Happy Thursday All! The weekend is in sight and we have a seriously fun real farmhouse wedding to get you into the Bank Holiday spirit! American lovebirds, Tonie and Eric had a whirlwind romance and sealed the deal with a destination wedding in Ireland. Celebrations were held at their friends farm in Kilkenny with a spectacular sweet vintage meets countryside theme. Pawel Babenca captured all the fun of Tonie and Eric's wedding day...
Tonie and Eric were originally introduced at a mutual friends wedding. They met again, years later on a blind date and Eric knew Tonie was the one after their very first date - So sweet!
After only a few months Eric popped the question in Hawaii... 92 days after we met Eric woke me up at 3am and whisked me off to Hawaii on a surprise trip. I am a photographer so Eric set me up to teach another girl we were with how to use my camera so that she could take photos of us during the trip (but really the proposal) . So while I set all my settings on my camera, I had no idea I was actually setting up my own engagement photos! When we were taking pictures I turned around to tell Eric something and he was down on one knee! I was so shocked! I did not see it coming so soon and was overjoyed! What a way to surprise a girl Eric!
Eric and his groomsmen went for a pop of colour with teal patterned dickie bows - a fun choice for the lads!
The couple shared a first look together before the ceremony...
Tonie looked stunning in her wedding gown with lace detail and sweetheart neckline. She completed the look with a full length veil.
The lovebirds and their bridal party headed off for some must have photographs before the ceremony. The landscape of Killkenny was the perfect setting for some fun...
The bridesmaids were asked to choose grey dresses and the combination of hues compliments Tonies gown perfectly.
The boys are looking pretty smart too...
Tonie and Eric originally had their eyes set on a simple destination wedding, but that quickly took a turn when they decided on Ireland... Since we had decided to get married overseas in Ireland, I had decided to have a really simple wedding where we had little or no decoration, just standing at the ceremony and something very simple. It ended up anything but that. With the help of three friends in Ireland, I had the most extravagant, vintage Irish inspired wedding that I could have ever imagined! We spent hours via Skype, Facebook chat and Facetime planning it all out and they pulled out all the stops to make it perfect!
With this couple, we're getting the feeling everything has a little extra edge of adventure and excitement. So before the ceremony Tonie, Eric and all their pals had to have a little trip and a drink or two around Killkenny.
When it came time for planning the ceremony, Eric and Tonie had some priorities... Our priority was always the Lord and showcasing the blessing we had been given in each other. Second was that the day was everything the other one wanted! Last, it was to have a photographer and videographer who was capable of capturing the day in a way we wanted so that our family and friends back home could feel like they experienced it with us! This last one is key for destination weddings - if you know close family and friends won't be able to make the journey, it's a great idea to make sure you have photos and videos to show them when you return.
After seeing the photos, I'm not surprised Tonie and Eric took up their friends offer to have their wedding day at their farm. What a place! Filled with up-cycled furniture, vintage birdcages, church pews, china tea sets and lots more...
With luck on their side and the sun shining, they had their ceremony outdoors on bales of hale, with pretty lace bunting details. They used a vintage sideboard and lace tablecloth for their alter.
I love the use of old doors as the ceremony entrance, so rustic and simple. You can see more recycled doors are used as decor pieces in the reception marquee...
Inside the tent, Eric and Tonie decided to have long tables that ran the length of the marquee. The church pews had special meaning to Tonie... The pews that lined the outside of the reception tables were taken years ago from the local Methodist church (they were going to be thrown away and were currently being stored in our friends shed), where I sat as a child at church when I visited Ireland. We used the remnant pieces that were being discarded as the backdrop for the head table and it was so meaningful to be able to use them!
Tonie and her friends collected lots of vintage teacups to use as place card holders and favours for their guests.
Eric and Tonie combined sweet vintage with rustic farmhouse finds. We love the look of mis -matched items with feminine and pretty cutlery and china.
The sun came out just as Tonie walked down the ailse with her Father...
Wooho, now that's how you finish off a ceremony!
After all the excitement of the ceremony, Tonie and Eric stole a few moments alone in the countryside with Pawel Bebenca on hand to capture their first moments as newlyweds.
Pawel captured so many shots that will make Tonie and Eric's album unique to them. How many people can say they had wedding photos taken with a herd of beautiful Irish cattle!
The newlyweds went for a casual buffet as their wedding meal, with a pig on a spit, salads and breads. Friends and family supplied deserts for their oh so yummy looking desert table!
Tonie has great advice for those of you planning destination weddings... If you do a destination wedding, make sure to enjoy it! Let go of the small things and have good expectations, so that no matter what your big day is more than you expected! Ours was magical and more than I could have ever dreamed!
Congratulations to Tonie and Eric for sharing their Irish destination wedding with us!
A big thank you to Pawel Bebenca for sharing his work with us at One Fab Day! To see more of Pawel Bebenca's work pop on over to www.pawelbebenca.com.
All the Wedding Details:
- Shoes: Anthropologie
- Photographer: Pawel Bebenca
- Groomsmen suits: Overstock
- Accessories: Macy's /Marcellas La Boutique
- Wedding Bands: Joseph's Jewelry
- Ceremony/Reception Music: The Irish House Party
