So here we are - part 2 of the fabulous Transatlantic Love Story of Rachel and Tom - you can have to see part 1 if you haven't already. After the fabulous ceremony on the lawn blending the Jewish and Irish traditions, it was time to get down to the partying - something both traditions […]

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So here we are - part 2 of the fabulous Transatlantic Love Story of Rachel and Tom - you can have to see part 1 if you haven't already. After the fabulous ceremony on the lawn blending the Jewish and Irish traditions, it was time to get down to the partying - something both traditions have in common. But first a brief interlude with This Modern Love to take those all-important wedding portraits...

Rachel and Tom chose the beautiful estate of Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Co. Monaghan, as the setting for their wedding celebration, and it wasn't a surprise that their search "over Christmas while in Ireland we visited five venues in hopes to feel a strong pull towards one. We certainly felt that at Castle Leslie, especially with all the beautiful holiday decorations filling the estate. We wanted a venue where all the out-of-town guests could stay for a few nights (since half the guests were from out of the country). There were so many accommodation options for our guests at Castle Leslie and we knew they would love it!" Having been a guest at a wedding in Castle Leslie last July myself, I'm not surprised at all. It's a fantastic venue with everything you could wish for in terms of accomodation, service and food.

This is every little girl's dream of being a bride. Make sure you pick a photographer who will give you this...

Breathtaking... Just breathtaking. Girls, every one of you deserves as beautiful a portrait as Tim from This Modern Love has taken of Rachel.

One of the wonderful things about Castle Leslie is the wealth of locations, both indoor and out, for beautiful intimate and interesting photographs...

Rachel made her own hair jewellery for wearing during the reception (no bride should wear the veil during the party, it's too much trouble)...

Simple and elegant was the order of the day when it came to the venue decor, as Rachel and Tom made the menus themselves to match their letterpress invitations, and tables numbers were made with calligraphy numbers inside silver frames. A beautiful, simple and easy shortcut to sophisticated table decor. Just add seasonal flowers...

Given so many guests had travelled all the way from the US for this shindig, Tom and Rachel were determined that their wedding was full of craic (and ceol) so keeping the energy up with great music was a must. One brilliant idea Rachel and Tom had (which I will be stealing) to make sure they had music that they and their guests would love was that they "made a DJ “play” and “don’t play” list, which the DJ used to figure out our style and pick other songs."

So what advice do Rachel and Tom have for brides and grooms planning their day? "Plan as much as you can/want, but on the day don’t worry about the details and just live in the moment." This from a lady who planned an outdoor ceremony in Ireland, kept her cool, survived the inevitable weather wobble, kept the faith and ended up enjoying one of the most beautiful and memorable events in a spectacular location - I think this is well worth listening to...