Today’s real wedding takes us to the windswept and cinematically beautiful coast of County Clare. Kathryn and Terry dreamt of a celebration that was classy and wonderfully individual and their black-tie wedding left everyone in awe. 180 of their loved ones joined them on a wild and windy August day for their breathtaking celebration at the Armada Hotel.

Their effortlessly dreamy day included bridal style with a fresh take on Old Hollywood glamour, romantic blooms ranging from frilled hydrangeas to blush pink roses, adorable flower girl and page boy style, and wedding favours with a oceanic twist. The bride runs a wedding pet chaperone service and their adorable pooch was the most dapper dog of honour. Pore over the gorgeous details in the beautiful images from Jenya Johnston below.

Hailing from Tralee in Co. Kerry Kathryn and Terry originally met at house party when they were 19. They didn’t see each other for ten years until they bumped into each other in Dick Macs in Dingle. Fast forward to their proposal which took place while they were in holidays in Dubrovnik. Kathryn reflects, “It was our last night and we decided to go back to an area we had seen previously, we bought cheap wine in the shop and drank it overlooking the bay, we got up to walk away and Terry asked a man to take a photo of us, and it happened!! He used a dress ring belonging to my granny.”

Kathryn and Terry wanted to ensure that their wedding was very personal to them. Kathryn says, “We are not traditional and I wanted to make sure that it was a party. I think the devil is in the detail and I wanted it classy but also giving a nod to the wildness of the Atlantic coastline.”

Their timeless wedding vibe was inspired by the sea. “I wanted to look back in 20 years and still like the aesthetic of it,” the bride shares. They tied the knot on a windy and wild day which was everything they dreamt of and more.

Kathryn fell in love with her wedding dress, the Freesia by Aleena Leena, because it exuded Old Hollywood glamour but the pleated tulle sleeves added a modern twist. She accessorised with a cathedral veil, rose mesh Gucci slingback heels with sparkling embellishment and pearl earrings borrowed from her sister.

Not only did the bride do a first look with her dad but she did one with her best friends too. “It was lovely so they got to see me first,” she reminisces.

Their flower girls Sophia, Faye Lilly, Lyra J, Sally, Elle, and Leah and their page boys Shay, James Beattie and James brought such greet energy to the day. Everyone let loose when they saw then up on stage and they were my hype gang the morning of the wedding,” she shares.

The planning and styling was done by Floweryard in Killarney. The flower design was curated by Floweryard and Yesca’s Flowers and Kathryn’s bouquet included Lily of the Valley as it personifies old-world glamour.

They had originally hoped to hold their ceremony outside but they had to move the proceedings indoors because of the strong wind. “Looking back this worked in our favour,” Kathryn says. “Everyone was able to mingle and be in close proximity to each other and the atmosphere was electric.”

There were so many magical musical moments, Terry walked his mom Geraldine up the aisle to My Girl which set the atmosphere for the whole day of fun and craic. Terry’s sister Gerri sang She Moved Through the Fair which was so special as it was her granny’s favourite song.

The bridesmaids wore uber-chic black midi dresses with puffed sleeves by Irish designer Helen McAlinden.

For Kathryn it was so immensely special to have her parents walk her up the aisle. “It was so lovely, I always knew I wanted both of them to walk me up – so having my mom do it too was special.”

Their dog Finn melted hearts on the day wearing his dapper tux. “I run a business called Salty Dogs where I bring dogs to weddings for couples so I had spent a long time seeing other peoples weddings and seeing their reactions to their dogs walking up the aisle so we knew we needed Finn to come, it was so special seeing him run up the aisle saying hi to everyone.”

Bursts of elegant hydrangeas lined the aisle and the at the top two large vases held them alongside waxy anthurium, trailing amaranthus, foliage and more.

Shedding light on why their wedding venue was ‘the one’ Kathryn says, “The style of the hotel is just stunning, from the modern restaurant to the class of Armada House, they think of every detail, it just suits everyone. You check in and stay there for the weekend and everything is on your door step. We are outdoorsy people so I knew we wanted somewhere by the sea. The staff are incredible and are so friendly and warm. There is something wild about West Clare so we knew we wanted it. We were mindful too that we wanted the crowd to be full and merry, the Armada went above and beyond.”

The reception styling was brimming with delicate shades of cream and blush pink. Roses and dahlias were included in the romantic floral arrangements and the taper candles bore the same rosy hue personalised with a glint of gold coming from the candlestick holders. For their wedding favours they gave personalised oyster shells which also acted as the table name cards. They also had mini tambourines that turned out to be a huge hit with their guests.

While their entertainment included trad music there was sweet surprise lined up for Kathryn by her leading ladies that had everyone feeling emotional. She explains, “One of the bridesmaid Grace has a band called Graceless, herself and my other bridesmaid, my sister Lorraine, wrote a song for me and Terry instead of a speech and it had everyone up on chairs and even the staff were singing it all weekend, it was special.”

The couple shared their first dance to Frankie Valli’s iconic love song Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.

Kathryn and Terry jetted off to Spain straight after the wedding weekend and they headed for Marbella straight after the wedding weekend. “It was great, we got to chill and go over the wedding weekend just ourselves and got to sleep!”

A wonderful thank you to Kathryn, Terry and Jenya Johnston for sharing this wildly elegant wedding with One Fab Day! There are lots more gorgeous photos to pore over in the gallery below.

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