So many couples tell us that they want a really simple wedding, and if that's you, the inspiration in today's real wedding is a great place to start! American bride Anne and Irish groom Garreth planned a cross-cutural bash in Maryland in the U.S., in a venue that holds lots of great memories for Anne and her family, Sherwood Forest Club House. From Anne's effortessly beautiful wedding dress, to the subtle reception space décor, this party was stylish in a really fresh and unfussy way. The couple were so impressed with Rachel and Karina from Weddings By Kara that they flew them over to Maryland to capture their day. The resulting photographs are jaw-droppingly pretty, so let's dive in!
Anne and Garreth describe their day as, "simple, beautiful, timeless, and, most importantly, fun. We spent the night on the dancefloor surrounded by love and laughter. It was a day that we will never forget and look back on with the fondest of memories."
Anne tells us that she met Garreth when she was living in Ireland. "In 2013, I moved to Dublin for an adventure I knew I would remember forever. What I didn't know was that it would lead me to my forever adventure, Garreth! While our first date was incredibly memorable, it was not love at first sight. Garreth thought I was crazy, and I thought he was too quiet. Little did we know that the other was just nervous! A few days later, we decided to try again, and after date two, we both fell hard and fast for each other."
By a stroke of good luck, Garreth's company was about to open a US office, so, after Anne returned home, he was able to visit her in two and three-month stints. "In July of 2016, his visa finally came through and Garreth moved over officially just in time for my birthday! That November, Garreth quietly pulled my parents aside and asked if he could ask me to be his forever adventure partner. Mom cried and Dad poured a stiff drink!"
A few months later, Garreth proposed in the couple's new home town of Alexandria, Virginia. "Under the guise of taking the dog for a walk, Garreth and I walked out on Main Pier, where he got down on one knee and asked me to spend forever with him. I was so emotional, and terrified that the ring would fall into the water, that I grabbed the ring, put it on, and kissed him. It was hours until I actually said yes! Garreth thought of everything - he hired a photographer to capture our special moment, arranged a celebration nearby, he even had my sister standing by for FaceTime. It was truly the most perfect day!"
Anne tells us that their reception venue, the Sherwood Forest Club House, was a huge part of her childhood! "I learned to swim in the pool behind it, played ping pong and attended weekly summer dances in the dance hall, participated in talent shows on the stage in Stewart Hall, learned how to golf off the first tee, and went sledding down the back hill in the winter. Many of my favourite childhood memories lead back to that special place."
With the wedding taking place in the US, the couple were keen to incorporate plenty of nods to Garreth's home country. "The boys drank Tullamore Dew before walking up to the church, we exited the church to the Irish Wedding march, we rang the bell tower to symbolise our love, and danced to Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud in Irish for our first dance."
Finding a great wedding photographer was a top priority for this pair. "Not only were these some of the most important and sentimental pictures we would ever take, but we knew that we would be spending a lot of time with our photographers the day of our wedding. It was important to not only love their photography style, but to love them as well. I met with a lot of photographers but when I met with Rachel and Karina from Weddings by Kara, I stopped looking. They were a crucial part of our day and I can’t stop looking at all of the amazing photographs they captured."
Navy bridesmaids dresses are a foolproof choice, no matter what your colour palette! We love how this couple styled the groomsmen in navy too, adding bold green ties as a nod to Garreth's homeland!
The couple have got Anne's Mum Julie and planner Pat Hathaway to thank for much of their chic reception space décor. "Pat created our wedding logo and incorporated it throughout the wedding. It hung behind us at the head table, was hand painted onto cushions we used on the sofas in the dance hall, and was on all of our stationery. My mom also had the brilliant idea of a wedding piñata! Guests were encouraged to fill the piñata with words of advice, and we are looking forward to reading them all on our first anniversary when we get to whack it open!"
The days leading up to the wedding weren't without their challenges! "My dress was hemmed 2.5 inches too short a month before the wedding, meaning I had to scramble to find a new one," Anne remembers. "Luckily, I found the same dress and an amazing tailor who could make it fit in time. Three weeks before the wedding we found out our priest accidently double-booked our day, so we had to find a new one. 10 days before the wedding a hurricane started to form down south, and was expected to hit Annapolis the weekend of our wedding. I think I downloaded every single weather app in the App Store! Thankfully it didn't end up hitting us, and we had the most amazing weather!"
Anne's advice for engaged couples is to enjoy the planning process, insofar as is possible. "It’s hard and stressful but take those moments in stride. Remind yourself that you cannot control everything and when things do go wrong, laugh them off."
It's impossible to look at these pictures without smiling! At this point, we've got to say thanks so much to Anne and Garreth for sharing their lovely day with us, and, of course, to Weddings by Kara for providing the incredibly gorgeous photographs.
