Both from the same town Riva and John have known each other for 11 years and have grown up together, so it's no surprise their Ballybeg House real wedding by Brian Hutchinson Photography is so laid back and effortless. An impressive DIY affair Riva and her team of bridesmaids and family filled Ballybeg with lush pink flowers, crafty DIY details and over 100 paper pom poms and candles - perfectly showcasing the unique Ballybeg to their visiting 87 guests...

Together for 11 years Riva and John first met at the local petrol station where John worked at the time. Riva remembers..."I used to pull up in my small black Fiat Seicento where I’d flash him a smile and he’d pump my gas! One night, during the August bank holiday Regatta Festival weekend, we met in a local nightclub and got chatting although he’d had a few drinks and I wasn't so sure. The next day, hanging out at the carnival we bumped into each other again - he was off to have a Chinese with his family so arranged to meet afterwards. As he walked off I asked him to bring me back a prawn cracker! Low and behold, later that evening a glistening (with grease) cracker was produced from his pocket!"

Riva and John began to date and last summer John proposed. Riva tells us about the moment..."John proposed on 9th June while we were in London for the weekend. We’d lived there for 3 years and were back for a friend’s birthday. I had absolutely no idea as we were going to a festival to celebrate the birthday and had made lots of other plans. Last minute John had decided to book a room in the super cool Hoxton Hotel for our last night, maybe that should have been a clue, but I was still none the wiser! On our last day John got down on one knee - there were lots of tears and I said yes, then we went for cocktails at a rooftop bar and screamed with happiness down the phone as we called our families."

Opting for a spiritualist ceremony Riva and John decided upon Ballybeg House as their venue, where they held both their candle lit ceremony and chilled reception. Riva told us..."The ceremony room felt so so special and romantic. We loved the fact that everything was in one place at Ballybeg, so once guests arrived they could relax for the day. We also loved the fact we had the entire venue and grounds to ourselves for 3 days. "

Sticking with a pretty pink colour scheme Riva's bridesmaids wore pale pink bridesmaid dresses from ASOS while John's daughter Holly wore a pretty pink floral pattern dress.

Keeping costs down the couple chose not to have favours or a fancy wedding car and with help from family Riva did all her own beautiful pink and white wedding flowers. To keep guests happy John's sister created a gourmet cheese board for late night snacking, while an old friend of Riva's gifted the wedding cake which Riva added her own DIY cake topper to.

To complete their wedding day décor look Riva DIYed glitter mason jars for each table and hung polaroids and paper pom poms around the main house at Ballybeg. Following their three day wedding celebration Riva and John then honeymooned in Ibiza for 10 days. Huge congratulations to you both and thanks so much for sharing your wedding day with us all!

A big thank you also goes to Brian Hutchinson Photography for sharing his work with us. To see more from Brian Hutchinson Photography visit www.brianhutchinsonphotography.com

The Wedding Details

• Wedding Dress: O’Brien’s Bridal
• Bridesmaid Dresses: ASOS
• Shoes: Office
• Flowers: Joseph M Duffy & Sons in Smithfield Market
• Groomsmen’s suits:  Topman
• Hair: The Lounge Hair Salon
• Ceremony & Drinks Reception Music: Jawbone 

• Reception Music: Buck Taylor 
• Catering: Molly’s Larder
• Ceremony: Tom Farrell
• Cheeseboard: Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese
• Photographer: Brian Hutchinson Photography