A Relaxed Wedding With a Rustic Theme

Articles, Real Weddings

“We had a very relaxed wedding. Our theme was rustic, with pale pink, timber and lots of gyp! We tried to keep it simple and basic, and we were so happy with the final outcome.”

 

Your Names: Becky and Daragh Kelly

Length of engagement: 14 months

Wedding Date: 2019-09-26

Wedding location: Ashdown Park Hotel, Gorey

Photographer: Leo Doyle

 

 

How did you meet and get engaged?
We met when Daragh went to a pub I was in for smokes and my friend asked him to give us a lift home. We instantly hit it off. On Friday 13th of July 2018 myself, Daragh, my mam, nan and aunt went to Cork to see The Coronas (I am obsessed!!) and when we got to the hotel Daragh checked us in. Myself and him went to our room and I opened the door to a very fancy suite with rose petals and candles etc. I turned and said I think we have the wrong room and he was on his knee!

 

 

Describe your wedding:
We had a very relaxed wedding. Our theme was rustic, with pale pink, timber and lots of gyp! We tried to keep it simple and basic, and we were so happy with the final outcome.

 

 

Tell us about your bridal look:
I’ve never been one for dressing up or makeup or anything like that. When I went to view dresses I was so nervous. I hadn’t a clue what to look for. I asked the lady in the shop to pick out some stuff she thought might suit. The first dress she brought back I said no to straight away. With a little convincing I tried it on and instantly fell in love with it. Not at all what I was looking for but it was perfect for me! It was from the True Brides range and to me, it was perfect. My hair was done by a friend of mine and was very simple. Down with curls and a little gyp in the back. Makeup was done by a local girl who is still in school. She did an amazing job. I don’t wear makeup ever so I wanted a very basic look and that’s exactly what she gave me!

 

 

What did your bridesmaids wear?
I only had one bridesmaid and she wore a pale pink dress from Quiz! It had some beading but was overall simple and really fitted in with our laid back theme.

 

 

What was your ceremony like?
The ceremony we opted for was civil. We kept it short and sweet, about 25 minutes long. We had 2 poems read by Daragh’s father and my aunt, and 3 songs. It was really emotional from start to finish and our celebrant was great at calming us down at the start. It was exactly what we wanted.

 

 

Tell us about your wedding venue:
Ashdown Park Hotel was the only venue we looked at. We knew the minute we saw it, that it was the place we wanted to spend our special day. Catherine and her team were nothing short of amazing. The venue itself features an amazing staircase for photographs and is really elegant. The function room is stunning and they have a private bar for the wedding party after the ceremony.

 

 

What is your favourite memory from your wedding day?
We thoroughly enjoyed every second of our day. But I would say my favourite part was when our guests were called for dinner, myself and Daragh were called into the private bar and given a drink. The doors were closed and we had about half an hour just by ourselves to really take it all in! After being so busy for about 2 hours greeting guests, it was so nice to just sit down and have a talk about how we were feeling and reflect on the day so far.

 

 

Have you got any advice for other couples?
Just relax and enjoy it. I am one of the most stressed out people I know and I always worry about everything. But our wedding was different. We both just decided from the beginning what we wanted from our day. We stuck to our plan. I think you can make it as simple or as complicated as you like. As long as it’s what you both want at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. And when it’s all over, as long as you’re both married what else matters!?

 

 

Suppliers

Wedding venue: Ashdown Park Hotel | Photographer: Leo Doyle | Musician: American Heart | DJ: Pat Fleming | Hair: Nicki Nolan | Makeup: Caitlin Black | Dress: True bride, from B Couture Arklow | Suits: Detail Menswear, Carlow | Bridesmaids dresses: Quiz | Cake: Cake Creator, Arklow | Celebrant: Noeline Long | Stationery: KG wedding stationery and design | Jewellery: Walter Bourke, Enniscorthy | Flowers: Family friend