temple Bar Square!) And we have been together ever since! We both love travelling and have been all over the world together. Back in 2011 we made the big move that many young Irish people are making now and emigrated to Canada. We were very fortunate to find our dream job working together in outdoor education, at the most beautiful camp on a lake in Peterborough, Ontario.
But when it came to popping the question, Caomhan wanted to wait until the pair we're back home in Ireland with family and friends to celebrate before asking Christine to seal the deal... "We went home for Christmas in 2012, and while in Dublin catching up with friends, Caomhan suggested a "Christine and Caomhan Day of Fun!" We went out for lunch and to the Natural History Museum, after which Caomhan suggested a walk in Merrion Square Gardens. I thought this was strange, as it was raining and miserable out, however having been together for almost 8 years at that stage, I had a little inkling that something was going on! He sat me down on a secluded bench and as the rain came down he produced a beautiful vintage ring and asked me to marry him. My little inkling did not stop the many happy tears that followed, so much so that I forgot to answer him and Caomhan eventually had to ask me "I presume that's a yes then?!" We then spent the next two weeks over Christmas celebrating with friends and family before heading back to Canada. It was such a wonderful time! In fact, just a few minutes after popping the question, the pair knocked on the One Fab Day office door on Dawson St - when the ring was produced, the squeals could probably be heard on O'Connell st - talk about taking coals to Newcastle! A real life engagement! The excitement levels reached 11.
Caomhan and Christine opted for a late afternoon ceremony to catch the light, and get the photographs out of the way before the party began, they decided to opt for a first look. This is a tradition that we just love at One Fab Day as it captures the most lovely moments between newlyweds and in this case they had all of us close family surrounding for the big moment. Too cute!
After the initial first look they headed off to the forest for some enchanted portraits, the autumnal leaves and golden light providing the perfect backdrop...
How gorgeous is Christine's wedding dress! Sweet and elegant with a mix of vintage charm - no surprise as it was a 1970's vintage find on Etsy! The original dress was actually a mini dress that Christine had remade into a full length dress by a local seamstress. Following suit with her flower girls, Christine asked her Mum to make the dresses for the wee ones, while her lovely bridesmaids wore bright green numbers from Coast!
Caomhan held up his end of the bargain when it came to the style, with a very dapper blazer and slacks combination. And we are lovin' the uber trendy pops of yellow and grey in his accessories!
When it came to deciding where to have their wedding day, there was only one choice for Christine and Caomhan...We chose Pigeon Lake at the outdoor education centre that we manage together, and where we live in Canada! When we started working here in 2011, we absolutely fell in love with the place. After all of the places we have been around the world, this is truly our happy place, and where we feel most comfortable. We had toyed with the idea of having the wedding back home in Ireland, but when we weighed up the fact that we would be planning a wedding in Ireland from Canada, it just wasn't possible. It felt like the right place and no one had ever had a wedding at Pigeon Lake, which made it even more special for us. It was absolutely perfect for the outdoorsy and relaxed wedding we were planning!
As the sun shone brightly (which was a bit of a shock as it was October!) Christine walked down the aisle...
From the start the pair wanted to keep the day as personal as possible. One of the biggest factors to making the day so special was that their close friend Stu wrote and read their wedding ceremony (he really was a legend from beginning to end)... We had a licensed officiant come earlier in the day to do all of the official paper signing etc which only took a few minutes and that left Stu free to do the most wonderful and personal ceremony that made everyone laugh and cry. It was the highlight of the day for us and we wouldn’t have had it any other way. Our mothers also came up and tied the ribbon for the traditional Irish handfasting, and we thought it was the perfect Irish addition to the ceremony!
A special and sentimental touch the pair added was through their wedding bands. Christine's band was cast from a mold of a twig from the tree under which the ceremony was held, while Caomhan chose to use our Dad's ring, a really special memento for him, and for my Mum, as Dad sadly passed away in 2012.
It's official for Caomhan and Christine! Whoop!
I'm a wee bit jealous of Caomhan and Christine's wedding portraits! From the forest to the open fields and even some beautiful snaps by the lake the pair have some stunning photographs to cherish...
A cool addition to any wedding look is a pop of colour in the shoes. Christine's Mel by Melissa shoes are nice and bright not to mention very sweet!
As the pair were asking their Irish friends and family to make a trip across the Atlantic to share their special day, the couple's main priority was to make sure they were taken care of, and that they had a little holiday amongst the madness... They all stayed in little cabins for the whole weekend. They could go and canoe on the lake, rock climb, do some archery, or just simply enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
The couple's talented photographer, Ash Nayler captured all the loved up romance of the day and I just love these shots as the sun came down...
One of the big advantages of having the wedding at the campsite was the large dining hall that could be used for the reception and Christine and Caomhan knew exactly how they wanted the space to look...We wanted it to be colourful and happy and we wanted our guests to feel relaxed, and I think we accomplished that. Our only themes were colourful and handmade, so it left a lot of scope for us to use our imaginations!
As a vegan, a big priority for Christine when it came to the decor was to keep the wedding day as environmentally friendly and handmade as possible and that meant digging in with some good old-fashioned DIY... All of the bunting was made by myself with a second-hand sewing machine using scrap fabric that I got from a thrift store. All of the invites and envelopes were printed on 100% recycled paper, and we had online RSVPs set up. Our napkins were thrifted, our plates were compostable palm leaf, our glasses were mason jars and our food (and beer) was all locally sourced and in season.
All of the centerpieces and all of the decorations were handmade by the bride, with some heavy lifting by groom Caomhan!
As well as environmentally friendly decor, Christine wanted lots of vegan options when it came to the food, so the couple went with local catering company, Two Dishes Catering and they kept it local with the beer too, sourcing local produce from the Publican House Brewery.
The flowers were sourced in local shops and all bouquets and centre pieces arranged by friends. The bride's friend Ashley even made the wedding cake as a wedding gift!
So after creating a DIY wedding on a strict budget, miles from home, largely on their own they must have some words of wisdom to share from the experience? "I cannot stress the benefits of this enough: get a good photographer! These could be the only professional photos you two will ever get taken, and someday they will be the only reminder of the best day of your life. A good photographer will make you feel comfortable and will make you look great, no matter the whether or how awkward you feel! Also, do what you want! It is your wedding, continuously remind each other of that so that you don’t sweat the small stuff! Wise words - the proof is in the photos, they are simple stunning!
Congratulations Christine and Caomhan! What a wedding! Truly a one of a kind - who else could pull off a colourful campsite celebration! Thanks a mill for sharing One Fab Wedding with us all...
And of course a big thank you goes to Ash Nayler for sharing her work with us at One Fab Day, to see more of Ash's work pop over to www.ashnayler.com. And a personal thank you from the McNally family to Stu for being such a super host to us all, and an amazing friend to Caomhan and Christine - Naoise
The Wedding Details:
- Ceremony: Youth Leadership Camps Canada Pigeon Lake
- Photographer: Ash Nayler
- Wedding Dress & necklace: Etsy
- Bridesmaids dresses: Coast
- Shoes: Mel by Melissa
- Groom smen suits: Topman, Asos & S.O.S
- Catering: Two Dishes Catering
- Bar and beer: Publican House Brewery
- Wedding Favours: JustButtons.com
- Make Up & Hair: Tianna’s Hair and Makeup
- Wedding Bands: Bob’s Watch Repair
