Deserving of its own throne, is today's real wedding of Paulina and Eoin, which took place in August in the magical gardens of The Station House Hotel. Rustic homemade elements and whimsical wedding vibes, and a medieval-inspired bridal style that any knight in shining armour would have bent the knee for! Captured magnificently by Renata Dapsyte, prepare to be inspired by nature's purest beauty, ancient ruins, and proof that wedding favours and décor can be created simply and sustainably with the help of mother nature!
Both Paulina and Eoin wore jewellery they had gifted to each other throughout the year. However the beautiful bridal earrings were given by the maid of honour as Paulina's something new, and a sapphire ring, as her something borrowed and blue by her dear grandmother. Eoin wore a borrowed watch and Star Wars cufflinks.
Paulina and Eoin, originally from Sweden and Dublin, first met through mutual friends at a party, where they ended up talking for hours and quickly became good friends. "But we didn’t get together until a few months later, as we were both quite shy and took a while to make a move. After our first kiss, Eoin was such a gent and courted me with flowers and more romantic gestures for weeks after. We’ve been inseparable every moment since, he is my home," says Pauline.
Paulina's hair was pinned back in an ethereal style with the subtle and sweet addition of baby's breath. But, let's get back to their gorgeous love story. When the time arrived to ask Paulina to be his forever love, Eoin kept it personal and chose her favourite restaurant to pop the question over a romantic candlelight meal. Paulina explains: "Eoin proposed to me at our favourite restaurant, Toscana in Dublin. It was so romantic and unexpected, however, the hours before going there I felt that something was up, as he was being very mysterious and nervous about the evening. He has zero poker face!" she laughs.
Sharp and stylish! The dapper gents arrive at the ceremony in navy suits, grey waistcoats and vibrant fresh flower buttonholes. Peeking through the end of their trousers are colourful mix and match socks - a popular groomsmen gift idea and a humorous addition!
A poignant touch was added to the ceremony to honour Paulina's aunt. "Sadly my beautiful aunt passed away suddenly in the weeks leading up to the wedding and it meant a lot to me that a place was put aside especially for her with the rest of my family. We made a white rose flower bouquet and a framed message to remember her by and to have on her chair at the ceremony!" said Paulina.
Yes, you may have noticed above that this couple had a flower-man who delightfully scattered petals from a basket. Mother nature sprinkled her magic throughout this whimsical rustic outdoor wedding. Surrounded by all of the earth's natural elements and of course some very artistically creative DIYs by the couple. "We wanted a rustic nature theme, it was very important for us to have the ceremony outside, in nature surrounded by trees - which can be a very daring choice in Ireland but we were incredibly lucky with the weather. But most of all we wanted all our friends and family to have a good time, to feel safe and enjoy the day as much as we would." The wooden arch backdrop for the ceremony, created by Paulina and Eoin, fits in impeccably with the forest setting.
The newlyweds literally tied the knot when they chose the old Celtic tradition of hand fasting. They hand picked six different coloured ribbons that represented different aspects of their lives together. Their family and friends were involved by being invited up to place a ribbon over their hands. The tied ribbons represents the strength and tenderness of a marriage. "It was so much fun and felt so easygoing. Shout out to our spiritualist celebrant Tom Farrell, what a legend of a man!"
The Station House Hotel, only 20 miles from Dublin is set amidst acres of the beautiful Meath countryside and surrounded by magical gardens making this venue an idyllic location for a woodland-country escape. Approved by the HSE for Civil Ceremonies, the Turntable provides a magical amphitheatre setting outdoors amongst the trees, while the Carriage Suite can be set up for a very elegant indoor ceremony. The best of both worlds, and a great reassurance knowing you always have a plan B if the weather gods decide to misbehave!
The couple explains why they chose the Station House for their wedding: "We found it while browsing venues online, it was absolutely stunning! Everything from the gardens, the old ruins of the turning tables to the Carriage Suite, it just had such an amazing history to it that they had preserved beautifully. It really had everything we wanted and more. But because of the COVID restrictions at the time on the number of guests, we opted for a much smaller venue and to instead have the ceremony in a beautiful garden in the Wicklow Mountains," said Paulina. "However as the restrictions relaxed and the guest list grew, we felt that the Station House Hotel really was where we wanted to tie the knot. We were very lucky that they still had our date available, as we didn’t actually book it until two months ahead of the big day."
Paulina's wedding dress, from Italian designer Nicole Milano, is breathtakingly beautiful. The lace applique and the dramatic cape sleeves, fit for a medieval princess. Her bouquet is bursting with a mixture of greenery and foliage, allowing her blue florals to stand out.
A personal - and green-fingered touch was the wedding favours made of homemade succulent flowers in glass jars. "We had grown our own succulents, and used glass jars from our son’s baby food. Also at the end of the night there was a hangover kit filled with goodies for the evening and the morning after." Now this we love. The couple also collected bags of flower petals and dried them in the months before the wedding day to use as confetti. And but last not least, did you see those gorgeous name tags? Paulina and Eoin picked over over 100 laurel leaves and wrote the names on them by hand! Environmentally friendly, super sustainable and just overall amazing - so lovely for an eco-conscious couple.
The creativity continues to flow with yet another unique DIY idea that the guests really enjoyed. "We also made a special ‘Take a Shot & Find your Spot’ station for the seating plan, where everyone had to take a shot of margarita or Long Island ice tea before finding their seat. This basically became a station for everyone passing it later in the evening. And next to this was our guestbook table, where we had put out polaroid cameras and a polaroid frame for people to take fun pictures with and write a note to us. It was great fun and such a success having these two stations next to each other."
A four tiered naked style cake, with ivory and blue blooms takes centre stage of the Station House reception room. The blooming bouquets are placed alongside the cake, enhancing the beautiful cake display and a great way to re-purpose your wedding florals on the day!
The describe their wedding as the fastest day of their lives. "It was absolutely amazing, the stunning setting, all the amazing people, the weather, everything was just perfect. This was the first big party all of us had been to since the pandemic started and so it was just such an amazing atmosphere all around. And even though we weren’t allowed dancing, we still had a sneaky romantic dance at 3am, on the terrace of the hotel," they say.
Paulina and Eoin share some advice for when planning for your dream wedding day. They say: "Give yourselves more than three months to plan your wedding. But most importantly, take a quiet moment to yourselves, somewhere away from the crowd and just enjoy and appreciate your day and each other. One of our good friends told us this at the beginning of the day and it was the best advice we could have got."
Thank you Paulina and Eoin, and of course Renata Dapsyte for sharing this beautiful wedding at the Station House Hotel with us all. There are tonnes more gorgeous photos to see in the gallery below.
Did you love this medieval style wedding? Why not check out our Favourite Castle Wedding Venues in Ireland! We have all the biggest and hottest trends of 2022 here for you to also enjoy!
