The September sun peeked through the clouds for Amy and Shanes's magical wedding day. The couple opted for a pared-back, eco-conscious and uber-personal, yet super stylish day in the heart of Co. Kildare, in the charming venue of Martinstown House. A beautiful pairing of autumn-inspired wedding tones, including teal and terracotta hues, personal wedding vows, handpainted table names made by the father of the groom and an embroidered veil that made us gasp. This real wedding is sentimental to the core and is sure to inspire! We'll let the beautiful images captured by Pawel Bebenca take it away!
Being in the same small school, and being the only girl in his physics class, Amy was bound to come to Shane's attention - well one would think right? "Unfortunately for me, Shane’s keen interest in maths and physics meant it would take until our early twenties, after my return from studying abroad, to finally become proper friends. Not to discount our teenage selves, who shared a weekly walk from French to physics class, during which we made tentative tries at getting to know one another. Our chances at young love were hampered, however, by our joint and complete inability to small talk, and our brief encounters generally tapered off into awkward silences!" laughs Amy. Fast forward to a newfound mutual love for rock climbing, and they finally hit it off. After expressing her feelings to Shane, the conversation ended with a first kiss that certainly was not their last!
Six years later, on their anniversary, at their home on a Sunday evening, Shane set the tone by cooking a candlelit dinner for the two. Amy explains: "Afterwards, sitting curled together by the fire, chatting about our day, he went quiet for a minute before remarking in his sincerest tone that he loved our evenings spent together like this, and, pausing, that he wanted to spend the rest of our lives having nice evenings together. He then pulled me up to standing, before getting down on one knee and presenting a little red ring box. He followed by saying that today was exactly six years since that first perfect date, which marked the beginning of our relationship, and while he had thought through all sorts of romantic mountain-top proposals, he decided that here, in our little home we created together, surrounded by our adorable dog and two cats, was the most ‘us’ and therefore the perfect place to propose!" she recalls. "I was so surprised by his proposal that all I could do was throw my arms around him and kiss him. Then, remembering there was something else I was supposed to do, I pulled back, tears threatening to break, laughed, and said I also wanted to spend the rest of my life having lovely evenings together with him," she adds.
Shane alongside his groomsmen looked stylishly dapper in their charcoal three-piece suits and dark terracotta ties and vibrant buttonholes. Of course, the best accessory of all was their beaming smiles as they made their way to the ceremony!
Just look at that wedding gown.We are in awe of the veil, colourfully and creatively embellished with a magnificent wildflower design! The dress, by aco-conscious bridal designer Catherine Deane, was found in one of our favourite bridal boutiques, Alice May Bridal in Co. Dublin.
Wholesome, natural, and totally ‘us’ was how Amy and Shane described their bright autumn wedding day. Being outdoorsy people, they wanted to be surrounded by nature, with an overall relaxed and informal feel to the day. "We didn’t want to follow every tradition if it didn’t feel right for us, so we cut back on some of the usual trimmings, such as printed signs and cut flowers and chose to follow a loose ethic of reusability. We also focused on making the ceremony wording wholly personal to us and our family!"
The venue that was the scene of all the magic from the night before right through to the day after was Martinstown House, a beautiful 19th-century country house and marquee nestled in a peaceful setting on its own park, complete with walled gardens in Co. Kildare. Although the lovebirds originally did not want a big wedding, picturing an intimate celebration with just their families as guests, they found a lovely compromise. "When our plans began to grow arms and legs, and we saw our small wedding fade away, we held firm that we still wanted that intimate family celebration too. So, despite the extra cost, we booked our family and bridesmaids into our wedding venue the day before, and after all the set up was complete, we shared a beautiful four-course meal together at one long table in the cosy dining room of Martinstown House, followed by a relaxed evening of drinks and chats in the drawing room. It was the perfect precursor to our wedding day, and our parents loved the special touch it added!" they say.
The newlyweds knew their venue was the one as they drove up the long tree-lined lane to Martinstown House. "It was mid-January when everything was bare and grey, yet this buttercup yellow house surrounded by sloping green lawns and majestic tall trees felt like stepping into a little oasis. The owner Edward showed us around in his uniquely charismatic and dry-humoured way, and we loved how homely the house felt, full of stories and character. Then we visited the rustic ceremony space, secreted amongst the trees of the mature grounds, and we knew it was exactly the venue for us. A little different, surrounded by nature, and oh-so charming, with just the right balance of informal elegance!"
Oh, how we love a mix and matched bridesmaid combo. The elegant, laid-back autumn wedding day was made for these teal and terracotta crushed velvet beauties.
Personal elements that made the day truly special was their reuse ethos when it came to their wedding decor - a sustainable approach that is growing in popularity. They say: "We had originally planned to just have simple numbers for the tables and leave it at that. Then, unable to resist a more personal touch, I suggested we use all the places we had climbed together as the table names instead, and that maybe I could sketch each one, and display them as a centre-piece. Almost immediately, I became overwhelmed by the task, so Shane suggested we ask his dad Padraig, who loves to paint in his spare time if he would do them for us. This resulted in 16 beautiful hand-painted watercolours of some of the most scenic places we've visited together." They also paired their table decor with fresh potted herbs and plants, to lean into the earthy and rustic aesthetic of the day.
As for some solid wedding advice, they say: "Don’t feel like you need to follow the same blueprint as your peers if it’s not what you truly want. Start with what feels essential to your marriage and come back to that each time you feel overwhelmed by decisions. Will anyone really remember the menu font you spent hours agonising over, or could you instead spend that time on, say, the wording of your vows instead of hastily scribbling them out the morning of your wedding day?"
Letting love sparkle, the couple concluded their magical autumn wedding night with a sparkler tunnel under the starry night sky. A very special thank you to Amy, Shane and Pawel Bebenca for sharing such a wonderful wedding day with One Fab Day. See more wonderful photos in the gallery below!
Loving these vibes? Check out more autumn wedding style such as ravishing wedding cakes, nail inspiration and Pinterest-worthy styling!
