Today's real wedding is elegant with a dash of industrial charm, a hard combination to pull off  - but it was a piece of cake for lovebirds Pauline and James. After a sweet proposal while travelling around Australia, the pair began planning their dream wedding day. The industrial backdrop of The Millhouse made it a winner when it came to their venue and the theme was understated elegance, with a beautiful green and white colour palette. For beautiful bride Pauline, their was nothing understated about her beautiful Lizzie Agnew wedding dress, which was the perfect gown to dance until the wee hours in. Pawel Bebenca captured the day and we're thrilled to share it with you all...
It took a broken heel on New Years Eve to get these two together! One women's nightmare, another's love story...James’ friend and my friend are brother and sister but even though we had seen each other from afar, we never spoke. It was New Year’s Eve 2004 that we eventually got to talk to each other. The heel on my shoe broke that night (disaster) so I was mostly confined to a stool at the bar! We chatted for most of the night and arranged to meet up the following week. And 9 years and 3 months later, here we are!
Proposing in a public place has its perils, but James held out for the passers-by to disperse and chose the perfect moment to ask Pauline to marry him...The proposal happened in Karajini National Park in Western Australia. We were travelling up the lesser known West Coast in a campervan and we stopped in Karajini for a couple of nights. It was pushing 40 degrees when we arrived so we quickly made our way to the pool for a dip! There were 3 pools in close proximity to each other so we decided to try them all. There were plenty of people about and James later told me that he found it really difficult to find the right opportunity because I wouldn’t stop talking to strangers at the pool! Ooops! The last pool we visited was called ‘Fern Pool’ and everyone seemed to be on their way out as we were walking in. When we got to the clearing, it was just a little slice of paradise! I took out the camera and started trying to find a place to prop up the camera for a timer photograph. When I turned around there he was on one knee with a token ring made from Iron Ore (mineral of the region), surprise! When we got back to Ireland we chose an engagement ring at O’Reilly’s Fine Jewellery Auction, on Francis Street.
From the very beginning, we had four main priorities which we scribbled down on the back of a cereal bar box in the campervan the day after we got engaged. (We got down to the details early on because we were isolated from all communication for a couple of days in the outback!) They were: to have a personal ceremony; an intimate venue where everyone could relax and enjoy the day; a photographer who would tell the story of our wedding; and of course, a band with whom we could dance into the small hours!
Pauline's dress is made for her! The tea party length is playful while the sheer lace neckline is elegant and feminine. It's no surprise that it's a Lizzie Agnew creation, if you missed our Bridal Designer Stuff We Love on the talented designer check it out here to see more gorgeous wedding dresses like Pauline's.
Pauline's bridesmaids wore sage green, a beautiful colour against the white of Pauline's wedding dress, don't you think?
For James and his groomsmen they went for different tones of blue, with James in a bright blue and his groomsmen in dark navy, a simple way to link you altogether.
The single white rose is a beautiful chair decoration, simple and effective.
Pauline and James chose to have a Humanist ceremony in the old mill at The Millhouse - that gave them the freedom to create something very personal.
It's official for Pauline and James!
So you may have recognised the old mill that Pauline and James had their ceremony in, of course, it had to be The Millhouse! It quite literally was love at first sight for the couple when they visited...We knew after our first visit to The Millhouse that it was for us. The house is situated at the end of an avenue along which there are disused industrial buildings from times gone by. The contrast of the urban/industry buildings with the grand country residence really makes it a unique place to be. Also, the staff make you feel at home as soon as you walk in the door.
It was the blend of industrial buildings and country charm that the newlyweds loved so much about the venue, it also lent itself well as a backdrop to their wedding portraits with Pawel Bebenca.
The marquee at The Millhouse has a white interior that was perfect with Pauline and James' vision of simple and understated elegance. James and the groomsmen helped with the set up on the morning of the wedding and friends and family got involved with flowers, decorations and even the cake!
The gorgeous floral display is the handy work of Pauline’s wonderful Auntie Anne, doesn't the green look fresh and elegant against the white table-cloth and chairs?
Not only did Pauline's mum make the wedding cake, she also made pots of strawberry jam as wedding favours, how sweet (pun totally intended!).
What advice would you give to couples planning their day? We kept a spreadsheet of our ideas, budget, guest list/RSVPs which really helped keep us organised. On the day, try to make sure to set aside some time just the two of you. Relax and enjoy it all because it is all over before you know it!
Huge congratulations to Pauline and James on their elegant Millhouse wedding. A big Thank You goes to Pawel Bebenca for sharing his work with us at One Fab Day, to see more of Pawel's work pop over to www.pawelbebenca.com.
The Details
- Venue: The Millhouse
- Celebrant: Emma Sides
- Wedding Dress: Lizzie Agnew
- Bridesmaids dresses: Coast
- Shoes: Carvela at BT2
- Groom’s suit: Louis Copeland
- Groomsmen’s suits: Aston Formalwear
- Bridesmaids Accessories: Robyn Crerar
- Grooms's Sunglasses: Custom Oakley
- Stationery:Cardsandpockets
- Make Up:Â Olive Linnane
- Hair: Ali O’Leary
- Wedding Bands: John Brereton Jewellers
- Ceremony Music:Â Jennifer Kelly and Anne Marie Liddy
- Reception Music: SpringBreak
