Today's real wedding captures that indescribable feeling of pre-Christmas magic! Karla and Anthony are a pair of ski-lovers who fittingly planned a winter wedding at Christmas time in Ballybeg House. The cosy surroundings created the perfect festive atmosphere, doused in candlelight. While the couple and their wedding party were decked out in glamorous style, the day itself was informal and fun, with lots of music, lots of cake, and lots of personal touches throughout. Bronté Photography captured it all beautifully!

Karla and Anthony tell us they’ve known each other for too long to remember, “Anthony is a school friend of my brothers’,” Karla explains. “When Anthony first asked me out on a date, my Mum said she had suspected through the years that he wasn’t always calling to our house to see my brother!”

Skiing played a big role in their relationship from the outset, “His first gift to me was a ski trip to Italy with his friends,” says Karla. “And suffice to say we’ve had many other memorable trips away since. We were together 13 years getting married.”

The proposal came during a ski trip too, while the couple were in Mayrhofen, Austria. “After three days of trying to find the right moment, Anthony got down on bended ‘skis’ at the top of our favourite mountain, Ahorn.” Karla recalls. “Apparently every time he tried to catch a private moment in the days prior, I’d either ski away from him or we were surrounded by too many people.”

Poor Anthony’s nerves were at him carrying around the ring, “I had started to wonder why he was being so protective of his backpack! Afterwards we slipped into the White Lounge igloo bar - 2000m above sea level - to celebrate with Champagne!

The couple did their first look and took bridal party photos after of the ceremony, “It was one of the best decisions that we made. The lads called up to Grouse Lodge, we had some Champagne and lots of laughs, and Anthony and I loved having that time together before our 130 guests came into the picture! It also saved us time after the ceremony which meant we didn’t miss out on the reception.”

The couple describe their wedding day as rustic, informal and festive, “The day was relaxed and fun, with a pre-Christmas party vibe as everyone had finished up for their holidays the day before.”

Karla and Anthony wanted to avoid the formality of a traditional hotel venue, “Which is why Ballybeg House was the perfect fit for us. It felt like a home away from home with a beautiful natural backdrop of the Wicklow mountains.”

Karla added a touch of sparkle and vintage glamour to her look (essential for winter wedding style if you ask me!). Nailing it with the accessories, we can't decide which we love more, the dazzling belt, the pretty birdcage veil, or the fabulous fur! The bridesmaids brought the glamour too with their embellished navy dresses, and the eucalyptus bouquets are beautifully unfussy - right up my street!

The couple say they chose Ballybeg because it was the whole package, “Having a variety of settings within the one location - the ceremony room, the main house for a drinks reception, the marquee for the afters, and the shibeen for our day two session.”

The couple available of the atmospheric ceremony space at in their venue, “Stepping into the ceremony room at Ballybeg is magical - it’s dark, candle-lit, rustic and romantic with open fires, and was the perfect intimate setting for us to share our vows.”

Having a personal ceremony was important to Karla and Anthony, “We opted for a Humanist ceremony as it reflects our values and gave us creative freedom which was awesome, but it also required thought and effort in order to pull it off.”

The couple made their ceremony even more personalised by shaking up the traditional readings, “We used excerpts of song lyrics as our ‘readings’ - and included Fleetwood Mac ‘You Make Loving Fun’; Marvin Gaye’s ‘You’re All I Need to Get By’; a poem by Bruce Springsteen; Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love’.” Love these!

One member of the wedding party had flown in from across the world, “My nephew Fergal had the very important job as our ring bearer, and it was really special for him to be part of the ceremony, travelling all the way home from Australia to be there.”

Intertwined with these readings was music by the Dublin String Quartet. “They played renditions of music from some from our favourite artists (e.g. Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, Sigur Ros, Hans Zimmer, Morrissey, INXS and the Pixies). I walked down the aisle to one of my favourite Radiohead songs on strings. We loved hearing afterwards of our friends racking their brains throughout the ceremony to try to identify the tune! We wanted our guests to feel like they were at a party in our house, so incorporating our favourite music hit the right note.”

Karla tells us about one last personal touch for the ceremony, “Anthony was chuffed to be able to weave in one of his favourite Seinfeld quotes into the ceremony, ‘Men want the same thing from their wife that they want from their underpants: a little bit of support, and a little bit of freedom. Luckily, Karla obliges me on both fronts’”. 

Photography was a big priority for this pair, “We wanted photos to capture precious moments from the event, without it being the event. We were so lucky with our photographer, Tanya Cullen, as she captured so many expressions and moments in the most natural and unobtrusive way.”

Karla and Anthony opted for a DJ set after the meal, “A priority for us was to include a variety of music to suit all age-groups and to keep the dance floor hopping. Aidan Kavanagh was brilliant - he called over to our house a few months before the wedding to really get to know us and our taste, and he kept everyone on the dance floor for the night. He even sent us video footage from a secret webcam on his table - it was such a nice touch to receive snippets from the dance floor the week after the wedding.”

The couple would recommend their virtual invitations, “We sent our wedding invitations via Greenvelope. The way in which the email opens makes it feel like you’re opening a physical envelope, and it was such a convenient way for guests to be able to log back in to view event information and directions prior to the wedding, rather than having to find a physical piece of paper. The ability to download a report of RSVPs and meal choices really eased the admin element of wedding coordination. We added music so David Bowie’s ‘Modern Love’ played when you opened the virtual invitation, so added our own personal touch to it.” Nice touch with the music!

The couple ditched the idea of a top table to make their reception a little less formal, “Untraditionally we sat for the meal with our friends, with our families at tables at either side of us. It worked out perfectly as it felt like we had an extended bridal party table and everyone felt at ease.”

The couple named their takes after ski resorts they’ve visited or their favourite mountains, “Ahorn, Mayrhofen, Zell am See, Le Deux Alpes, Lapland, Sauze Deux, which reminded us of our first holiday together, our engagement in the snow, and it also tied in with the festive vibe.”

The spectacular dessert table was made for Karla and Anthony by their friend Elaine Lipper Nash. “It was like a delicious work of art! The cake table consisted of red velvet, chocolate biscuit, chocolate peanut-butter, carrot cake, Bailey’s cheesecake in addition to delicately made macaroons and edible ornaments.”

The attention to detail is phenomenal, “She made little ski figurines to really personalise it. As a sweet surprise, my Mum gave Elaine a little white dove from my parents wedding cake to include on ours. So much thought and effort went into it and it was breathtaking.”

The couple had the perfect few days post-wedding, “We spent Christmas at Ballybeg with both of our families, which was a wonderful way to wind down after the wedding, also catered by Molly’s Larder.”

Karla and Anthony advice other couples to do things your way and stick to your guns. “It can be easy to get roped into traditions that may not mean much to you. If I had a penny for every time I heard ‘oh but you have to wear a veil… hire a band… do a first dance… get a photo cutting the cake’. Go with your gut and don’t put yourself into a situation where you’ll feel uncomfortable. The thoughts of everyone watching us dancing to a cheesy love song made us uncomfortable, so our DJ Aidan Kavanagh called everyone up to the dance floor to rave it out to Ride on Time by Blackbox as our ‘first dance’ and it was the best way to kick off the night!”

One last tip from this pair will apply to lots of couples! “Hire a coordinator if you get married in a non-hotel setting. Tee from Pairs and Peaches was amazing and took care of so many bits and pieces in the lead up to the day, from the flowers to the table settings and everything in between.”

And of course, it was back to the slopes for these two after the wedding, “We went on a mini-moon ski holiday to Kitzbuhl in Austria the week after the wedding, and Bali in June as the main event! Having our honeymoon split into two parts is the best idea as it gives you something to look forward to in the aftermath of the wedding.”

Anyone else feeling Christmassy yet? Thanks so much to Karla and Anthony for sharing their day with us, and of course to Bronté Photography for capturing all the magic!