Cork-based couple Maria and Richard tied the knot in a casual, laid-back, fun, and wonderfully dreamy spring wedding. Cloughjordan House offered the storybook pretty setting for their bright wildflower wedding with a delightful dash of disco. So sweetly, they tied the knot on the 13th anniversary of their first date. Pretty much every detail was custom made by the bride and their May fete was a love letter to whimsical romance.
We know your heart will flutter over the utterly captivating style as both the bride and groom wore blue (and their dog Nala did too)! With a magical woodland ceremony, ethereal blooms, a stunning sweetheart table, and even the cutest rubber duck wedding cake toppers, we can’t wait for you to dive into all the breathtaking details and gorgeous personal touches. Dzifa of Folklore Photography provided their divine documentary-style wedding imagery, below!
Maria is from Skerries and Richard is from Howth and they met while they were studying at DCU. She tells us, “Towards the end of my first year, we met at a kayaking club training session, and Richard casually offered to drive me home after (40 minutes out of his way). This happened a couple more times, until he asked for my number. (For organising lifts for a club trip to Bundoran) We went on our first date a week or so after the trip, and we’ve been together ever since.”
The original proposal plan was going to be on top of a volcano in Hawaii in March 2020 but lockdown hit the week before they were due to fly out. After rebooking the Hawaii trip twice, Richard took matters into his own hands and casually booked a trip to Galway. “This was incredibly suspicious as he’d never organised a trip before for us, so I got my nails done, just incase! On the trip, we visited Kylemore Abbey, and in a beautiful forest area, Richard asked me to marry him.”
The couple’s golden retriever Nala played an integral role in making their May wedding day as magical as could be and groomsman Conor’s collie Rowan was also an adorable member of the wedding party.
As for their wedding day priorities, Maria wanted to personalise their celebration as much as possible. “I’ve always been a do-it-myself kind of person, so I wanted to make the wedding as uniquely ours as I could.” They wanted a venue where they could hold their ceremony and reception with onsite accommodation to make the day relaxing and easy for everyone. “Probably the most important thing was to be able to bring our golden retriever, Nala, and have her involved in everything,” she adds.
“I think everyone who knows us knew it would not be a traditional white dress and simple flowers kind of wedding,” the bride shares. She was enchanting in an ethereal blue wedding dress by Irish designer Mizz Rio which boasted a romantic natural print and flowing sleeves. She accessorised with a pretty pearl veil, a crystal and floral hair clip and floral drop earrings by A Dream Twig, and blue heels with flower pearl accents by Forever Soles.
Also leaning into the sensational ‘something blue’ style was dapper groom Richard who wore a charming suit from Tom Murphy with a floral print tie and pocket square. His groomsmen wore elegant navy suits and matched with their waistcoats and floral print accessories.
A first look is one of the sweetest things you can do on your special day and the couple met before the aisle in front of the 800-year-old country house.
The couple tied the knot in a fairytale-worthy woodland ceremony. The floral styling included a breathtaking deconstructed arch bursting with pastel and bright blooms. Faux Blooms Ireland created the large arrangements and the bride also curated some of the flowers too.
Violinist Aine O’Halloran brought the soundtrack of their dreams to life during the ceremony and the drinks reception. “She was amazing. We had a lot of specific music requests for the ceremony and she had no problems with any of them. So Richard walked up the aisle to the F1 theme song, Maria walked up the aisle to Concerning Hobbits, and we had Pink Pony Club and Wildest Dreams included in the ceremony!”
Their ceremony was packed with heartwarming rituals, from a handfasting to a ring warming.
Richard’s niece and nephew spearheaded a rubber duck scavenger hunt and they hid approximately 100 tiny yellow ducks all over the venue for the guests to find. “They were amazing at it and they ended up EVERYWHERE! Mid ceremony, we opened our green folder and there was a duck inside! We were still finding ducks even weeks later!”
The stationery designed by the bride bloomed with dainty and colourful botanical prints.
Maria sheds more light on finding their dream venue, “I had come across Cloughjordan House about a year before we booked to view it, and I just kept coming back to their website and gallery, and comparing the other venues to it, so it was always our number one. From the first emails, Cloughjordan was amazing and accommodating to us. Viewing the place was just a formality as we had already booked our date a while before the viewing! Everyone was so sweet during our tour, and they were able to answer any question we had, and were happy to accommodate whatever we asked for. We went to one of their BBQ nights where you have dinner and stay overnight there, and once we tasted the amazing food there, we were so happy we had chosen them! It was also very special to us as my dad passed away shortly after we viewed CJH, so it was the only part of the wedding we were able to share with him.”
They had a photo guest book, a sweet table (spot the adorable heart-shaped tongs) and a memorial table. “We had photos of parents/grandparents and people who were special to us that were no longer with us. It was a lovely touch and started some lovely conversations with the guests.”
The bride loves colour and flowers so a bright colourful wildflower theme was the perfect choice for their celebration in the lush countryside. “I wanted to add some more fun to it, so we included a disco theme too, with disco balls added to the floral arrangements and all over the venue, and LED floral headbands for the dancefloor!”
How absolutely adorable were their rubber duck wedding cake toppers, complete with matching wedding ensembles?
Folklore Photography specialises in dreamy, natural and heartwarming wedding photos and the couple will cherish theirs forever. “Dzifa was amazing to deal with from the moment we reached out! Everything was super clear with her, and she was super accommodating and helpful throughout. She kept everything running perfectly on the day, and managed to capture everything without us even noticing! She was also super good fun to have around on the day, she calmly kept everything moving when it needed to, and kept us all up to date and on time!”
They repurposed their ceremony arch to create a breathtaking backdrop for their sweetheart table which included chic neon signage.
Their top piece of wedding planning advice? “Do what feels right for you and makes the two of you happy!”
The couple hit the dancefloor for the first time as husband and wife to Two Straight Lines by Walking on Cars.
Maria and Richard celebrated their exciting new chapter with an unforgettable honeymoon in Japan.
The biggest congratulations to Maria and Richard, we wish you a lifetime of happiness! A very special thank you to our lovely couple and to Dzifa of Folklore Photography who captured their Cloughjordan House wedding with such beauty.
Planning your own big day? Get inspired with more Irish Real Weddings and don’t forget to follow One Fab Day on Instagram!
