If your Pinterest board is full of minimal and timeless details, then we can assure you the springtime real wedding of Emma and Stephen at Crover House in Co. Cavan is going to provide you with a wonderful amount of inspiration. Photographer Hello Sugar captures the vision for us all, revealing a custom bridal gown and tiara, angelic white bridesmaids, and an abundance of other exquisite and unique elements. Take a peek right here...
Emma and Stephen have been head over heels in love with one another for the past 13 years. They tell us of the love tale when they first met: "We met when we were 17 (Emma) and 18 (Stephen). It isn’t a very exciting story as we met at the local disco after Stephen finished his Leaving Cert exams. We then both progressed on to college in Maynooth and the rest is history!"
As for the proposal, this story is so sweet and lovely. Stephen popped the all important question at Emma’s favourite place to visit from her childhood, somewhere that they both visit every year for some surf and sea air in Dunfanaghy in Co. Donegal. "We went for a morning walk along Kilahoey Beach and Stephen got down on one knee. We went for breakfast and came home early surprising our families," they added.
Emma chose Jessica Rabbit curls, often known as Hollywood waves, and we are in total awe of it. Glamorous, elegant, and opulent all at once! Stay tuned for the star of the show, Emma's bridal headpiece which is simply out of this world.
The subtle and delicate tones of white, pink, and a pop of plum in the fluffy-rose bouquets contrast exquisitely with the pearly white bridesmaid dresses.
Introducing the bridal headpiece of dreams... an ethereal and elegant addition to Emma's bespoke wedding gown that we will delve into much more detail in just a bit.
The wedding aesthetic of Emma and Stephen's springtime wedding was about keeping it nice, clean, bright and simple with little pops of colour. Emma explains the inspiration behind her beautifully chosen details: "I love stationery and decorating and decided to undertake the task of the wedding decor myself. I created designs for the invites, booklets and signs myself. Stephen’s dad created a little mini gin bar for our reception and the whole look came together, especially with the help from the very talented Ursula in Love Blossoms. I looked through Instagram and pages like One Fab Day for inspiration and assessed what we would be able to do ourselves for a more personal touch."
When asked to sum up the day, the couple said: "I think it is so difficult – but something we wanted was just for everyone to enjoy the day and from start to finish it was enjoyed by not just ourselves but by all our guests! It was an extremely lively day filled with music, dancing and lots of laughter! What more could you ask for?"
Some of the newlyweds' favourite songs, which hold special meaning for them, were incorporated into the ceremony. "We selected Hozier’s ‘Like Real People Do’ as our entrance song and Tyler Childers ‘Lady May’ for signing our register. When speaking with Lauren Craig about these she replied saying that she loved our choice of music and we were delighted that we got to work with such a talented lady."
The bride's flawlessly tailored wedding gown, complete with a jaw-dropping cape and intricate gold embellishments on the back, was handmade with perfection by Una Rodden. Emma shares with One Fab Day her wedding dress designer discovery, "I used to work as a makeup artist and a number of years ago, a guest of a wedding mentioned that the bride was getting her dress made by a designer in Belfast called Una Rodden. Having seen pictures from that wedding I fell in love with her bespoke design and how unique her dress was. I vowed that if I ever got married I would consider looking into getting my dress made by Una."
Emma adds, "I knew from the moment I met with Una and she sketched out the design I knew that she understood the concept of what I wanted. This was an aspect of our wedding that I really cherish, getting to be involved in the collaboration process was a very special experience for me. Una is an extremely talented and hardworking fashion designer with an eye for perfection and I will always appreciate all her time and dedication to her profession for creating my bespoke wedding gown. We kept it clean and classical at the front of the gown with a more dramatic edge to the back of the gown which was detachable."
"I then reached out to the creative Lori Muldoon to further elevate the design. Lori created the most exquisite headpiece and designed an embellishment for my dress. She also created the most simple drop pearl earrings for me. It was such a pleasure to work with such talent and extremely dedicated people within the industry. Una and Lori both offered so much help, advice and many giggles throughout the process. It was such an honour to collectively work with two people who pride themselves in creativity and dedication to their profession, for crafting my bespoke wedding gown," she added.
The gorgeous wedding venue, Crover House, with its breathtaking views of Lough Sheelin, was the perfect setting for the couple's day. "With beginning the planning stages, we knew once we first met with the wedding team in Crover House they instantly put us at ease and they really made everything possible. The attention to detail was what made the day run so smoothly. It was remarked by all guests how attentive the staff were and complimented by everyone," said the couple.
Emma's breathtaking bridesmaids adorned their look with soft curls and flawless makeup. There is something oh-so-special about bridesmaids in white, chic and full of simplicity!
Emma's artistic handcrafted stationery, with a minimalist motif, adorns the tablescapes. To bring some springtime charm to the wedding guest tables, the couple used place card names with added pink dried flowers, gorgeous floral bud vases, and candlelight to add an extra special ambience!
As for the couple's priorities, they set them out from the very beginning and that was to celebrate the love they shared for one another along with each person who would be a part of their wedding day. "Stephen’s motto was ‘Craic agus Ceol’, that’s where we focused our attention, ensuring that we had lots of music to make our day extremely special. I think everyone, wedding guests and staff included would say it was a very lively affair! Raglan Music was a very special part of our day, getting the whole crowd up singing and dancing before the dessert was served! And a real crowd pleaser that got everyone to their feet was when Stephen’s brother and Bestman James, gave a wonderful rendition of ‘Friends in Low Places’! It was a big priority that we captured as many memories by Paula from Hello Sugar Photography, we asked Paula to really focus on capturing moments of our guests chatting and enjoying themselves. When we received our gorgeous photos, it just brought it all back, she was such a pleasure to work with and has given us the opportunity to revisit the memories we made on our wedding day! "
Stephen the dapper groom sports a sophisticated black three-piece tuxedo with a silk lapel and black patent shoes. The perfect choice for such an elegant and timeless wedding day!
As for wedding advice, a question we love to ask our real wedding couples, Emma and Stephen shared some really valuable pointers. They said "The best piece of advice that I can give and friends of ours who have recently got married would agree, that we would encourage everyone to try to implement it into their day. Just take a moment with your partner throughout the key moments of your day and just take a look around and really soak up the atmosphere. This is the day you both planned and worked so hard for and it’s finally here. It is such a wonderful atmosphere to take in and appreciate because your nearest and dearest are here to celebrate with you both. With regards to planning – make lots of LIST’S – get all the thoughts out on paper. It really helps. I think each couple needs to remain true to themselves, it’s a time in your lives that comes with some pressure, but at the end of the day it is about you and your partner, prioritize what is really important to you both and compromise on things too."
They shared their first dance as husband and wife to ‘Everywhere’ by Fleetwood Mac before enjoying a sparkler tunnel under the starlight sky with their loved ones. Once the celebrations came to an end, they jetted off on their honeymoon to Lisbon four days after the wedding. "We went for four days to a gorgeous hotel, soaked up the sun and the sights the city had to offer and its beautiful cuisine! We had such a lovely time getting a little R&R, and as we both teachers getting away when school was on was such a novelty to us both! We are planning hopefully a future adventure, we can’t decide yet but the Caribbean islands are currently the front-runner!"
A very special thank you to our lovely couple Emma and Stephen, along with Hello Sugar Photography for sharing these wonderfully captured moments with One Fab Day.
Are you tying the knot during springtime? Check out the rest of our Springtime Real Weddings for loads of inspiration!
