If summer garden party, and relaxed festival are your wedding vibes, secondary school sweethearts Sinead & Paul’s The Millhouse wedding, featuring tons of beautiful florals and a bride in Andrea Hawkes, provides all the inspiration.
From the sweet blue-toned colour palette and beautiful summer blooms, to the gorgeous bridal party styling and the brides timeless wedding gown, it is complete perfection and jam packed with a bazillion sweet details that we can’t stop swooning over. Add to that a whole host of wonderful One Fab Day recommended suppliers and it’s the ultimate inspiration for a relaxed summer wedding. See all the pretty captured perfectly by Photography by Ciara unfold below.
First things first, let’s get to know our lovely couple a little better, shall we? Dublin couple Sinead and Paul are true secondary school sweethearts. The bride telling, “We went to secondary school together and have known each other for about 20 years at this stage. Paul finally plucked up the courage to ask me out when we were 16 years old and have been together ever since. You could say this wedding was long overdue!”.
In between the various COVID lockdowns, during a staycation in Sligo, Sinead and Paul got engaged on the beach with their beloved dog Freddie running around them in the sand.
For her summer wedding, Sinead found her dream dress at Alice May Bridal. A gorgeous bias cut gown by Andrea Hawkes with cap sleeves that featured the sweetest eyelash lace trim.
She completed her wedding day look with pleated knot heeled sandals by Loeffler Randall in a beautiful powder blue, jewels from One Dame Lane and a pearl encrusted veil.
Hairstylist Martina of Hair By Martina King and makeup artist Ruth Bergin made Sinead feel like the most beautiful version of herself.
Paul looked equally dapper in a timeless black-tie look from Louis Copeland & Sons.
Sinead’s bridesmaids complimented the bride perfectly in their soft blue satin wrap dresses from Oh Hello Clothing.
Once engaged, wedding planning began and a short time later, Sinead and Paul were married at Christ Church Taney – a part of their wedding day which hold precious memories for the pair. “It was really special having Paul’s cousin Patrick Dexter playing the cello during our ceremony. We also included both our families in the ceremony which made it feel very personal. Paul being a avid rugby fan also got his way with a distinct rugby theme to all the hymns on the day!”
Surrounded by 110 of their loved ones, the couple exchanged vows and custom rings by Bespoke Diamonds and Chupi.
It’s official!
After “I do,” the couple were overjoyed with a surprise wedding guest! “Our wedding wouldn’t have been the same without our dog Freddie who made a surprise appearance after the ceremony.”
One of the priorities for the pair was to create a summer garden party with a relaxed atmosphere and a festival-style vibe for their guests. The bride says, “We wanted the day to feel relaxed, like a summer garden festival with good food and music surrounded by the people who mean the most to us.”
And the perfect venue for the couple to host their relaxed, summer celebration? The wonderfully unique The Millhouse in Slane, Co. Meath which ticked all their boxes. When asked what made The Millhouse “the one”, the couple say, “As soon as we viewed the Millhouse we knew it was the perfect fit for us. We really wanted an exclusive rental as we loved the idea of just us and our guests in the venue as it made it feel really intimate and special.”
“The Millhouse staff were so friendly and accommodating and encouraged us to put our own stamp on the day which was important to us. We loved the quirky decor in the house and it was really important to have a ballroom with lots of natural light which the Millhouse certainly did! We loved how every room opened out onto the stunning grounds meaning we could spend the whole day outside enjoying the sun. Also it was important to us to have all our friends stay overnight and the onsite glamping combined
with luxury tents rented from Rent a Tent NI gave the whole day a boutique festival feeling.”
The grounds of The Millhouse is filled with endless options for epic wedding portraits.
The primary colour palette for Sinead and Paul’s day featured soft blue, peach, pink and lilac, setting the stage for a wedding that would undoubtedly inspire any couple seeking a pretty pastel summer celebration.
The gorgeous bouquets, skillfully crafted by the talented Wild Feather Event Styling spanned a spectrum of blushes, peaches, coral, soft purples, blue and lemon shades, with the bridal bouquet adorned with a cascading blue silk ribbon.
As the day transitioned into the reception, guests were treated to a relaxed cocktail hour al fresco.
For entertainment, the couple and their guests enjoyed the fun sounds of Ukebox during the drinks reception, while The Ratzingers kept the dancefloor filled all night long.
Leaning into their relaxed summer garden party vibe, Sinead and Paul opted to have their speeches outside before dinner.
After the speeches, the reception moved into the Pavilion, as a cocktail-themed table plan guided guests to their seats.
An abundance of summer florals floated both on tables and below, accompanied by candles and pastel linens.
Instead of a traditional wedding cake, guests were treated to a delicious savory wedding cheese cake from Sheridans Cheesemongers.
After planning such a gorgeous celebration, the pair have the following sage advice for couples planning their big day, “Celebrate and enjoy all the little moments in the lead up to the day, it goes by in the blink of an eye.”
“Also, for some practical advice, be as organised as you can in the lead up to the day, it’ll mean on the day you can relax knowing everything is taken care of! Excel spreadsheets are your best friend.”
The lovebirds celebrated newlywed life with not one, but two honeymoons! “We decided to book a 2 part honeymoon to keep the celebrations going as long as possible. After the wedding we travelled around Portugal for 2 weeks followed by a trip to Iceland just before Christmas to see the Northern Lights. We booked our trips with Trailfinders and couldn’t recommend them enough.”
Thank you to Sinead and Paul for sharing their breathtaking, summer wedding with us, and to Photography by Ciara for providing the beautiful imagery! There are even more photographs to swoon over from their The Millhouse wedding in the gallery below.
Tying the knot during the summer? Check out our guides for summer flowers, cakes, nails and cocktails for inspiration!
