Meet Danielle and Chris! They planned their whimsical wedding all the way from the UAE, relying on recommendations and online interactions with suppliers. We love that despite planning their wedding from abroad, they selected the perfect wedding suppliers, resulting in a gorgeous wedding day.
Couple: Danielle and Chris
Engagement length: 18 months
Wedding date: 2022-04-15
Wedding location: Martinstown House
Photographer: Alex Zarodov Photography
Videographer: proMEDIAhouse – Marius
Danielle and Chris met while they were both working abroad in the UAE. Chris then popped the question under a full moon on Halloween at the Ritz Carlton in Abu Dhabi.
They really wanted to plan a wedding that would be fun and stress-free for their family and friends from all over the world. The main word that they kept coming back to was “whimsical”. They incorporated lots of florals and greenery, an amazing outdoor setting, and mauve toned colours to contrast the bright yellow of the main house at the venue.
Danielle wore an ivory and blush lace gown with a full skirt. After a dress hunt that scaled from Dubai to New York City, her perfect dress turned out to be the first one she had saved on her Pinterest board!
Chris had a custom suit made in Abu Dhabi in a blue check pattern.
They asked the groomsmen to wear their own navy suits to keep things casual and low-stress. The bridesmaids chose their own dresses and dress colours within the mauve family (both from David’s Bridal in the USA).
Danielle and Chris describe their ceremony as a “beautiful”, with a custom written love story by Alison at Bespoke Words.
“It was held in the Woodlands at Martinstown House and everything down to the music choices were personalised by us. The bridal entrance song was Songbird by Fleetwood Mac and we walked back up the aisle together as husband and wife to Baby I’m Yours by the Arctic Monkeys. The ceremony readings were hand-picked, one by the bride and one by the groom, and brought both laughter and tears to the day. We had a candle lighting ceremony and a hand fasting ritual and included our family members throughout the ceremony.”
Their entire wedding was hosted at the beautiful Martinstown House!
“Martinstown House was exactly what we were looking for. The outdoor space, Woodlands ceremony area (complete with a chandelier in the woods!), gorgeous marquee, glamping site, etc… all felt perfect as soon as we saw it. We were planning over COVID so we didn’t actually visit the site in person until the day before the wedding and it was everything we hoped for and more. Edward was super helpful and responsive throughout the planning process. The food was amazing, all the staff were friendly and professional. Our guests still talk about this hidden gem in the heart of Kildare!”
Their Big Day was perfectly captured by Alex Zarodov Photography.
“Alex was so fun and laid back on the day. He was with us from getting ready in the morning straight through til we hit the dance floor that night. Loved his energy and he was able to read how we were feeling really well, giving us breaks when we needed them. We loved his candid photos and editing style. He captured moments that we hadn’t even noticed — like Danielle’s dad and grandpa fist bumping as she walked down the aisle.”
The wedding video is absolutely gorgeous!
“We are so happy we went with Marius at ProMediaHouse. He was really easy to communicate with and answered all the questions we had. His style is exactly what we were looking for and on the big day he was never intrusive or in your face.”
For entertainment, they had Vegas Nights Band, which was a personal recommendation from a family member who had seen them at weddings before. This was one of the easier choices to make and Danielle and Chris fully trusted them to keep the dance floor full. They were able to play the not-well-known choice for first dance song (My Home is You by Satellite Station) and in one of the most special moments of the night they even played some impromptu Brendan Shine on Danielle’s grandfather’s request.
When asked about their favourite memory from the day, here’s what they said:
“We did a first look in the Secret Garden and this stands out as a favourite memory. It was just the two of us (with Alex and Marius of course) and we got to have a moment alone together.”
We love seeing newlywed couples’ advice. This is what Danielle and Chris had to say:
“Get the big things booked and the small things will fall into place. There were, of course, some things that did not go exactly to plan.. but only we noticed them and at the end of the night everyone was happy and had a great time.”
Suppliers
Ceremony and reception venue: Martinstown House | Photographer: Alex Zarodov Photography | Videographer: proMEDIAhouse – Marius | Band and DJ: Vegas Nights | Hair: Aisling Byrne | Makeup: Nicola Weldon | Wedding party outfits: David’s Bridal | Celebrant/solemniser: Alison – Bespoke Words | Stationery: Shutterfly and Etsy | Accessories: Bridal Hairpiece – SMCandCo | Flowers: Wildflower & Wren
