After getting engaged on the eve of her 30th birthday Triona jumped straight into the wedding planning process and organised an impressive celebration of love at the epic Ballinacurra House. The day had elegant Celtic vibes complete with a stunning off the shoulder dress and four-course gourmet feast. As Triona and groom Seamie tells us...“The wedding was a celebration of our lives, our love, family at the centre of the celebrations and an opportunity to support local west cork talent and artisan producers.“ Kate Bean captured each moment beautifully, prepare to be inspired...

Triona and Seamie shared a typical small town romance. Triona remembers...“I (aged 18) was a barmaid in a bar regularly frequented by Seamie (21). We fell in and out of each other lives for many years, Seamie returned from travelling in 2010 and we’ve have been inseparable ever since. I always knew we'd fall in love and get married, Seamie needed a little time and a little convincing.“

What a beautiful mother and daughter shot to have...

As Triona approached 30 Seamie decided to make her dreams come true and propose on holidays. Triona fondly recalls...“I may have mentioned a few times I’d like to be engaged before I turned 30. 1st February 2016 was fast approaching so Seamie knew the time was right. He did the noble thing and asked my father's permission for my hand in marriage.“

Triona continues...“We went on a night away to Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore and a romantic walk was the plan for the proposal. I was feeling unwell so we returned to the room and its here in Room 50 that Seamie popped the questions, just hours before I turned the big 30. The ring was just perfect, thank you Tuula Harrington from DesignWorks Studio, Cork.“

Keen to have a short engagement Triona and Seamie began to venue hunt straight away and quickly settled on the beautiful Ballinacurra House in Kinsale.

Triona describes what made Ballinacurra House perfect for them...“Before we viewed properties our criteria was (a) exclusive venue rental (b) quality food (c) we had decided on a ‘small wedding’ (under 100) and wanted to ensure our numbers wouldn't look lost in a venue. The first venue we visited first was Ballinacurra House, Seamie was in love within minutes and his mind was made up but I was keeping an open mind as we had more appointments that day. It was decided that Ballinacurra would be that venue that very day due to their being dates that suited (we booked in April and wanted to be married within the year) and it fit everything on our criteria.“

The inspiration for the day was Celtic Ireland and the Irish phrase Turas an Ghra. Triona tells us...“The feel of the day was Turas an Ghra (a journey of love) - which was engraved on our wedding rings, and carried through onto our stationary and other items in the day.“

The Celtic vibe was also reflected in Seamie's dapper tweed suit and the rustic wedding flowers, while Triona opted for an elegant off the shoulder wedding dress and bridal headpiece, both bought in Folkster.

Eager to reflect their personalities throughout the day Seamie and Triona put lots of effort into their wedding meal and took the risk of offering no menu choices. Triona recalls...“We had a four-course meal that we planned and there were no options for our guests. It really was us sharing our love of food with them and it went down really well.“

Other personal details included DIY wedding stationery, bespoke chocolate bar favours, order of services printed on plantable seed paper, a personalised wedding logo designed by Seamie’s sister and her partner, hand-picked ceremony poems and readings and intimate speeches before dinner. Triona gushes...“We planned our ceremony from start to finish and every reading, poem and word meant something to us both. Our speeches occurred at our drinks reception before our meal and this worked really well. It was very intimate enjoyable time - probably one of my top three moments of the day.“

Love the look and feel of this wedding? Triona and Seamie have some advice to help you recreate a similar vibe...“Think every element through but don't drive yourself crazy or take too long to make decisions. Pinterest is great but try to think for yourself and the wedding will become more of a reflection of who you are as a couple. We decided on a theme to reflect the time of year and we carried the theme throughout the day.“

For their honeymoon, the happy couple spent three nights in Monart Enniscorthy and two nights in Rome. Huge congratulations to you both and thanks so much for sharing your beautiful wedding day with us all!

A big thank you also goes to Kate Bean for sharing her work with us. To see more from Kate Bean visit www.katebeanphotography.com

 The Wedding Details

• Wedding Dress and headpiece: Folkster
• Bridesmaids dresses: Coast
• Shoes: Ted Baker and River Island
• Flowers: Vintage Cut Flowers
• Groom(smen)’s suits: Tom Murphys
• Seamie’s pocket watch - Fields
• Wedding Favours: Personalised chocolate bars from Clonakilty Chocolate and wild flower seeds

• Make Up & Hair: Jagged Edge
• Make up: Siobhan O’Mahony
• Wedding Bands: Tuula Harrington Design Works Studio
• Ceremony Music: Hannah O’Leary
• Reception Harpist: Carys Ann Evans
• Wedding band: The Choons
• Photographer: Kate Bean Photography