Diane and Russell wanted their wedding to be a portrayal of their laid back and relaxed personalities. Lots of time and love (and dedication!) went into planning this special day. Diane is a DIY queen and you are in for a treat when you see how she brought it all together so tastefully and beautifully with her attention to detail. Their reception marquee is just stunning under its metres of hessian and lace. After hearing that they actually MADE their own wedding rings we shouldn't be surprised!
We won't spoil anymore for you but let you see all of their amazing DIY detais for yourselves..
Diane and Russell met in a bar in Belfast through a mutual friend. As Diane describes it she spotted a handsome, bearded man sitting in the corner, and just had to go over and talk to him! They chatted all night and swapped numbers, Russ did a bit of chasing and the rest as they say is history!
After a blissful 13 months together, came a Christmas engagement. Diane tells us that as cliché as it sounds, when you know, you know! "I knew within the first month of knowing Russell that he would be the man that I spent the rest of my life with." 
For Diane's Christmas present, Russell had arranged a surprise trip to Achill island off the west coast of Ireland for them to spend New Years there. Little did Diane know but Russell had already asked her Dad's permission to marry her, during a car journey to B&Q on Boxing Day! Not letting his nerves get to him, Russell pulled the car over at the most westerly point of the island and they got out to take some pictures of the stunning coastline.
"It was December and the Atlantic Ocean was raging and crashing against the coast. We got back into the car as it was so windy, but Russell said the sun was about to come out and we had to get back out for another picture. He put his arms around my waist and from behind whispered ‘I want you to be my wife, will you marry me?’ He then came round to face me and got down on one knee and presented me with a beautiful engagement ring that he had chosen himself. I exclaimed ‘are you joking?!!’ several times before realising he was serious and then said yes!"
Russell had thought of everything, even arranging for her two best friends and their husbands to come to Achill to celebrate and see in the New Year with them as another surprise! So sweet!
Check out this uber cool red vintage Karmann Ghia that they travelled to their wedding venue in, along with a VW Camper Van courtesy of Russell's best man and his wedding car business.
After getting over the celebrations of their engagement they both knew they didn't want a long engagement so got straight to the planning. First things first was the venue. They visited the 19th century Georgian estate on a grey, damp and cold day in February, and even in those conditions knew that Drenagh was the place for them.
"We wanted the ceremony and reception to be at the same location so that our guests could be as relaxed as possible and fully enjoy the day. We also both love the outdoors, so finding somewhere in Northern Ireland that we could have an outdoor ceremony as well as our reception, was a real find! We would be married in The Moon Garden at Drenagh, a walled sunken garden in the grounds of the estate, made from crumbling red bricks, sprawling ivy and a completely circular opening in one wall, reminiscent of that of the moon I suppose!" 
The beautiful circular opening in the garden wall provided a stunning backdrop for the ceremony.
Then came the dress! Dress hunting was relatively painless for Diane as she knew exactly what she wanted. It had to have three things: be made of lace, have sleeves and no sparkles. She found her dream Charlie Brear '1910' dress in Petticoat Lane and as she said herself, she felt like she could skip through a meadow in that dress. Along with her Mimosa mint green shoes she was all set. Diane being the ever so thoughtful bride wanted her leading ladies in something they would wear again and found a gorgeous scalloped lace dress in a nude-pink tone, that was accented with a pearl neckline. Definitely not a selfish bride, Diane actually bought the bridesmaid dresses before she bought her own! 
Diane adores peonies and sweet pea so luckily for her they were both in season for their spring wedding.
Diane's half flower crown placed above her veil and the flowers in the bridesmaids hair portrayed the laid back statement she wanted to make. 
The most important and favourite part of their day was the ceremony itself. Diane had a lovely morning getting ready with her mum and bridesmaids and had travelled to the venue with just her dad, allowing for some quality father-daughter time! Naturally enough she had begun to get really nervous and emotional as the time got closer and they approached The Moon Garden. But "all this faded away though when I saw Russell standing waiting for me. He was all I saw when I was walking into the Moon Garden. He took my hand and I found that he was very composed and he gave me a little smile, a squeeze and told me I looked beautiful, and the butterflies disappeared." 
Diane and her dad walked down the aisle to beautiful acoustic music played beautifully by Russell's groomsman and friends. Russell and Diane said their own vows which were really personal to themselves. The ceremony also included the Blessing of the Hands and an Indian Wedding Blessing. With their own vows, some lovely readings and a stunning backdrop like that, no wonder it was a favourite part of their day. 
Check out their very cute confetti. For lots more creative confetti ideas have a look at our Confetti alternatives.
Diane and Russell had visited a wedding ring studio for a one-on-one session with a local jeweller where they had made each others wedding rings from scratch from a plain rod of metal. How cool is that, to start off with a plain rod of metal and leave with bands of white gold and palladium that will remind them of that special day forever? Another interesting jewellery fact. Russell gave Diane a rose gold bracelet as a present on their wedding day which was made by the same jewellers who make the crowns and jewellery on Game of Thrones.
Photography was also really important to Russell and Diane. We have been told that Russell is quite camera-shy so they opted out of having a videographer. They speak very highly of Rob, the mastermind photographer behind the lens at Epic Love Photography. "His documentary style of shooting was exactly what we were looking for and he put us at ease with his friendly personality and fun outlook. On the wedding day itself, he was so creative, and came up with some amazing shots that took our breath away!" 
While the boys wore French Navy three-piece suits with tan brogues, Russell had a beautiful tweed waistcoat made for the big day. Diane had been a happy girl with her bearded fiancé but now that she had a bearded husband in a dapper tweed waistcoast she was over the moon!
The whole wedding took place at Drenagh Estate as it was really important to Diane and Russell that their guests wouldn't have to travel too far on the day which meant everyone could relax and enjoy the celebrations. It also provided an ideal setting for their picture-perfect portraits.
Who knew a palette could look so pretty? With a coat of white paint, an easel and some vintage frames, Russell and Diane had the perfect table plan to great their guests.
Diane and Russell wanted their wedding to echo their relaxed and laid back personalities. Diane has a creative and crafty flair that cannot go unnoticed with all her details on their wedding day. They went for a rustic feel using lots of lace, hessian and old glass bottles. Luckily she had some good help from her mum and dad in making the 100 metres of hessian and lace bunting that she decorated Drenagh with.
But it didn't stop at bunting. Diane decorated with tealights in jam jars, handmade the hessian table runners, cross stitched the table numbers displaying them in embroidery hoops and made the mini bunting for the cake topper! Luckily for Diane her uncle is an antiques collector so his treasure trove of antique glass bottles came in very handy for the centerpieces.
For their favours, the couple went for hand stamped ginger cookies that doubled up as place names, that fit nicely with their rustic theme that flowed throughout the day. Their stationery for the day continued on the theme of their white ink printed invitations bound together with twine and sealed the envelopes with a wax seal that bore their initials. Is there is there no end to their creative talents?
Talented Diane not only made the bunting herself but cross stitched ‘Mr & Mrs Crookes’ across it. So very cute.
Another wedding guest helping out on the day was Russell's cousin who played in the band keeping the dance floor full all night. There was also a fun surprise in store for Russell, Diane and their guests, as a few of Russell's friends had written a song and put together a music video which was played during the speeches. When the party really got started the happy couple enjoyed dancing the night away with a few dance-offs thrown in for good measure!
After all the wedding excitement had died down Diane had some helpful advice.. "It's been said before, but do whatever feels right to you! Dont worry if it breaks tradition or it ruffles some feathers, you have to do what makes you and your partner happy. It should be a celebration of everything that you are as a couple, in the past and of course going forward in your future together." Also as you can imagine after seeing her stunning attention to detail that Diane was so glad that they started early with all the DIY items as they always take longer than expected! Always something to keep in mind. Diane and Russell enjoyed an amazing honeymoon in Singapore and Borneo which was the perfect mix of a city break, trekking in the rainforest and some relaxing beach time.
A huge congratulations to Russell and Diane on their beautiful wedding day. Thanks so much to Epic Love Photography for sharing it with us. If you want to see more of their work head over to Epic Love Photography.
The Wedding Details:
- Ceremony & Reception: Drenagh Estate
- Flowers: The Stables Flower Co
- Cake: J Bird Bakery
- Transport: Star Car Hire
- Decor: The Wedding Room
- Dress: Petticoat Lane
- Veil: HM Veils
- Brides Shoes: Rachel Simpson
- Bridesmaid Dresses: Monsoon
- Hair: Gillian Cargo Hair Design
- Make-up: Kathryn Callaghan
- Menswear: Groom Formal Hire
- Wedding rings: Ember Jewellery
- Jewellery: Steensons
- Stationery: Twigs Print Studio
- Reception Band: Mystery Train
