From the moment Vanessa and Garth arrived at Rathmullan House they fell in love with the scenic surroundings and beautiful homely décor. As Vanessa told us..."The drive to the house between Ramelton and Rathmullan is just stunning. Then the house, it was so homey and relaxed from the minute you walked in. We met with Mark and he was so accommodating to all our questions and crazy ideas such as wanting to get married outside." Making the most of the house Vanessa and Garth had a proper party weekend wedding all captured by Ten21 to inspire you today.
Vanessa recalls how she and Garth met..."We went to highschool together, and we were even in the same year 8 maths class! We were never great friends, but we were in the same circle of friends. When we started uni, we were both in engineering and it was a course with 20 odd girls and 400 odd boys. I latched onto Garth to protect me from all the other boys, it really was a friendship that developed (with a little help from our friends, some of which flew over to Ireland especially for the wedding) into more!"
Garth then proposed during their first Christmas away from home in Australia. Vanessa told us..."We went to Garth's home town in Northern Ireland, Castlederg, and were staying with his family at the Derg Arms. The night before his cousin and I were in the pub and giving him all sorts of grief for all the bad Christmas presents I had received in the past, including Christmas coloured tea towels. We woke up on Christmas morning and we were still in bed. Instead of a Christmas present I got a (long awaited) ring!"
For their venue Garth and Vanessa wanted somewhere chilled and inviting and where if the weather allowed they could have their ceremony outdoors. Vanessa remembers..."We wanted an outdoor, open bar and relaxed feel wedding. It really was a wedding weekend with a party in the middle! Being Ireland we were tempting fate with the weather, and many venues said we were mad. But the staff at Rathmulllan were fab! Plan A was the grass, Plan B was inside.. But last minute the day before we faced the reality the the grass was just too wet, so we came up with Plan before A - why not on the gravel driveway outside the house. We think it worked out perfectly."
Vanessa continues..."We really liked the idea that we had the whole house to ourselves and our guests. It was to become our home away from home for the weekend. We were lucky to get to stay at Rathmullan a few times before the wedding when our respective parents visited, and each time we fell in love with the house more and more."
Such a beautiful bridal party! Keeping things simple Vanessa opted for short blue bridesmaid dresses and nude heels for her girls, while her own dress was by David Fielden. Vanessa then completed her classic look with a perfect updo by Lynette Murray.
Embracing the house party vibe of the wedding Vanessa and Garth kept their wedding styling simple and paired back. Vanessa describes the look and feel of the wedding...."The look was simple and homey, less is always more! I didn't have a colour scheme, rather I just had a style I wanted to achieve. The vibe was just a day filled with love and laughter. A lot of our guest didn't know one another, but experiencing the day and looking back at photos you would have never known."
In an effort to get Australian and Irish guests mingling Vanessa and Garth seated guests beside others they didn't know. A risk, but one that paid off as Vanessa told us..."It was very special to us that everyone seemed to have such a great time. We took the big risk to have all our friends and family separated from those they know on tables, so everyone sat near a new face, but we think it really worked and made the day more special as people who only met that day were laughing and dancing together all day and into the wee hours of the morning!"
To complete the day Vanessa and Garth had a delectable naked wedding cake and Indonesian batik purses filled with Cherry Ripes (an Australian chocolate) as wedding favours. Huge congrats to you both and thanks so much for sharing your Rathmullan House wedding with us all!
A big thank you also goes to Ten21 for sharing their work with us. To see more from Ten21 visit www.tentwentyone.co.uk
The Wedding Details
- Wedding Dress: David Fielden
- Bridesmaids dresses: Rodeo Show
- Shoes: Kurt Geiger
- Flowers: Tiger Lily Florist
- Groomsmen’s suits: Ted Baker
- Earrings: Chelsea De Luca, Ties: TM Lewin Men's shoes: Gingers For Gentlemen
- Cake: Angel Cake Bakery
- Stationery: Little Deets
- Make Up: Jennifer Ireland
- Wedding Bands: The Reckoners
- Cinematographer: Cinematic Tide
- Photographer: Ten21
- Celebrant: Brian Barr @ Irish Ceremonies
- Hired Wooden Slates for Tables: Innocent Chaos