A bespoke dress and a ceremony in the woods!

By

We know that a lot of couples are currently wondering what a wedding with 50 guests looks like, so we're delighted that today's real wedding shows just how gorgeous a celebration of this size can be! Niamh and David, from Dublin and Manchester respectively, had planned a party for 120 at Brooklodge and Macreddin Village, but cut the guest list to 42 when the pandemic hit, which also meant that friends and family members in the UK weren't able to attend. In many ways, it wasn't the wedding they had initially dreamed of, but, when you see the images from Emma Russell Photography, I know you'll agree that it was absolutely sensational!

Niamh tells us that she first met David on a group holiday to Vietnam. "The organiser of the group tour nominated him to take everyone’s travel details and put them into a spreadsheet, so the very first thing that he asked me was what was my passport number. As chat up lines go, this somehow worked and we got on immediately. We quickly got to know each other and spent the rest of the trip in each other’s pockets. After the holiday, we did the long-distance thing for a while and then made decision to move in together."

Niamh adds that the couple didn't have a traditional proposal. "We’d had a few conversations about wanting to get married at some point, but we then started talking as though it was happening, and we were planning our wedding day. It was only when we went to a friend’s wedding that we realised we’d actually skipped a step, so there and then Dave turned to me and asked me to marry him and it became official!"

The couple describe the big day as, "laid-back, intimate and personal. We aren’t traditional and didn’t want a formal wedding. Having an outside humanist ceremony in the woods really helped with this, and created a relaxed and personal atmosphere."

It was actually the bride's Mum who suggested Brooklodge and Macreddin Village as the venue. "We originally planned have our wedding where we live in Edinburgh," Niamh tells us, "but my mum insisted that we visited Brooklodge before we made our final decision. She knew that we wouldn’t be able to say no once we’d seen it, and, sure enough, as soon as we arrived, we were sold. It’s so picturesque; there’s a stunning backdrop of the Wicklow mountains and in the foreground, and you’re surrounded by woodland and green spaces. We loved the ethos of Brooklodge. They pride themselves on sustainable, organic and locally sourced produce and, being foodies, that was important to us."

Another big selling point for the couple was being able to host the entire day in one spot. "Most of the guests arrived the night before and we had a relaxed meal in their cosy, traditional pub, which helped people to mingle and get to know each other. Getting ready at the venue the morning of the wedding was so relaxed, knowing that everyone had already arrived and that everything was in hand. We had the ceremony in front of Macreddin chapel, overlooking a river, which felt like something straight out of a fairytale. The reception space, Brookhall, had a big expansive hall, which was perfect for social distancing, and a garden area, where we spent most of the night catching up with our guests."

Like many couples who got married in 2020, Niamh and David were worried that their big day wouldn't go ahead. "It was a huge relief when the day did come," Niamh says. "I think that everyone was just so glad to have made it, as well as to have a reason to celebrate and have fun. That sense of joy and appreciation for being together made the day so special."

The couple made sure to include personal touches from family members where they could. "My little cousin made a picture of our names together and the word Vietnam in scrabble pieces that we put on display in the bathroom," Niamh says. "Our friends decorated the venue the night before, hung up fairy lights, made bathroom baskets for guests and origami kits for the tables. My dad, who is normally terrified of public speaking, made the most heartfelt, inspiring speech that had everyone in bits...in a good way!"

The couple have got some great tips for including friends and family members who couldn't attend their wedding. "We set up a projector to play recorded videos and asked people to write notes or speeches that we read out on their behalf, which felt very personal."

Designer Niamh Lynch from design studio Bespoke Bridal created Niamh's wedding dress, as well as her Mam's gorgeous look for the big day! "I can’t recommend Niamh enough," the bride tells us, "it was such an enjoyable experience creating my own dress from start to finish. I absolutely loved my dress and just wish I could wear it again!"

Niamh's advice for engaged couples is to get to know your suppliers! "They know what they’re doing and often give really good advice. Our suppliers were so supportive and they had everything sorted on the day so it really took the stress off us." They also suggest spending extra time finding the right band and photographer. "Often this is what people remember. Our band, Blacktye, were incredible and they kept everyone dancing literally all night. We’ve been blown away by our photographer, Emma, who was incredible and her photos managed to capture the very essence of the day and the happiness that we all felt."

Can you believe that Niamh's Mum made the couple's wedding cake!? "She spent months painstakingly crafting sugar flowers, and based them on my grandmother’s favourite flowers, who had been unwell and sadly passed before the wedding," Niamh explains.

For their honeymoon, Niamh and David spent a week travelling around West Cork and Kerry. "It wasn’t our first choice, but we were really glad that we went!" they tell us. "It’s such a beautiful part of the world especially when the weather is good. It was unusually hot, and we felt that we could’ve been in the middle of the Mediterranean!"