A stylish outdoor ceremony in Huntington Castle

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When you've got guests visiting from overseas for your wedding, you want to impress them, and that's exactly what Ruth & Jason did with their non-traditional real wedding ceremony at Huntington Castle. This cool Canada-based couple made the trip back from Vancouver for their big day, bringing with them a posse of friends, and Jason's family. Showcasing the iconic Irish countryside at its best, the couple said their vows with an atmospheric outdoor ceremony, seriously gorgeous style and a fun, chilled-out vibes. And as you'll see, Rafal Borek captured the festivities beautifully...

Ruth & Jason met in Vancouver, where Ruth now lives, “He’s Canadian & I’m Irish. We met on my first night here at a bar. We clicked, and that was that.” First night there - no messing around!

As a hairstylist herself, Ruth had no shortage of helpers on the morning of the wedding, “I work at a hair salon in Vancouver called Velvet Lounge Hair Parlour and I had both my best friends do my hair, literally at the same time. My makeup was done by another best friend Laura, she’s based in Ireland and the only one I’d ever allow touch my face.”

Ruth tells us she was totally surprised when Jason popped the question, “Jason proposed to me while camping on Sombrio Beach in British Columbia. I had no idea, it was the second night, we were filthy and we had just finished dinner, even saw whales. Jason put on a nice shirt which I was confused by and he asked me. We spent the night on the beach, no phone reception, just us - it was perfect.”

Ruth & Jason wanted the vibe of their day to be relaxed and simple, “It was the most special day because everyone we love from Canada & Ireland came together. I felt chill on the day and literally wouldn’t change one single thing. We had no colour themes. We just did what we love and it all came together.” Now that sounds like the best kind of wedding.

Ruth tells us about where she shopped in Vancouver for her gorgeous wedding day style, “I got my dress from a fab boutique style store called Rituals of Love. The girls there were so amazing. I love them! I got my headband and belt there too, along with an AMAZING romper. My shoes were from Bryr Clogs, they are handmade clogs that were so comfortable I wore them till 5am.”

Flowers were a big priority for the bride, “I’m a huge flower/plant mama so we were adamant on wild flowers, I gave Sam from Saltcrowns in Dublin our vision over Facebook and she nailed it.”

With bridesmaids scattered around the world, Ruth wasn’t able to go dress shopping with all her girls, “Two of my bridesmaids live in Vancouver, one in Dublin and one in London, so I decided to order dresses online. I got the pastel on TFNC London and the burgundy is from Dessy. I was so nervous about two different ones but my girls are all so beautiful they made it perfect.”

Rolls for the guests? What a cool idea for an informal twist on canapés!

When it came to choosing Huntington Castle for the ceremony, Ruth & Jason wanted to wow their visitors, “We picked the venue because we wanted to do it outside and we fell in love with the castle. Also we had to show off Ireland to the Canadians that came over.”

Jason was never going to be the kind of groom to rock a tux as Ruth tells us, “Jason isn’t a suit guy and he wanted to bring a bit of Canada to Ireland so he wore beautiful jeans from Dutil in Vancouver. The vests & jacket were custom made with the help of Victoria Mac Phedran of Wingman Society, Victoria made Jason’s vision come to life and proved jeans can be worn for a wedding. I had no idea until the day what he was wearing.”

Ruth loved that her parents got involved with the planning in her absence, “My dad was Mr Wedding Planner and my mam joined him. They helped me so much being in Vancouver, not able to plan much from here. The events of September above all else made me realise how important family is. It was truly the best day of my life.”

The ruined church-like building right by the castle made the perfect setting for the couple to say their vows outside.

Ruth’s advice to other brides and grooms? Don’t overthink things. “Nobody cares about your wedding as much as you do. Enjoy it, it’s about the love you share and it’s so special. Hold onto each moment because it really flies by. Life is too short to get crazy bridezilla. Enjoy that time together with your family.”

The couple vouch for their non-wedding wedding band, “We didn’t want a wedding band and The Stonecutters are amazing. Everyone was on the dance floor. I highly recommend them to anyone who is looking for an alternative, not your average wedding band, well not a wedding band at all!

Unfortunately, Ruth & Jason had to cut their honeymoon short, but are planning a second trip later this year, “We received a phone call on the second day of it that my mum had an aneurysm, five days after the wedding out of nowhere. I’m so thankful we were just in Spain and could fly back right away. She had surgery and is doing amazing, she is in recovery. I’m so happy we could be with her the whole time. We had planned to travel Spain & go to the Moto, we’ll plan another honeymoon this year, somewhere different.” Great to hear Ruth’s mam is doing well!

After their beautiful ceremony, the couple had a reception at Beech Park Golf Club in Rathcoole.

Thanks so much to Ruth & Jason for sharing their stylish ceremony with us - and a massive thanks to Rafal Borek for sending this gorgeous wedding our way.