Prepare to be spellbound by today’s destination real wedding in Ireland. Jennifer and Stephen are based in Austin in Texas and they wanted an intimate wedding with a small circle of loved ones around them. They wanted to honour Jennifer’s Irish heritage and the Ancient East was the perfect location for their fairytale celebration. Joined by nine of their favourite people, their wedding took place on summer solstice at The Wicklow Escape in Ballinclea which boasts breathtaking scenery and a wonderfully romantic atmosphere.

Every single aspect of their wedding was curated with intention and heart and the result was a humble and sweet celebration with lots of folksy charm. The aesthetic was late 60s, early 70s flower power and a little bit of Tolkien! As part of their two-night stay they put together a roster of experiences which made the celebration an intimate retreat for their guests. Nina Val Photography captured all the magic of this unforgettable “hippie summer wedding”. Enjoy!

So let’s get to know our US lovebirds first. Jennifer is from Texas and Stephen is from New York and they met online on the dating site match.com. Jennifer explains, “We both work a lot and are passionate about our fields so meeting people can be hard ‘in the wild’. All we needed was one first date to realise we were highly compatible! As we got to know each other, we realised we had not only a lot in common, but that we could complement each other and had similar values and goals.”

Jennifer fills us in on their engagement, “It was a work night and I was in lounge attire. Steve was cooking us dinner and had secreted away the ring box (we had been a few days prior to pick out the ring). He asked if I wanted to get a puzzle out and I was incredulous but thrilled that he would be encouraging this on a work night (we often get sucked in to puzzles for long periods when we do start them). We weren’t too far in when he pulled out the ring box, his kind blue green eyes soft and sparkling. He had swapped a puzzle piece for the ring. ‘You are my missing piece. Will you marry me?’ Then his other closed hand revealed a concealed rose gold band with a brilliant oval aquamarine stone. We did eventually complete this puzzle, but not on this night! We decided to preserve it with the missing piece removed.”

Jennifer has a strong Irish connection on both sides of her family so she dreamt of tying the knot in Ireland to celebrate her heritage. “Having my family with me in Ireland was really special as none of us had ever been,” she says.

Their celebrations began on a wonderfully relaxing note as after dinner wellness guru Amanda Marren led them in a forest bathing in their ceremony space which also included reiki, sound healing, and a cacao ceremony.

Annie Byrne of Aislinn Events brought their wildest wedding dreams to life which included their woodland ceremony. “I envisioned the ceremony taking place in the forest under those beautiful ancient trees, loving, healing energy from nature all around us. Our wedding day was on the summer solstice so if you can imagine, we couldn’t have chosen better than a magical Irish forest for a moment so personal and spiritual.”

Jennifer’s jaw-dropping ethereal bridal look included a Rue de Seine gown with beautiful bell sleeves, pearl-dappled heels by Dolce Vita matched with pearl drop earrings from Anthropologie and a romantic flower crown.

When it came to the floral vision, the bride wanted a “brambly wildflower vibe” and their florist worked primarily with native Irish wildflowers. The result was a textured and lush display that took our breath away. “I chose Kate Corway as my florist having seen her other work as featured by the venue to bring my fanciful wildflower vision to life.”

Tom Farrell of Spiritual Ceremonies officiated their ceremony and he worked closely with them to ensure it was a beautiful personal service. “He was lovely, personable and professional from start to finish. He had asked for us to write into our ceremony what drew one to the other and we exchanged some tenderly felt thoughts with each other which was beautiful.”

Hiring a harpist was a must! “We were so fortunate to get none other than the celebrated, beautiful and talented Orla Fallon (a founding member of Celtic Woman). Her voice is like an angel and she’s just such a pleasure to work with.”

Jennifer wanted to honour her father’s memory and they held a breathtaking tribute for him during the ceremony as they released live butterflies. A lover of epic movies, adventurous travels and family celebrations, they asked their musician to perform May it Be from The Lord of the Rings during the poignant moment. Her father was certainly there in spirit as they had a beautiful picture on the table from her sister’s wedding where he is seen holding up a bouquet with a wide smile on his face. In a spine-tingling moment, one of the butterflies landed on Jennifer’s bouquet as they walked down the forest aisle and paused for family photos. “I like to think it was Dad saying ‘Love the bouquet and so proud of you!’ We loved that releasing the butterflies was positively impactful to the local ecology as well. Sharon of Butterflies for Occasions of Ireland was really wonderful!”

Their ceremony readings included The Lake Isle of Innisfree by the Irish poet WB Yeats who was a friend of an ancestor of Jennifer’s! “Steve and I really resonate with the yearning for a peaceful bucolic life as expressed in the poem. Steve really liked the quote section of our ceremony.”

“We were blessed with clear skies for our ceremony and we felt so lucky,” she reminisces. We wonder did they lean on pre-wedding traditions such as the child of Prague or burying a sausage for their good weather?

Jennifer’s bridesmaids wore gorgeous green dresses and the flower girl’s accessories carried the verdant hue too.

From flower-dappled cocktails to cute and colourful flower sunglasses, their drinks reception also committed to the botanical theme.

Stephen’s deep blue suit by Suitsupply was superbly accessorised with brown leather brogues from Johnston and Murphy and a floral print tie from Bonobos which connected with the lush surroundings in stunning style.

The Wicklow Escape was the perfect backdrop to their “summer hippie wedding” the bride reflects. “It has such an elegant but unpretentious rustic charm about it. I loved the history rooted in wellness as that is my professional background as well and the gardens teeming with life and bursting with colour. I loved that a small group of your loved ones can stay with you there for a couple of nights. Their guest rooms were so cosy! Both Steve and I love mountain and forest scenery and in fact, both of our families live in the Northeast on lovely wooded properties so we felt that it would feel very familiar and comfortable to us both.”

From the enchanted woods to the quaint traditional cottages, the serene venue answered her “wedding in The Shire” dreams. “I’ve always been something of a dreamer and it was a chance to really express that and create an aesthetic ‘story’. Dreamy dappled light streaming through the tall serene trees, the soft forest floor under our feet. The soulful, profound quiet of the woods. Wildflowers and butterflies festooning the occasion as if the woods were alive with fairy magic.”

The first detail that captured her heart from the photos of the venue were the daisies and that helped drive the aesthetic. “I didn’t realise how prevalent they are until we travelled the countryside. I wanted them everywhere! Daisies and thistles! To me, they almost represent a certain resilience and sturdiness mirroring the Irish spirit as they quietly persist in abundance much like the tranquil lifestyle of the Irish countryside.”

For the reception tablescape Jennifer wanted to create a intimate and whimsical feel that brought the outside in. A key feature in the styling were the hand-painted botanical taper candles that she had picked up from Anthropologie over a year prior. “Other special touches were the 21 hand chosen crystals (our wedding date was June 21) interspersed with greenery and pinecones,” the bride shares.

Music was another integral feature of their joyful celebration. “Music is very important and spiritual to me as well. I spent countless hours curating and editing Spotify playlists for other parts of our wedding stay which encompassed two nights.”

Their naked wedding cake was adorned with blackberries, blue daisies and cake toppers which Jennifer had commissioned in secret for Steve which were realistic (and absolutely adorable) one-inch tall statues of their dog and dearly departed cat. “They turned out perfectly and his reaction when he saw them  on our wedding cake was priceless! Our dog, Petey stayed in the States and took his own vacation. Since returning home, we have adopted a sweet kitten that we named Rónán in honour of our beautiful trip to Ireland and the wonderful impression such a beautiful country and its lovely people made on us.”

Their incredible celebration included butterfly seed paper bookmarks as wedding favours, a first dance to Take Me Home by the Paper Kites which is one one of their favourite bands and an Irish storytelling session with acoustic guitar by the fire courtesy of Cillian Brennan.

Wedding planning will test your fortitude but hang in there she says as it will be worth it! “Move toward what brings you joy. Listen to your intuition and speak up for what you want. This was my most challenging lesson! DO have a vision, but be open to an evolving creative process. Ask very specific questions of your vendors and don’t assume anything.”

“It’s true what they say—the day goes by so fast,” she says. “Things will go wrong or not according to your ultimate vision because you are relying on vendors (who are human) to execute your vision. Try to relinquish perfectionism but start planning early and think about what is truly important to you. A planning service really is valuable for a destination wedding—especially in a country you’ve not been to! Our planner was organised and professional, seeing our planning through from first email connection to ceremony day support and connected us to a lot of great resources and vendors.”

Your choice of photographer is absolutely integral to how you will be able to savour the memories of your wedding, so choose wisely. “We were in such great hands with Nina of Nina Val Photography. She took the vision that we worked so hard on for 18 months and made it art—art that we can treasure for a lifetime that invokes precious memories. She has such a great artistic eye—seeing moments you might otherwise miss. She’s also just so down to earth and easy to work with and she fought for every shot often crouching in shrubbery to get them! Our photography really probably was one of the best things about our whole experience.”

“Lastly, on the day, pause, breathe, smile (your photographer is near after all) and be mentally present for the moment and take in the fruits of all of your efforts,” she adds.

The newlyweds had a magical and unforgettable time as they honeymooned around Ireland. “We want to come back someday! We went south and west after Wicklow, reaching as far as Dingle (which was GORGEOUS as was everything along the Wild Atlantic Way) before sweeping north to Galway and then back to Dublin from there to fly out. Being American, of course, this was exotic and exciting for us! It was ambitious for eight days. I would say for any honeymoon, well first, don’t pack as much as we did, and second, take at least 2-3 days in each area so that you really get to soak up the flavour.”

Jennifer and Stephen, a huge congratulations from all of us at One Fab Day! A very special thank you to Nina Val Photography for the breathtaking imagery, see more in the gallery below.

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