Sensational style and absolutely breathtaking scenery, this autumn real wedding will make your jaw drop. Samantha and Lane wanted an intimate, comfortable, and unique celebration and their small wedding was huge on style. The US real wedding couple were joined by 12 of their nearest and dearest for their destination wedding in Ireland where they tied the knot in front of a majestic waterfall at Gleninchaquin Park in Kenmare, Co. Kerry. The couple opted for a blended Soho farmhouse and English garden aesthetic so their reception at Sheen Falls Lodge was so charmingly stylish. Naomi Kamat Photography was on hand to capture every moment of magic and the images are absolutely divine.
Samantha is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Lane is from Darien, Connecticut. They tell us how their love story began, “We met on New Year’s Eve 2016 going into 2017 in New York City. Samantha’s roommate was dating (now married) one of Lane’s roommates and we all lived a block away from each other in the city. Samantha’s roommate asked her to join her, her boyfriend, and his friends at Bleeker Street Bar. The rest is history!”
From her floral print mules to her buttery cream silk bow and mother of pearl drop earrings, Samantha’s wedding day accessories were so immensely dreamy.
Can we take a moment for her phenomenal wedding dress? She absolutely wowed in a mikado Sareh Nouri ballgown with a straight edge lace neckline and off the shoulder straps. The perfect finishing touch was the Van Cleef & Arpels mother of pearl bracelet which was a gift from her father and sister. Lane aced relaxed elegance in his brown suit.
We love their engagement story! “Samantha had actually planned a small engagement dinner with their family in Lane’s hometown right before Christmas 2022 — without being engaged. The time worked for everyone to be there and Samantha thought when Lane got the ring in August 2022 that there was plenty of time for him to propose before the December engagement dinner. She was wrong. When we finally got to the week of the engagement dinner, Lane still hadn’t proposed.”
“Samantha began to panic thinking he either forgot about the dinner (likely) or was going to make the engagement dinner the legit engagement. Well, it was the latter. Lane did not know that the restaurant didn’t have a private room for the group and so he realised walking into the restaurant that he was going to have to propose in front of everyone. Everyone knew what the dinner was for, there were no surprises, expect for Samantha thinking he would have proposed months beforehand. Lane waited until cocktails were served and then got down on one knee!”
“Samantha always knew she wanted colour in her wedding palette — no white and green here! We wanted lush florals that looked like they are natural to the landscape.” Sarah Evans of Flowers from the Secret Garden created a vividly romantic floral display leaning on watercolour pastel hues.
When it came to finding their dream ceremony spot, Samantha searched endlessly on Google Maps for a mesmerising outdoor location that wasn’t a castle or ruins. “Those are beautiful choices, but we were really hoping for something more connected with the beautiful landscape of Ireland and sheep were a bonus.”
“Gleninchaquin Park seemed like it was undiscovered and checked every box for us. Samantha never saw the ceremony spot in person until the day before the wedding. We planned it all based on photos people posted in the park and a drone video someone took years ago near the waterfall.”
A 140-metre high waterfall provided an awe-inspiring backdrop to their ceremony. The couple exchanged vows in front of a gorgeous grounded floral ceremony arch where pale pops of blue played a starring role. Whimsical clusters of flowers were dotted at the ends of benches dialling up the etherealness of the service.
Reflecting on the overall vibe of their wedding, they share, “We really didn’t want anything conventional. We had gone to eight weddings in one year and knew what we liked and didn’t like from each and we certainly didn’t want our day to feel like a wedding we had been to before. We think we accomplished that mission!”
Samantha and Lane put their own twist on their ceremony as they decided to skip the ceremony readings and music. “One part we all loved was the blessing of the Woman and Man. Our celebrant Dara incorporated elements of nature and shared some beautiful information about his religion and culture with us. He is another person from the trip that our families will not stop talking about to this day.”
Making their big day seamless and pleasant for their loved ones was the top priority. “It was the first time in Ireland for almost everyone. Since the group was so small everything could be extra personalised, detailed, and special for everyone. With that in mind transportation and having a schedule was key. We didn’t want anyone to stress about how they would get anywhere or what was going on throughout their time in Ireland. Samantha essentially planned a wedding and a family vacation at the same time.”
The couple fell in love with Sheen Falls Lodge when they stayed their during their first visit to Ireland. “We loved the town of Kenmare, the hospitality at Sheen Falls Lodge, and the beauty of the western coast of Ireland. So we knew Sheen Falls Lodge would be the perfect base location for the wedding. The team at Sheen Falls would write us cards every day and leave us a little something special in our room which meant the world. They, Clodagh specifically, just went above and beyond our whole stay there.”
Samantha adores English countryside interior designs, Home & Gardens UK is her bible, so working with their wedding planner and stylist MartinaO the decor choices drew from the interior style. Mismatched prints playing a key role in the tablescape styling along with mustard yellow taper candles and chic bell place card holders.
For the couple it was also so important that they could relax! “It was just our families with us, they didn’t care whether it rained (it didn’t) or the music at the pub was bad (it wasn’t), but just to enjoy the moment of our marriage in a beautiful country that we love.”
Their suppliers went above and beyond to make their day perfect. Samantha reminisces, “Áine, my hairstylist, helped my nephew get dressed while my sister got ready — all while Áine was eight months pregnant, she was truly a saviour that day. She brought the most incredible energy to our morning, a person and moment I won’t forget. Our bagpiper, Gerard, brought us a hand-carved wooden heart with our initials on it — so incredibly thoughtful.”
“Our videographer Stephen brought the best energy to the day, our family still talks about how they want to be his best friend,” Lane adds. “He remembered a shot I mentioned to him on one of our initial phone calls and he pulled us aside before heading into town and asked if we wanted to do it. Samantha completely forgot about it, but it meant the world that he listened to something so small during our calls and wanted to execute it.”
They have a wonderful piece of wedding planning advice to help combat feelings of stress in the run up to the big day. “You have to give yourself a date where you say, ‘I’ve done all I can do and the day will be what it’s going to be.’ About a week before the wedding, we stopped checking the weather, stopped making checklists, and stopped double checking timelines. Just know that all the time and effort put into the months before will pay off and the day is going to be incredible regardless of whatever is out of your control because you’re marrying the person you love and celebrating with people who are cheering you both on and wishing you nothing but the best in your lives together.”
Lane’s sister Jessica made an impromptu toast and it was a smash hit with everyone. “She dug into some family history and found out that their ancestors came from County Kerry and the first person to come to America was a family member named Bridget Lane — and that is where Lane’s name came from, after being passed down many and many years.”
Their first dance was a dream come true for Samantha who absolutely loves the movie P.S. I Love You. “She has dreamt forever about having a pub dance to Galway Girl (not Ed Sheeran’s version). She did not think it would happen on her wedding night and did not even utter a word of this dream to anyone. So she was in complete shock when shortly after walking into the pub the musician that night started playing Galway Girl.”
The couple chose a chic and sleek one-tier wedding cake. They had a selection of customised wedding favours including tote bags, hats, golf tees, and cookies.
A very special thank you to Samantha, Lane and Naomi Kamat Photography for sharing this magical Gleninchaquin Park and Sheen Falls Lodge wedding with One Fab Day! Check out the gallery for even more gorgeous images.
Tying the knot? Check out even more Irish Real Weddings for inspiration!
