Both glamour and rustic are by far the most popular wedding themes we see here at OFD, so it's surprising the two aren't combined more often. Today's Real Wedding couple, Orlaith and Sean, opted for the best of both with a stunning luxurious venue, a few glam touches and lots of natural rustic elements. The result? A unique and personal wedding that proves doing it your own way is the only way.
Our couple, Orlaith and Sean, met during the quintessential Irish student right of passage, the J1. Both had come to America with school friends and the pair serendipitously ended up living together (along with 14 others.) Despite the crowded conditions, Orlaith and Sean got on famously and quickly got to know each other. Undeterred by the unconventional surroundings, Oralith and Sean's relationship worked, and when they returned home the relationship stuck.
After dating for a few years, Sean decided it was time to propose, so one sunny Sunday, Sean suggested they go for a walk. Orlaith thought a walk in the mountains would be great but unusually Sean insisted they head to Bray Beach. Once they reached the sea, Sean proposed with a silver marcasite ring, and a smitten Orlaith said yes.
Conveniently, Orlaith's father grew up just behind their local church so the ceremony venue decision couldn't have been easier, "We used to spend all our weekends there when we were small, between playing in the forest or messing in the river. My parents still have a house there so as we got older, it became a favourite house party venue. Sean and I often visit for weekends, and when he proposed there was only one choice of church for us!" Better still, the quaint local church is a total beaut...
To add a little personality, Orlaith and Sean chose a mix of classic and contemporary ceremony music. "Melody Kite Music played a mixture of classical and traditional music, which was exactly what we wanted. We hadn't heard Naomi sing until the wedding ceremony. She is an incredible singer and so many people commented on how beautiful the music was."
The flowers were another big element for Orlaith and Sean who mixed things up by organising some flowers themselves, and enlisting florist Camelia for the trickier floral jobs. "We bought the flowers for the reception tables and menus and pew ends wholesale in Smithfield, and had the bridal party, as well as my parents and parents-in-law to be, arranging them the day before the wedding. I booked Austen Flowers at short notice before the wedding when I decided I wanted to wear a floral headpiece. They were brilliant, they supplied the bouquets, button holes, altar arrangements and headpiece - Camelia was so easy to deal with, she looked at the various pins I had picked from Pinterest and created beautiful bouquets."
A stylish pair, Orlaith and Sean both wanted a wedding day look that was against the norm. Sean chose a sharp navy suit while Orlaith went for the Pearly dress by Belle and Bunty which she originally spotted on One Fab Day. A stunning dress and so great to see one of our finds come to life in a real wedding.
Orlaith's bridesmaids looked equally stylish in full length floral dresses, found by Orlaith's costume designer sister. "My bridesmaids and I were hoping for something a little different from tradition for the bridesmaid dresses. It was quite difficult to find the style that was to our tastes. My sister suggested the Hobbs dresses. The print suited the rustic location and the girls all looked fab in them" A real gem, Orlaith's sister also found a gorgeous cape for Orlaith to wear, just wait until you see it!
The focus for the rest of the day was to be put on finding an amazing reception venue with amazing food to match. Venue wise, Orlaith and Sean struck gold when they came across Clonwilliam House. "We first visited Clonwilliam House on a cold, dark November evening and we thought the house was really beautiful. When we returned for a second look, we realised that the house overlooked an unbelievable view." Amazingly, once Orlaith and Sean booked Clonwilliam they found out that owner Miriam was in fact Sean's second cousin, adding an extra personal family element to the day.
Blessed with lots of sunshine on the day, guests enjoyed their food and drinks outdoors before heading into the glamorous surroundings of Clonwilliam House.
Indoors, things were kept glamorous with a rustic edge - lots of burlap, tons of fairy lights and a Polaroid camera to create a fab personal guest book.
Dining complete, Orlaith had a quick accessory change from floral crown to beaded hairband before dancing the night away to tunes by DJ Aidan Kavanagh. "We decided not to book a band for the evening. A friend recommended Aidan - we gave him a list of songs we liked and he played a fantastic mix of music - dancefloor was packed all night."
Congrats you two and a big thank you to Corrine Crennan for sharing the day with us. To see more of Corrine's work head over to www.corrinecrennanphotography.com
