There's a whole lot of details to swoon over in today's real wedding. We're talking the style, the flowers, the tablescapes, the drinks (this couple did a wine run to France AND made their own gin bar!), the venue, and the photography - the full, beautifully rustic shebang. Aoibheann and Michael tied the knot with a relaxed house-party style wedding at Borris House. Having fun with all the details finishing touches, the couple created lots of the decor themselves, wrangled musicians from festivals and gigs, DIY'd their stationery and included lots of personal touches. Their day was captured, in all its gorgeousness, by Aoife O'Sullivan Photography.
I am all about Aoibheann's Chanel shoe game!
Michael and Aoibheann met at a house party in Dublin, but Aoibheann made him prove his chops from the very beginning. “Our first date was on a soup run around the city centre in Dublin. I was trying to see how keen Michael really was!”
How sharp is Michael's wool suit with dapper red details!
Micheal completely surprised Aoibh with his proposal, “We went away for on a cycling holiday to the South of France, one day after a long cycle, Michael proposed beside a fountain overlooking the beautiful French coast!” describes the bride. “He asked a tourist to photograph it, who not only got the picture but even managed to get a rainbow in the background too!”
Are you even at an Irish wedding if you don't grab a swift one in the pub across the road before the ceremony?
The couple say that getting to design the invites, booklets, table plan, and menu was lots of fun.
Aoibheann's brother in law donned his chauffeur cap to drive her to the church in the couple's rented convertible, then she and Michael got some quality time driving back to Borris House together.
Aoibheann was almost on duty on her wedding day! "I’m a dentist, my nephews tooth fell out on the day, so even the tooth fairy got an invite to Borris that night!"
The couple tell us, having Aoibh’s mom walk her up the aisle was a special moment, “She dressed in white too, they complimented each other well.”
The couple tell us they wanted their wedding to feel like the ultimate house party, “Picking Borris House meant we had the run of the beautiful house and grounds. This gave us to many options and we really took advantage of them! Our family and friends got to stay onsite, we had a relaxed outdoor BBQ the night before in the lace garden, on the day of the wedding we an outdoor drinks reception at the front of beautiful Borris with lawn games, a feast in a ballroom followed by a cracking band that suited us perfectly and long music session that ended in the sawmill house! It was everything and more that we could have hoped for! To top it off Limerick won the All-Ireland the next day!”
The couple and their guests stopped for a swift pint before heading to the reception, “The quick drink in Osbourne’s pub after the church was a treat, they are so lovely in there and it’s such a nice old country pub!”
The couple had a clear set of priorities for how they wanted their celebrations to look and feel, "Rustic, personal, fun and to be a bit different.”
These two really enjoyed organising and personalising all the details behind their day. “We went to France on the ferry for the wine (and bought wine for us to keep and open each year, up to our 5th anniversary), we created our gin and tonic bar complete with vintage cups, incorporated Aoibh’s mum’s High Nelly bike (a gift from her dad to her mum), added gold foil on the dessert table, we made our own sweet stand, we made our own copper flower arch, picked everything about the décor including sourcing and making our copper candleholders and designing the flower art on the wall.”
Aoibheann tells us, she actually met their wedding singer Susan O`Neill at Body and Soul Festival, “I’d met her in a field wearing a pink wig on and didn’t see her again until our wedding day! She has an amazing voice and loved having her part of our day.”
Aoibheann looked stunning on the day, her beautiful dress had a lace bodice with capped sleeves but the vintage style button detail around the waist of her gown really makes this dress unique - so elegant. I'm also in love with the florals in her hair (and those Chanel shoes, obviously!)
The gardens around Borris House were a beautiful backdrop for the couple's portrait session.
This peony-laden bouquet is just spectacular - a gorgeous example of rocking statement blooms without carrying an oversized bouquet.
Aoibheann’s friend Josh looked after her glam on the day, “She is a close friend with a natural talent at make-up. It was so amazing to have her there keeping my face together, she is a real gem.”
Michael and Aoibheann describe photography Aoife O’Sullivan as ‘a dream’. “Relaxed and professional. My mum still talks about what a lovely person she was! Aoife goes above and beyond- for even cleaning Michael's blood off my dress (he cut it on opening the bubbles!)”
Hosting so many of their guests stay at Borris House, this pair loved the idea of making everyone feel welcome, “We hung polaroids of us with each person in each of the rooms or houses who stayed on site.”
Tying in with the timeless feel of Aoibheann's gown, the bridesmaids wore beautiful grey gowns in mix and match styles with glamorous vintage-style embellishment.
The newlyweds have tips to pass on for making your day your own, “Plan each element of the day out, and look at organising and personalising each part. On the day, just have fun!”
These foliage hoops are so stylish right now, and add a beautiful focal point to any empty walls or blank spaces.
The ballroom at Borris House was the highlight of the venue for the bride and groom, “We loved the large sash windows and exposed stone. The fact that this was attached to a picturesque Tudor style house from the 1700s sold us pretty much immediately. Mike was a pleasure to deal with, I miss phoning him for chats!”
Along with their foliage wall art, the couple adorned the tables with greenery garland, white florals and geometric copper centrepieces.
The couple had a challenge booking their non-wedding band! “We had seen them play in a pub in Dublin and asked them that night to play the wedding. They declined saying they didn’t do weddings but we wore them down! It was so worth it as everyone seemed to love them as much as us.”
These two are still making the most of their honeymoon period, "We have had a few minimoons (Sorrento and a trip back to the South of France) but we still need to go on our proper honeymoon!”
This pair and their guests kept the party going well into the next morning.
What a show-stopping finale! Thanks so much to Aoibheann and Michael for sharing your amazing wedding with us, and to Aoife O'Sullivan for sending these wonderful photos our way.