As always, we’re setting our compass to ‘up north’, but we’re skipping across the Irish Sea this time to this stunning autumnal wedding in County Wicklow that has all the countryside feels.
Roisin and PJ tied the knot last year at the supremely sophisticated Tinakilly Country House in Ireland, described as a Victorian mansion by the sea. The venue has the most exquisite of backdrops to match its fabulous location. And – perfect for guests flying in from England – the venue is a mere 45-minutes from Dublin.
Unusually for our couple, their colour scheme centred on the groom’s brown tweed suit – a refreshing change from the bridesmaids’ dresses taking the lead! They decided to pair this earthy shade (perfect for their country setting, if we do say so ourselves) with the most gorgeous of purple tones that really pops against the pared back setting.
Tying in with this colour palette, the floral arrangements consisted of beautiful purple blooms and white orchids – and as you’ll see, this created the dreamiest of surroundings for a truly elegant look.
If you’re in the throes of planning your very own country wedding, we think you might be borrowing some of the wonderful details from Roisin and PJ’s special day. Read on for all the inspo!
With images by Photogenick
roisin says
: We got engaged on New Year’s Eve while in Sydney, Australia. We were on a rooftop watching the fireworks and then PJ got down on one knee.We tied the knot on 14th October 2017. It was two weeks after PJ’s birthday and two weeks before mine. It also coordinated well with my work commitments of year-end!
We got married at Tinakilly Country House in County Wicklow, Ireland. It wasn’t too far from where our parents are from. Plus, our English guests could conveniently get to the venue from Dublin airport!
We didn’t have a particular theme or style, although we knew we wanted brown tweed suits and used this as the basis for our brown and purple colour scheme. Purple is our favourite colour and combined with the brown suits – we thought these shades worked well for autumn.
My embellished A-Line dress was purchased from The Bridal Suite in West Bridgford, Nottingham. I chose this particular dress mainly because I wanted a gown with pockets! The bridal shop is run by twin sisters who are so nice and friendly, and they didn’t apply pressure unlike some of the other shops I visited.
PJ wore a three-piece brown tweed suit from Empire Outlet with a floral tie from Slaters.
The groomsmen wore the same suits but with plain purple ties, also from Slaters. As for my bridesmaids; they wore light gold dresses from Jenny Packham at Debenhams.
The bridesmaids arrived in a black Audi and I travelled with my dad in a matching white Audi. The cars belonged to the father-of-the-groom and my dad. We weren’t too fussed about transport, as no one would see me arrive thanks to both the ceremony and reception taking place in the same venue, plus we wouldn’t be driving off anywhere afterwards.
We booked photographers Nick and Nic from Photogenick and we would recommend them in a heartbeat! They’re both lovely; you feel like you have your mates there with you on the day. They take amazing pictures and really do get on with everyone they meet. We couldn’t rate them highly enough. They photographed one of my good friend’s wedding when I was a bridesmaid and just knew we had to have them when it was our turn. Flying them out to Ireland was a no brainer. Everyone loved their Yorkshire accents as well!
The bouquets consisted of purple flowers and white orchids, supplied by Austen Flowers, in Wicklow. We also had flowers on the ceremony table that were used for the top table.
The table centre pieces, meanwhile, were done by Tinakilly House using old books and candles that they supply. Our favourite film to watch together is Step Brothers so our tables were named after quotes from the film – it was pretty difficult to keep these at a PG rating!
As favours, we handed out mini bottles of Baileys.
For our wedding breakfast, we chose a chicken liver parfait served with chutney and brioche to start. This was followed by potato and leek soup. Then there was a choice of fillet beef (a favourite of ours) or cod wrapped in Parma for mains, both served with seasonal vegetables. The meal was then rounded off by crème brulee served with homemade cookies, as this dessert is really light.
The veggie menu was picked out by an aunty, who is veggie, as we thought it would be nice for her to choose her own dishes. As a result, our six veggie guests tucked into a halloumi starter and then a Moroccan tagine.
We decided on tiers of cheese wheels for our ‘cake’, which we ordered from a local supermarket. Tinakilly then decorated this for us.
Entertainment-wise, The Cazettes performed at our ceremony and during our reception drinks. We booked the group after seeing them play in a local pub when we were over for our food tasting. They were so good and we loved their varied set list. We booked the Funky Buskers for our evening reception drinks after viewing only their YouTube videos! They didn’t disappoint either. It was important to us that everyone was up dancing all night.
After our wedding celebrations, we would recommend our venue to anyone looking to get married in Ireland. You can see the Irish Sea in the distance which is just beautiful. The team really look after you too and the food is amazing. Also, reception bars in Ireland stay open until 1.30-2am so the party doesn’t have to stop at midnight!
My highlight from the day was getting to the end of the aisle and seeing PJ. I was so nervous walking in, in front of everyone (I’m not a fan of being the centre of attention) and thought I was going to be sick! But when I got to the front of the room, the nerves disappeared, and I felt overwhelmingly happy.
We went to Galway for a minimoon after the wedding and plan to save for a big honeymoon soon! We chose Galway as all of our family are from the east side of Ireland, so we wanted to visit parts of the country we’d not been to before. Our trip was delayed by a day thanks to Hurricane Ophelia so we had to stay put in Wicklow for an extra night. We were advised it wasn’t safe on the roads. When we finally got there though, we loved it. It’s a great place with lots of lively bars and great restaurants. We took a day trip to The Cliffs of Moher and also did a detour to see ‘Father Ted’s House’ in County Clare.
My top tip for other Brides Up North would be: take time to enjoy it – everyone said the same to us, but it really will be the quickest day of your lives. You will struggle to take it all in and remember it. The photos will be what’s left at the end of it all, so get a good photographer and even if you don’t like having pictures taken – make sure to get plenty!
