Anne and Aaron, our stylish real wedding couple, welcomed the first day of May as one they will never forget. Their spring Castlemaryt Resort celebration which is the epitome of classic elegance, is full of all of our favorite things: dreamy bridal style, beautiful blossoms, a super stylish bridal party, a scrumptious cake and a gorgeous couple madly in love. Complete with a jazz theme and a fresh seasonal palette, this day came together in the loveliest way.
Anne and Aaron's day starts with a with a heartwarming ceremony at the historic UCC where a jazz band played as they walked down the aisle, and is followed by a reception that incorporates pretty floral details and more nods to their love of jazz! In other words, it's perfection and all captured by White Cat Studios. Check out their fabulous jazz-themed celebration below.
From the beginning, we are spoiled with lush details from the morning preparations. Divine glistening gold Loeffler Randall bridal shoes, accompanied with a back lace, earrings, and bridal headband from The White & Gold. Keep an eye out for Anne's something old and something borrowed and blue - her mother's Claddagh ring and a blue Jane Austen brooch pinned to the ribbons of her bouquet!
This wonderful celebration is the result of a beautiful love tale that began as a college friendship. The couple started dating over numerous cups of tea after meeting while studying law at UCC!
Regarding the proposal, the faith was sealed during a trip to Iceland in 2019. Aaron had intended to wait until they saw the Northern Lights, but after only a day and a half of the journey, he became anxious and asked Anne to marry him!
For her wedding day look, Anne choose an Alexandra Grecco gown; an elegant and spectacular satin, a-line design that she sourced at The White & Gold. She completed her look with a unique selection of beautiful pearl bridal accessories. Her Hollywood wave hairstyle was accentuated with a pop of vintage flair through an eye-catching red lip.
We love this sweet Dad moment as he adds his final button-hole touches as he prepares for Anne to make her bridal debut.
The Pinterest-worthy flowers, handpicked and placed together with perfection, were from Flowers from The Secret Garden. Burgundy, soft pink and ivory florals come together creating a contrasting and eye-catching springtime bouquet.
One of the biggest priorities for Aaron and Anne when planning their Cork wedding day was their loved ones. "It might seem obvious our big priority was family. We both gave speeches as we wanted to take this opportunity to tell them all how much they mean to us. Also, my brother was one of Aaron’s groomsmen and his sister was one of my bridesmaids, which felt like a nice celebration of the joining of our two families,” the bride says.
"Having their wedding at UCC, the place where they initially met and had many mutual friends, was also very significant to them. “ Also, we both got ready at home, which was a very special time with our families and we chose our venues with that in mind,” they added.
One of their favorite ceremony song selections was the heartfelt piece of music the couple chose to play while they signed the register. It was Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Into My Arms," in instrumental form. The couple also chose a handfasting ritual for their sentimental UCC wedding ceremony.
The couple planned for a pop-up brass band to play at the ceremony's conclusion to signify the end of the formal part and the beginning of the celebration, adding a little fun and personality to the day! "Only a few people in the wedding party knew about it in advance so it was a fun surprise for guests and everyone was clapping and dancing as we left the room."
Once the ceremony ended, it was time to kick off the celebrations 5-star style! But before the newlyweds and 166 of their loved ones, made their way back to East Cork to the magnificent Castlemartyr Resort, they stopped for some couple portraits in the grounds of UCC.
The bridal party dazzled in contemporary mix-and-match green hues reminiscent of spring. The smartly dressed groomsmen sported three-piece charcoal and grey morning suits.
To honour their numerous memories at the Cork Jazz Festival, swinging jazz was added throughout the day. Their goal was to have fun, and they most definitely succeeded in doing so! "We had some significant moments in the early years of our relationship at that festival and those happy memories definitely influenced some of our decisions such as the choice of band and venues."
Anne and Aaron describe the moment they knew Castlemartyr was the one: “From the very first meeting, the team at Castlemartyr were extremely attentive to our plans for the big day. We loved the mix of old-world charm at the main house, which is where we had our drinks reception, and the modern comforts of a large hotel with plenty of rooms for our friends and family to stay and keep the party going into the early hours! There was a sing-song until around 6 am and they were incredibly patient with us. We also knew the food and service would be excellent, which was important to us.”
More vibrant and fresh spring blossom magic made its way to the reception room where bud vases and tall vases filled with handpicked bouquets welcomed the guests to their tables from afar! Simple tablescaping at its prettiest!
As music was such an important part of their day, another of the biggest priorities for Aaron and Anne when planning their Cork wedding day was the reception music. “From the beginning, we knew that we wanted the band to have a distinctive sound rather than simply being a good cover band. We were thrilled with Velvet Lounge as they made each song their own but still had a really broad repertoire so there was something for everyone."
When asked to provide some advice to our One Fab Day readers, they said: "It is one of the few times in your life that all of your favourite people will be gathered in one room so relax and enjoy being surrounded by their love and friendship.
After the celebrations, the lovebirds jetted off on the trip of a lifetime: "We went to Costa Rica on honeymoon straight after the wedding and loved it! A great mix of adventurous activities like white water rafting, amazing wildlife and luxurious jungle lodges," they added.
A very special thank you to Aaron, Anne and White Cat Studio for sharing this marvelously upbeat and glamorous Cork wedding day with all of our readers.
