Anyone who has, or is planning a wedding in Ireland in mid-Summer is all too familiar with the queasy feeling associated with just one word: the weather. When it's good, there is nothing to beat Ireland in the sunshine, when it's bad, all hell can break loose. My motto: Go Big or Go Home. And that's what Alan and Ger did - their dream was to have a ceremony on the lawn at Dromquinna Manor overlooking the spectacular view of Kenmare Bay, with their adorable doggy as best man. Their dream came true and their floral fantasy wedding is a joy and an inspiration to all of you considering rolling that dice and wishing for great weather. You'll enjoy the gorgeous image by White Cat Studio I promise. 
Like many Irish couples, Alan and Ger's romance began in the pub, Ger explains: "Alan has been a drummer in metal bands for years and when I moved to Cork I lived with musicians and artists, so we found ourselves moving in the same circles. He had to wait for me to come back on the market, but after a few evenings making eyes at each other across crowded rooms he invited me back to his to watch “The Hulk”. I don’t remember much of what happened in the film. That was ten years ago, and we’ve been together ever since." 
A proposal is a very big emotional moment, one to make the knees knock and the voice quiver. Alan took an understated approach to the whole thing, as his gift to Ger said it all as she explained.. "The morning of my 30th birthday he landed on the bed beside me and said “Do you want that?”. Through the fog I saw a beaten-up old ring box. I opened it to find his mother’s engagement ring. It has such huge sentimental significance for both of us. I never got to meet her, but it feels like there’s always a little bit of her with us now." 
Ger's fabulous champagne coloured dress is from the Eloquence range by Claire Pettibone. Weaving the old tradition into her accessories, Ger made her own hairchain, borrowed her pearl bracelet and her dainty necklace acted as her something old. We forgot to ask what her something blue was! 
The couple chose Dromquinna Manor just outside Kenmare as their wedding venue. It was the perfect balance of old country house vibe, excellent service and beautiful grounds to enjoy (as long as the Irish weather played along) and as they explained it all worked out exactly as planned..."The house itself is formal without being stuffy. The scenery is spectacular and I so desperately wanted to make the outside an important part of the day. We had some very picky customers among our guests and to hear them using words like “perfect” to describe their meal was mind blowing." 
Dromquinna was used as both the ceremony and reception venue, with the ceremony taking place outside on what turned out to be one of the hottest days of the year. So Ger's dream of utilising the beautiful lawns and views came true. The couple created their own pergola, like a jewish chuppah, made of simple sticks and decorated with white muslin and winding bunches of pink hydrangea. Set against the backdrop of Kenmare bay, the effect was idyllic. It's hard to imagine a more beautiful place to make your vows to one another. 
Quite literally pretty as a picture. 
All of the flowers were picked from Ger's, her mums and her bridesmaids' gardens. The feminine tones of pink and purple offset against the green works beautifully, and definitely don't look as though they were plucked wild from a garden. Job well done Ger.. 
As if the little flower girls weren't cute enough just check out Alan and Ger's adorable dog! The pampered pooch wore a bow tie from Cork based company Beau Bows, to perfectly match Alan's. Such a dote.
Both Alan and Ger were keen to get some excellent portraits and more "posed" shots, but at the same time didn't want to spend lots of time away from the reception and their pals. To acheive this they picked their photographer carefully, and were so glad they did. "Our choice, Egle from White Cat Studio was just superb and she captured images that really show us at our best. " 
How stunning and serene are the surroundings of Dromquina? Perfect for Alan, Ger and of course their doggy too.
Advice wise Alan and Ger can't recommend accepting help where you can. "Don’t be afraid to ask for help. When people ask if there’s anything they can do they usually mean it. I think friends and family genuinely like looking around the place and seeing details they had a hand in putting together. I know my mother, sister, brothers and many friends took work on themselves and off of me. Do them a favour, hand over some specific tasks and relax a little." 
The rest of the day for Alan and Ger was all about making sure their guests had an amazing time. They also didn't want to go OTT on the budget so anything they could do themselves they did, including both their stationary and some of the wild flowers. 
How delicious does this multicoloured naked cake look? Rustic cakes were a huge trend of 2014 and are super easy to personalise with flowers and berries. For some inspiration check out our Simple Wedding Cake Decorating Ideas with Florals, Berries & Greens.
A huge thank you to Alan and Ger for sharing their day with us, it looked amazing guys! 
A big thank you also goes to Egle at White Cat Studio for sharing your work with us, to see more of Egle's work head on over to www.whitecatweddings.ie The Wedding Details:
- Ceremony & Reception: Dromquinna Manor
- Wedding Dress: Claire Pettibone at Leonie Claire
- Bridesmaids dresses: Vanilla Boutique
- Shoes: Ted Baker
- Flowers: Jill Wild
- Groomsmen’s suits: Gentleman’s Quarters
- Groomsmen’s and Dog Accessories: Beau Bows
- Cake: O' Carrolls Cakes
- Make Up & Hair: Rosa Through the Looking Glass
- Wedding Bands: H. Samuel
- Ceremony/Reception Music: Kingdom Brass, The Saxy Lady-Boys
