When a couple have been together a long time or share lots of friends in common, their wedding comes with a ready-made loved-up atmosphere. And when you watch Caroline and Barry's wedding film, you'll see why! This pair have shared the same gang of pals for so long, they don't actually remember the first time they met! What began as acquaintances on nights out, blossomed into something pretty special - and you can see from the smiles (and the tears!) on their friends' faces, everyone was pretty chuffed to be in Dingle celebrating their marriage. The couple got engaged at home with their dog Bear by their side, and instantly knew Dingle was the one and only place to say 'I do'. From the gorgeous style and the floral-laced decor to the old world charm of Ballintaggart House, this one is crammed with inspiration, all documented beautifully by Little Bear Films.
Watch Caroline & Barry's Romantic Wedding Film
From the Bride
Caroline tells us a little more about the story behind her and Barry's big day...
Barry proposed to me on my birthday at home in our house in Drumcondra. Very simple and very romantic, just the two of us and our dog Bear.
He wrapped one of those light boxes up as gift for me and the message on the light box read 'Marry Me?'. Well that's what it should have read but when he wrapped it the letters got all jumbled up and didn't make any sense so he had to explain it to me. We sat on the floor cuddling and drinking Prosecco for about an hour before we picked up the phones to share the news.
We chose to get married in Dingle as it's our favourite place in Ireland. We go there several times a year - as often as we can - because my parents live down there. They relocated down there a few years ago. As a couple some of our fondest memories are from Dingle. We feel at home there (well, it's now my home from home), we love the atmosphere and the familiar faces, the food and the scenery.
When we got engaged it wasn't even a discussion, it was just 'we're obviously doing it in Dingle' - what better place to bring all of your favourite people for one brilliant weekend?
We chose Ballintaggart House because it has so much charm. Nothing is perfect but in a way, that makes it perfect. The nooks and crannies, the details, the romantic courtyard... John and Clodagh who run it are just two of the nicest people you'll ever deal with and we had no stress whatsoever.
It could not have been more relaxed. We were able to put our own stamp on the venue which was always important for me being an interiors stylist as well (one of my many jobs). We had already decided on Ballintaggart before we even set foot in the place but once we had the food tasting we couldn't believe the standard. We firmly believe we had the best wedding food that there's ever been at any wedding ever. Big claim but one we're willing to make.
The scenery around the venue is also class and it's close to the town so convenient for accommodation etc. When you get married in Ballintaggart it really feels as though it's your home while you're there. It was like having one big gaff party for our wedding and that's exactly the vibe we always wanted. We were never keen on hotels. Ballintaggart was a no brainer for us.
The day was wonderful. Being honest, we didn't big it up too much. We didn't want to pressure ourselves into having the 'best day of our lives', because our idea of the best day ever is very chilled and probably just involves the two of us. So we aimed to have a really great day and we did. It was so enjoyable and the tiny things that go wrong really don't matter a damn. From the moment we woke up to get ready to the moment we went to bed, every thing that happened was utterly personalised and unique to us. We had a friend marry us for our ceremony so we had the chance to create a ceremony entirely from scratch with our own readings -including quotes from movies - our own songs, not a single thing was 'rinse and repeat'.
It meant everyone was really engaged throughout the ceremony. We had no rules, and we didn't stick to too many traditions either. It was incredible relaxed and fun - the main thing for a ceremony is to have fun, I think.
One of the best decisions we made when getting married was booking a videographer. We were lucky that Little Bear Films also happened to be our best man, so we were in good hands with his shooter who you'd never even know was there. The number one regret at weddings is not having a video to look back on and with so much adrenaline and emotion on the day itself it's really hard to take it all in. You forget things and you can't be everywhere at once, so the video gives you the chance to relive it and it is the most enjoyable thing you can do post wedding. Any post wedding blues will be banished and you have this cinema quality capsule of your perfect day to revisit time and time again.
