Our real wedding couple delivers an infusion of personality, harmonious wedding themes, and even something really unique in place of the first dance! Sprinkled with rustic delight and a wedding party dressed in timeless elegance and stand-out groomswear, fom the West coast of Canada to Co. Galway on the West coast of the Ireland, let us introduce you to Krista and Joe, who cordially invite you to their castle party. Eden Photogrpahy take it away!
Krista, who hails from Vancouver first met Joe from Co. Clare when playing on a co-ed soccer team in Vancouver. "Our team won the championship and went out for drinks and Joe and I first met each other properly then. We then met by chance in Whistler after a day of snowboarding at the bottom of the mountain and went on a pub crawl with our soccer team the weekend after. I then got his number from a friend and asked him out for drinks!" says Krista. The proposal came on a family trip to Mexico, where Joe, the romantic, decorated the room with rose petals with bubbles waiting to be popped!
The beautiful castle wedding aesthetic was inspired by the couple's love of nature, especially natural colours. So Krista ensured that the day was splashed with lush greenery to complement her colour palette of whites and nudes. Describing the overall vibe of the day, she says: "We wanted the day to be more about a party (and of course a celebration of our marriage) but we did everything we could to give our guests a great experience. I think this led to it being a laid-back fun day. Before the day, instead of calling it our wedding, I referred to it as "the castle party". We wanted everyone to have an amazing experience partying at a castle and celebrating our love and commitment to one another."
Krista and Joe infused a lot of personality into their wedding ceremony. This started with the bride walking down the aisle, arm in arm with her dad, to Pearl Jam's Just Breathe played by a magical string quartet. "We wrote all of the ceremony and created a blend of Irish and Canadian traditions. A friend sang Nella Fantasia whilst another friend sang and played the tin whistle to Mo Ghile Mear. My sister-in-law was our officiant, and my brother read a poem from Tea and Bannock Stories, a compilation of poems in celebration of First Nations aesthetic practices, such as poetry, songs, and art, that speak about humankind’s active relationships to Home Land and her Beings. Tea and Bannock Stories began as a research inquiry and developed into a grassroots, multigenerational, multinational gathering and publication. This poem was written by Jennifer L'Hirondelle an Indigenous person in Canada!" Krista explains. What a beautiful thing to include.
The dapper groom Joe, chose a stylish grey tuxedo with black lapels, the perfect shade to complement the neutral colour theme and summer's day wedding. Krista, the radiant bride, wore a Rue De Seine gown, a designer who specialises in modern bohemian brides. Her breathtaking lace-embroidered gown featured a deep V-neckline, which was accentuated by her casual yet super elegant wedding ponytail!
The magical day took place in Co. Galway in Cloughan Castle. Because of the significant role that the city had during the course of their relationship, picking this dreamy wedding venue was an easy choice. "It is a fun lively city with a great vibe (we love live music). So after deciding on Ireland for the wedding, we decided Galway would be a great choice. We got engaged in February 2020 so all of our venue searchings were online. I came across the castle since it is close to Galway and we were blown away by the photos We also loved the idea of DIY and that the castle would be ours for the weekend, with no rules, no timelines, just a beautiful castle of a blank slate to make ours for us and our guests. Plus a bonus is that it has bedrooms for us and our close family and friends to stay," says the couple.
A priority that was incredibly important when planning was simply having an amazing party bursting with music from start to finish! They also ensured their guests enjoyed an open bar and a venue that their guests could explore, alongside good music and good people. "Joe really cared about music for the whole day. I think this is more of an Irish tradition, his whole family is so musical and I have really taken on his love of music throughout our years together. We had a string quartet for the ceremony (and after), our friends sang during the ceremony, a playlist Joe made played during dinner, and our first song played by us. The music also made it a party!"
This wedding party's look exudes classic simplicity! What's not to love about midnight blue and grey three-piece suits and silky smooth champagne dresses in satin?
To help anyone currently planning a wedding from home or abroad, our wonderful newlyweds, who organised this wedding from overseas shared valuable wedding planning tips."It is a LOT of work, but so worth it. Our day truly felt like ours because of all the work we (mostly Joe to be honest) put into planning it. Also doing it from afar, you can't sweat the small stuff, so we never did. We didn't see our venue, try any food, or worry too much about vendors. We looked online, found what we wanted and if they were available on our date we booked them. Our family and friends loved coming to Ireland. It was an excuse to travel and it was a very special way to bring people together and experience a new country for a lot of them!"
Joe and Krista ditched the traditional first dance, and play their first song on the guitar - we love this idea! "We surprised our guests! I took guitar lessons for the months leading up to the wedding just to learn the song. We chose Quitting You by the Arkells which is my favourite band, a Canadian band that Joe has also developed a love for. We have seen them live many times together and have such fond memories, as going to concerts is one of our favourite things to do together. I didn't tell anyone but Joe that I was learning guitar and that I had never performed in front of anyone else prior to the day. I can't say I enjoyed learning guitar either, it was hard. But, performing on the day, that was special! It's difficult to listen to it replayed because of the quality of our performance... but it's the thought that counts! And that our guests were so surprised, cheering us on in the crowd. I felt like a celebrity for a hot minute, that was a fun time!" says Krista
A very special thank you to Krista, Joe and Eden Photography for sharing this very special day with One Fab Day!
If you enjoyed this beautiful castle wedding, why not indulge some more? Check out some more here! Don't forget One Fab Day's 100 Best Venue Guide for 2022/2023 is now out!
