GARDEN WEDDINGS IN IRELAND
How to find the best place for your garden wedding
We wanted the celebration to reflect the natural surroundings and beautiful gardens at The House on The Sea. It was also important to us that we achieved a natural and timeless look, elegant without being too formal. We decided on a rustic and white scheme with some greenery thrown in for good measure.
Tables were dressed simply in hessian and white linens and decorated using just simple stems of scabiosa leaves. Tiffany’s dress had a hint of blush in it – which of course echoed her engagement ring – so this accidentally became another accent colour for the day. We wanted to stay close to home and keep our wedding somewhat small. The House on The Sea seemed like the perfect solution, offering everything all in one elegant, relaxed location.
Did you or your friends help you on the day?
Tiffany and Wayne made almost everything themselves: most notably the driftwood arch under which they got married. They had collected the driftwood for this on their many beaches walks together and Tiffany decorated it herself. Wayne’s cousin also made a beautiful turned wood box in which to hold their rings.
Our good friend was our celebrant and we wrote our ceremony ourselves. This was a real highlight of the day for us and it made for a really personal and intimate celebration of our relationship. We also had our first dance on the front lawn in the garden at midnight surrounded by sparklers.
What was the best moment of your wedding day?
We had so many favourite moments: our incredible musician Conor McEnery who played Roy Orbison’s Mystery Girl as the song Tiffany walked up the aisle to, we wrote our own ceremony and at the end, we asked our married friends to stand up in the congregation and read out their best piece of marriage advice but I think our favourite was when we were having our photos taken, we were joined by a pod of dolphins in the private beach at the bottom of the garden!!
What’s your love story?
Tiffany had been working in Barbados for years and on a trip home made the decision (with the help of a few friends and a few drinks) that she would return home at the end of her contract in a year’s time. Her friends joked that they knew a nice Irish boy who they would set her up with so she would have to stay in Ireland forever.
So she flew home in 2012 thinking that she would more than likely have to move to London to find work. She was back in the country four days and promptly whisked off to Clare by the same friends who, without her knowing, had arranged a blind date with said nice Irish boy (Wayne).
So it was arranged they would all go for a drink that night and as it turns out, everyone got along like a house on fire. Being a bit of an adventurer, Wayne challenged Tiffany to what he felt to be a fittingly testing first date: cliff jumping and cave swimming. He figured if she didn’t get in, she wasn’t the right girl for him. Needless to say, she took the leap of faith and off they swam into a dream first date and the first of many amazing adventures together.
The proposal :
We were on a months road trip through Namibia and one night, camping out under the stars, Wayne popped the question. He knew Tiffany was fussy so he decided to let her choose her own ring – sensible man! Strolling through a small mining town one day, the two happened upon a small jewellery store that sold locally mined diamonds. For fun, they said they’d take a look and in doing so, decided they’d really like to arrive home with a ring to announce their engagement. So they had Tiffany’s ring custom-made to her own design with a pale oyster pink diamond – the ultimate holiday souvenir from their trip to Namibia!
Some advice to brides and grooms?
Own your day. There can be so much pressure to do things a certain way, to make other people happy, to conform to tradition but really the day is yours to be the happiest day of your life. Do it your way and whatever makes you happiest….even if that’s not the norm. And take time – the day may the best day of your life but it’s also the fastest so make sure you stop for a moment and take it all in together… Bride & Groom getting ready: Morning in a beautiful House of The Sea, just by the Atlantic Ocean.