Bridget and Richard are one of those couples that you just want to be friends with. Their smiles are infectious, their style is on point and their marquee wedding is one of my favourites so far this year. Taking inspiration from across the globe this fabulous pair threw their friends and family a total wedding party, as Bridget so eloquently puts it "We wanted to show off one of our favourite parts of the world to all our favourite people and we wanted to keep it relaxed and have a serious party." Can't get much better than that...
Bridget and Richard met in typical Irish style, through a friend of a friend, at a party after a few drinks. No drama, low-key and quite fun - just like their wonderful wedding.
When it came time to propose, Richie brought his girl home, to somewhere close to his heart... "Richie proposed on the beach in Derrynane the year before. It was very sweet and very relaxed and he had his mother’s beautiful engagement ring (which didn’t fit!). I said yes, and we went to the Blind Piper pub in Caherdaniel (where we later went after our wedding ceremony) to meet some friends for a celebratory drink."
I adore this shot, keep an eye out for more snaps of Bridget's mum throughout - each more adorable than the last. She's a star, this lady!
When it came to the wedding things weren't quite so simple. Bridget is originally from New Orleans and Richard from Ireland, however they both now live together in Melbourne, Australia - as they did for the majority of their planning. But when it came to making the ultimate choice of where to tie the knot, both Bridget and Richard knew they really wanted an Irish wedding. Luckily for them, family and friends in Ireland offered a helping hand, making planning from thousands of miles away that bit easier.
So the couple decided it was back to the most beautiful part of the Ring of Kerry for the wedding. The ceremony to take place in the picturesque St. Crohane's Church in Caherdaniel.
Another element that made things a little easier was the fact that Bridget's sister Sarah had gotten married in Ireland the previous year. Bridget and Richard loved Sarah's wedding and so it was an easy decision for them to use the same venue, Westcove House in Co Kerry.
With the wedding heavy on the Irish elements, it was imperative to add an injection of New Orleans culture, something I doubt had been seen in West Kerry before - Bridget explains what happened: "We had a New Orlean’s second line leaving the church and my godmother Jane came from New Orleans with all the decorated umbrellas for the wedding party that she and her sister Joan embellished by hand."
Adorable, and so. Much. Fun. Wanna see more of this at Irish weddings, people!
The procession lasted just the short walk over to the Blind Piper for a traditional Irish post-Ceremony pint. I doubt anyone was complaining about the brilliant fusion of Irish-American traditions! And this was essential for Richard and Bridget, they wanted to make sure everyone had a blast (especially since many had travelled from Australia) and made sure every part of the two full days of the wedding was spent celebrating with good food, signature wedding cocktails and music in the Kerry countryside.
Ah, tis yourself Father!
To make sure as many Australian pals could attend Bridget and Richard sent their save the dates out almost a year in advance so everyone had an opportunity to arrange holidays. An idea worth keeping in mind if you're having a destination wedding, or if you have lots of friends and relations living abroad.
Bridget's gorgeous Rime Arodaky wedding dress was bought in Paris after she came across it here on One Fab Day. Making the most of the experience Bridget brought her mum, sister and friends along for the trip. (If you can't quite justify a trip to France Rime Arodaky is now available in The White Gallery Boutique, Co.Down.)
From the beaches of Melbourne to the beaches of Kerry, stunning.
Beach portraits complete Bridget and Richard joined their guests on the grounds of Westcove where they'd set up their wedding marquee.
To put their own stamp on the marquee Bridget and Richard enlisted some crafty friends and family. "My bridesmaids Ruth, Niamh and my sister Sarah made all the place settings from Etsy origami birds, name tags and Brazilian blessing bracelets that we had ordered online. My good friend Niamh’s mum. Bridie O’Connor took out the sewing machine and made hay bale covers and bags for balloon weights. In summary we were spoilt!"
The Westcove team were also invaluable on the day, and in the run up to the wedding, making the day as carefree as possible for Bridget and Richard. "The house is managed by an absolute legend, Katherine Casey...Katherine just wants you to have the day you want and will accommodate as much as she can. Herself and her husband Michael worked tirelessly for the whole weekend as did their team of local staff who were amazing."
Advice wise Bridget has some pearls of wisdom "Don’t be afraid to think big and be creative, you can always reign it in afterwards but people are so ful of good will towards you that they are dying to help if you let them this will make the extras worth it. I would also say divide and conquer. I loved organising the entertainment and decorations while Richard did the food and wine. We didn’t bother each other too much!"
Huge congratulations to you both on one of the happiest weddings I've seen this year!
A big thank you also to Shane at SOSAC for sharing his work with us. To see more weddings by SOSAC head over to www.sosacphotography.com
The Wedding Details
- Ceremony: St Crohan’s, Caherdaniel
- Reception: Westcove House
- Marquee: LPM Bohemia
- Wedding Dress: Rime Arodaky
- Bridesmaids dresses: ASOS
- Bride's Shoes: Ellie Tahari, Converse
- Flowers: Lavinia Cunningham, Caherdaniel
- Groom's suit: Ermenegildo Zegna
- Hairpiece: La Chambre Blanche
- Cheese Cake: Artisan Foods Dublin
- Chocolates: Skelligs chocolate
- Pig on a spit: Jack McCarthy
- Make Up: Teri Blake
- Hair: Pat O’Neill Style Suite
- Wedding Bands: The wedding ring shop
- Ceremony Music: Peter Staunton, Niamh Varian-Barry & Bréanainn Begley
- New Orleans Second line leaving the church: Paul Dunlea
- Band: Ham Sandwich
- Catering: Ted Berner of Wildside catering