Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, we've seen lots of beautiful real weddings with small guest lists, but the couple at the centre of today's bash, Rose and Junior, chose to have just 42 guests at their Ballybeg House wedding, long before the introduction of restrictions. For this loved-up pair, an intimate gathering was a must, and the location had to fit a specific brief - they wanted someplace rustic, peaceful, and private, where their guests could feel right at home. They found their ideal venue in Ballybeg House, and their perfect photographer in Livia Figueiredo, who was kind enough to share these images from their big day with us. Elegant with just a touch of rustic, it's a total heart-stealer!

Rose tells us that she first met Junior when he joined the company she was working for in 2016. "He had quite a few admirers, but from the moment we met, we hit it off," Rose says. "We shared a kiss that very first night. Then he disappeared again for almost a month, but we kept in contact through Facebook. He moved to Wexford in March and, by early May, we were living together. It was a total whirlwind that we both thought was too good to be true and questioned could it last. But as we stood and shared our vows in the beautiful Aerys ceremony room in Ballybeg a few years later, our love for each other had grown into something so special that we never want to let go of it."

Just over a year after their first meeting, Junior popped the question during a visit to Hook Lighthouse. Rose remembers, "I was being lazy that morning, and didn’t want to get out of bed, but Junior made me get up." A few hours later, the pair were out on the rocks at Hook Lighthouse. "I was taking pictures, while he was messing about with his drone," Rose says. "He asked me to turn around to be in his drone video, however, instead of flying his drone, he was down on one knee with a ring in his hand. It’s definitely up there as one of the happiest moments in our lives. As we sat on the rocks, me recovering from the shock and wiping tears from my eyes, an alarm rang on his phone. It read, 'Ask Rose is she happy she got out of bed.' I most certainly was."

Rose and Junior's top priority in wedding planning was creating a day that their family would enjoy. "We wanted somewhere that both our families could sit back, relax and spend time together without any fuss. As we have very young nieces and nephews, we wanted somewhere that we knew they would be safe, that we didn’t have to constantly worrying about them."

This couple chose to have just 42 guests (including 8 children) at their wedding. "Due to having such an intimate wedding, we could enjoy every second of the day, and the company of our family and friends, from getting ready right through to last orders at the end of the night. Tee (from Pears and Peaches) did a fantastic job in the marquee, setting up one long table arrangement so that we were all together."

Rose describes their Ballybeg House wedding as "just magical, the entire three full days we spent in Ballybeg were."

It took the couple no time at all to settle on Ballybeg House as their venue. Rose tells us, "We love Wicklow, walking in the hills and mountains, green fields, fresh air, places with rustic feel, a little bit quirky and, of course, romantic, and boy do you get all this and more in bucket loads in Ballybeg. The moment we entered the driveway, with the mature trees, and the backdrop of the hills, we said this was where we wanted to get married. Then we saw the venue, the walled garden and met Paddy, and that sealed the deal."

Rose and Junior felt that Ballybeg House was the perfect spot to host the laid-back day they were dreaming of. "Ballybeg has such a calming, relaxing atmosphere that I don’t think it’s possible to be stressed," Rose says. "Also, the team there wouldn’t allow it! From the moment you arrive, it’s your and your guests' special time and you’re not allowed to lift a finger."

Another huge sell for this pair was the venue's gorgeous Ayers Ceremony Room. "Tee created such a romantic atmosphere, we knew something very special was about to take place. This atmosphere was electrified by the fabulous Dublin String Quartet playing pieces that were very special to us, the amazing Amy Brown bringing our personalised ceremony to life, and friends and family reading quotes and passages from movies that really depicted us and the exciting adventure that is ahead of us."

It sounds like this couple got exactly the kind of day they hoped for! "The sun shone down on us as we ventured out in the beautiful gardens in Ballybeg, where the kids could run free while we sat back and enjoyed the tranquility of the setting, the amazing company of the special people in our lives and got the first tasters of the exquisite food from Molly’s Larder. We still talk about how amazing the food was."

Great photography was another must-have for this pair. "Junior loves photography and so we wanted to ensure we got someone whose photos would bring our day back to life for us," Rose says. "Livia stood out for us amongst a long list. And, being from Brazil, she was well able to co-ordinate both sides of the family." 

Rose and Junior had a very special guest join them for their wedding portraits! "As Livia brought us around the grounds picking out some fab spots to take photos that we will treasure forever, we found the friendly Ballybeg horse," Rose says. "He sniffed out Junior's button hole flowers and swiped them clean off, that brought quite a lot of laughter, and then, to top it off, he spat the twine from the flower out onto my dress. Little Rose, my niece, came to the rescue shooing him away and fixing my dress."

Junior's family travelled all the way from Brazil to attend the wedding, so the couple and their wedding party were keen to make them feel included, making sure to write the signage and stationery in both English and Portuguese. "Junior's best man, Liam, added a lovely thoughtful touch, having his speech translated into Portuguese and printed so that Junior’s family who do not speak English would understand what he was saying." This is such a great idea for couples whose guests speak different languages!

In terms of aesthetics, the couple wanted their day to have a natural, organic vibe. " Ballybeg has a very rustic look and feel, which we both love, and Tee and her team are very skilled in understanding how to bring your fairytale to life. We had a wildflower theme and, wow, did Tee deliver above and beyond what we could have imagined."

Rose's advice to engaged couples is to, "think about what’s important to you as a couple and not what you think others expect. Relax and don’t stress. Nobody but the two of you knows what’s supposed to happen."

Rose and Junior were planning to honeymoon in Europe, but unfortunately, Covid-19 put a stop to their plans. "We did manage to get to Dromoland Castle for a weekend just before lockdown," Rose tells us. "It’s a fabulous place to completely unwind and spend quality time together."

Thanks so much to Rose and Junior for sharing their gorgeous Ballybeg House wedding with us, and to Livia Figueiredo Photography for providing the beautiful imagery! There are even more photographs to fawn over in the gallery below.