Every now and then a real wedding comes along that leaves us in awe. Today's is one of those. An incredibly creative couple, Jemma and Dave developed a wedding concept of Geometric meets Bauhaus, with a complimentary sub-theme of glitter, gold and roaring 1920's glamour. Undertaking numerous DIY projects Jemma and Dave incorporated colour, style, personality and texture into every element of their wedding day at Durhamstown Castle - along with the help of supportive friends and wedding professionals, including photographer Paula Gillespie. Get ready to Pin and be thoroughly inspired...

First things first, and back to where it all began - on the cardiology children's ward of a South London hospital. Jemma explains..."Dave and I met at work in London. I was a pharmacist and he was a doctor on the cardiology children's ward. I was coming up to the end of my rotation on the ward and he was just starting, so I had my work cut out training in new doctors. As he was easy on the eye I kept my work front on, giving nothing away. Then, one day we had a bit of a debate (argument) on the best way to treat a patient. Having both said sorry, Dave then gave me his phone number on a post it note, so it pays to be assertive. (We later left post it notes on our guests tables to write us a message as it was a play on Dave's very “resourceful romantic" gesture.) "

A hopeless liar Dave tried his best to organise a surprise proposal but Jemma knew something was up almost straight away..."Long story short, I was heading off to work locuming as a pharmacist on my summer holidays from medical school, at the end of July 2014, and we had planned to go on regular date night, which on this occasion was dinner and a play. Nothing abnormal there, but my radar was alerted when Dave told me to wear something “nice”….he never tells me what to wear, so suspicion set in right there. The poor boy arrived outside the hospital – St Thomas looking mighty fine and sharp but a tad sweaty for a cool summers evening and I knew right there what was about to happen, he took me along the scenic route to where our “dinner date” was, which was equally a scenic route to the theatre. Having lived in London for six years, I knew every short-cut and back alley and avoided tourist trails like the plague, so I couldn't help but wonder why he was dragging me the long way round. Next thing I knew mid-complaining I was being led down the Southbank pier to a beautiful 1935 motor yacht, which was waiting for me. From here, the rest of the story is obvious, but there was one small unplanned hitch, the boat went the wrong way up the Thames ruining Dave’s proposal speech. Luckily he quickly came up with another little line. The answer was always going to be a yes, so we chugged our way along the Thames until we docked back at Southbank pier, where there was a further surprise awaiting me in the Oxo Tower Restaurant."

A creative soul Jemma knew immediately she wanted the wedding to be unique and impeccably decorated. She told us..."I was set on having a 3G wedding - geometric, gold and glitter, with sequin and block colours throughout. We wanted a wedding that was a relaxed, bohemian, "secret supper club" affair with a touch of glamour...A chilled, fun vibe with great food and great music."

Step number one was the stationery and the wedding venue, both of which set the tone for the contemporary Bauhaus inspired day. Jemma explains..."My wedding invites and orders of service were prize possessions. I knew what design I wanted, and I wanted them to be the focus of the wedding theme, everything stemmed from the invites. They were our guests first taster of the geometric madness that ensued. I loved creating these with Lauren of Saucy and Kitsch. I stumbled upon Lauren through endless blog searches. That is blogging stalking at its highest! She was just the best, she understood what I was trying to do and did it a thousand times better."

The venue was of equal importance and, again, suited the wedding day and theme perfectly. Jemma remembers..."We short-listed a whole host of venues around the east of Ireland. (Access to the airport was key as most of our guests were travelling from England.) On arrival at Durhamstown Castle Sue and Dave were very welcoming and served us great food and fine wine in their stunning kitchen, that is the heart and feature of their home. It was a no-brainer. We felt it would provide the relaxed bohemian style environment we wanted to create, plus it offered the assurance of amazing food – which I can vouch for. They enlightened us with a new project of theirs which was happening, they were renovating their old stables, it had the space to hold up to 100 people, and it screamed blank canvas to create the wedding we wanted..."

With a venue secured, and the perfect geometric invitations sent Jemma and Dave began collecting décor wherever they could (Penneys, Etsy, Ebay, charity shops and vintage stores in both the UK and Ireland) and DIYing to an impressively high standard.

Flowers were one aspect Jemma and Dave didn't want to DIY, and so enlisted the help of Gill Mee from Flowers By Mee. "She was just absolutely fab. I just knew from her pictures and speaking with her that she got exactly what I was after, she nailed it."

Encompassing the theme of glitter and gold Jemma wore her dream Jenny Packham wedding dress. "I ALWAYS wanted this dress. I started browsing casually two years or so after I got with Dave, very naughty and presumptuous I know. I remember stumbling upon the Eden wedding dress in an art deco shoot, and from that day on, no dress could ever contend. I just knew it was the one. It was the first dress I tried on, and the last one I came back to, I just needed my mom and sisters approval, the tears sealed the deal."

Following their church ceremony, and before their meal, Jemma and Dave treated guests to gin cocktails and Irish music in the gardens of Durhamstown, whilst they escaped for some beautiful wedding portraits and group shots with the wedding party.

Maintaining an Irish vibe was important to Jemma, as she explains..."I am very proud of being Irish and it is very key to who I am, so encompassing all things traditional and cultural was very important. i.e the Gaeilge throughout the speeches and the traditional Irish music and a few jigs and reels." 

Love Jemma and Dave's "secret cinema tent", which showed a selection of their favourite films throughout the day including: Moonrise Kingdom, The Third Man, and of course The Great Gatsby.

Inside the barn is where Jemma's creativity really showed with handmade geometric prints, a chic geometric seating plan, scratch card wedding favours (such a clever idea!) and glittering chevron table runners - amongst other impeccable details.

To complete their phenomenal wedding day Jemma and Dave organised a feast of sharing boards for starters, carved meat for mains, a selection of homemade deserts and amazing gluten free wedding cakes.

Following her months of planning Jemma has some sage words of advice..."Find people who are like-minded, in terms of photographers, designers and florists and hair and make up alike. I had the most amazing group of woman helping me pull off my ideas to make the day look and feel just how I had imagined. Trust them, its hard to let go sometimes. Delegation is key, family and friends are only too happy to be involved and want to feel involved, so use them and reward them!"

Big congratulations to you both, and thanks so much for sharing your inspirational geometric wedding day with us all. A big thank you also goes to Paula Gillespie for sharing her work with us. To see more from Paula Gillespie visit www.paulagillespie.com

Recommended Suppliers

Flowers: Flowers By Mee

The Wedding Details:

• Ceremony: St. Patricks Church of Ireland
• Reception: Durhamstown Castle
• Wedding Dress & Accessories: Jenny Packham
• Bride's Clutch: Vintage Styler 
• Bridesmaids dresses: Virgos Lounge
• Mother of the Bride: L.K.Bennett and custom Aoife Hannon hat
• Bride's Shoes: Dune via Ebay
• Photographer: Paula Gillespie
• Groomsmen’s suits: Holland and Esquire & Burton menswear
• Dad's: Moss brothers and Brownes Menswear Naas cufflinks
• Velvet Bow Ties: Mrs Bow Tie
• Dave's Bow Tie: Peckham Rye
• Wedding Ring Boxes and J&D Initials: Oliver Bonas

• Sequin Table Runner: Sweet Hostess
• Bridesmaid Gifts: Oliver Bonas
• Vintage Van: Little Piggy 
• Tassel Lampshades: Ebay
• Cake: Bridget Harney of The Search For Delicious
• Cars: Courtyard Classics
• Stationery: Saucy and Kitsch
• Make Up: Make up by Grainne Duffy
• Hair: Kristin Oritz of Maven Hair
• Engagement & Wedding Rings: Delphi antiques &  John Titcombe
• Ceremony/Reception Music: Ian Kinsella
• Wedding Band:  Thank Funk
• Framed Quotes: Etsy
• Arrow Lights, LOVE sign, LED Lights & Geometric Photo Frames: Penneys
• Videography: Kilig Productions