Buster and Kathy celebrated their marriage in Rathmullan, County Donegal. The ceremony was at a cute little Catholic Church called St. Joseph’s. The reception took place across the road at Rathmullan House, on the Donegal coast.
A gorgeous bright April day with a bright blue colour scheme to match…
Tantrum Time
Kathy The Bride: I was looking for a simple flattering style of dress that was elegant and understated. The first dress I tried on that I really liked was a dress from ‘The Vintage Wedding Dress Company’. As much as I felt really comfortable in it, and thought it looked good from all angles, plus I didn’t really want to take it off, I still knew it wasn’t quite right. I then met Elaine Kennedy at ‘Tantrums and Tiaras’ in Putney and showed her the style. She was keen to make the dress I had in mind. I used mood boards with images from magazines etc to portray the ‘look’ and the jewelry etc which I envisaged and with Elaine making the dress, veil and jacket and her son Scott Johnston made the jewelry. I was really happy and comfortable with the whole look.
I feel it suited both the time of year and the venue very well. I was also able to move about and dance very easily.
The crepe silk material was very soft and skimmed perfectly. I loved the low neckline at the front and the scoop at the back. There was a pearl half necklace, made by Scott, which held the shoulder straps together and matched the other accessories. The detailed lace sleeves made the dress feel very unique, as well as giving me more shape. Elaine also made the dress very fitted with a long train. The train also had a neat button to hold it up for the evenings dancing (and Tango).
Beach Accessories
I went for a simple, thinned veil, so the look was bridal but not too much. Elaine made the veil. She also had a wonderful off white velvet bolero jacket which I loved instantly and it worked well with the dress. It was needed on the beach in Ireland in April.
Scott Johnston made the jewelry; clip on earrings (I prefer clip-ons and usually wear them), a wrist cuff and belt/sash. They were designed together to have similar center-pieces. Again, I used mood boards of cuttings etc to help portray how these might look.
Twinkle Toes
I really loved my shoes. They were off white satin and pretty high. The arch of them was cut away which added more shape and made my feet look more slender and delicate They were a court shoe, I preferred covered toes at this time of year, and they were pointed in style. There was also a circular sparkle detail on the shoes which worked with the other accessories. The shoes were from John Lewis and were padded inside so they were really comfortable.
A Little Different
I knew I wanted my hair tied back for my wedding day as I think it is more demure, plus I would wear my hair down more often than up, and I wanted to look a little different. I still wanted something with volume. I had 2 trials at Chameleon, with Margaret (my mum’s hairdresser) in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, and we found the style that looked quite natural and gave me enough body. Again, mood boards helped.
As for make up, I was recommended Rosemary Wright from Ashburn Image in Eglinton, Co. Derry. I had one trial with her and knew she would be able to help us all on the day, without our make-up looking too heavy. You can see the results!
Both Margaret and Rosemary did all the bridesmaids, grooms woman and my mum.
Modern, Fresh & Feminine
The flowers were an important part of the day as they added the color and femininity to the overall ‘look’ of the wedding. I wanted them modern, fresh and feminine and this is what Tiger Lily of Letterkenny, Co. Donegal provided. They were cream, cerise pink, with purple and lilac.
We had bouquets for the 4 bridesmaids, a more serene pink and cream rose bouquet for me, and colorful button holes for the 2 groomsmen, 1 grooms woman, best man, fathers and groom.
We also had 3 displays for the church, one for the altar and 2 alongside.
Go Tell It On The Mountain
We had a colour scheme and a theme which ran throughout the wedding. The colour was a deep royal blue and the theme was mountains. I know this sounds strange however we had travelled extensively for a year in Central and South America, plus other trips and we climbed a lot of peaks and volcanoes. We also got engaged on a mountain in The Alps.
The blue, romantic mountain scene was on the invites as well as 2 birds and a K&B (our initials) design. These elements featured on the Order of Service, the table plan, Table names and seat names, as well as Thank you cards etc. The actual design was done by one of my bridesmaids, Sinead McNulty.
Modded Maids
The bridesmaids were dressed in simple, yet sophisticated and elegant blue floaty dresses. These were bought from Monsoon. I got 2 of the dresses tailored into v-necks as this style suited 2 of the bridesmaids better than the straight neck. I then found some satin/silk of the same colour in a silk shop in Shepherd’s Bush and got sashes made (by Elaine at ‘Tantrums and Tiaras’). The sash turned each dress in to a bridesmaid dress and made them more feminine. For jewelry they had simple round blue crystal earrings and little cuffs. Their shoes were pointed, toe covered shoes – like mine – but sling backs and in the same blue colour, from Zara. They then had the colourful bouquets, colourful pink nails and lips. Their hair style was lose curls with some flowers. They also had transparent/satin cream shawls if needed.
The best man and 2 groomsmen wore navy suits, and the grooms woman wore a navy dress, similar in style to the bridesmaid dresses (knee length and floaty) however it was unique and from Joy. She also had navy jewelry and navy kitten heel shoes with sling backs.
The groomsmen and fathers all wore the same white shirts and silver, two tone purple ties from Neal & Palmer, Piccadilly Arcade.
An Original Look
The groom wore a well fitted purple/blue single breasted one button suit from William Hunt. It had three threads, one purple, one blue, and one black which gave it a nice, original look. It was worn unbuttoned over a smooth light grey waistcoat (also from Neal & Palmer) and the same grey tie as the groomsmen, best man and fathers.
The smart black shoes were from Jeffrey West and a large collared white shirt was from Neal & Palmer.
Delicate & Beautiful
I first met Amy Murrell from Especially Amy when I was working in an advertising agency and received Amy’s portfolio when looking for a photographer who could capture the atmosphere of a London hotel that had not been built yet. We were looking to create an overall image through close up detailed shots.
Amy did a great job then, and managed to work under less than ideal circumstances to produce some gorgeous shots. I got on well with Amy and so recommended her to my best friend when she got married in 2009. The shots were lovely and my friend was very happy. Amy has a great talent for capturing moments and doesn’t do staged, structured photographs.
When I got engaged I knew immediately I wanted to introduce Buster to Amy. We both decided we would like Amy to photograph our wedding. I knew she would capture the atmosphere and moments of the day in a delicate and beautiful way. She has a great artistic eye. However it was more than that. It was lovely to have Amy there and be part of the day. She really added to it for me as she was supportive, discreet, professional, efficient and prepared.
I am very happy with my pictures and would certainly recommend her to anyone who wants a portfolio of beautiful images to capture the scenes and atmosphere of the day.
A Mountain Of Cake
The cake was actually a surprise and a gift from my aunt and my mum. It was absolutely perfect.
It was a three tier cake; chocolate, carrot cake and fruit cake. Each tier was covered in white icing and a blue ribbon (matching the bridesmaids dresses) around each tier. But also, it was in keeping with our mountain theme and our adventurous travelling spirit.
The bottom tier had 2 little penguins on it, to represent our trip to Antarctica. There were 2 birds on the second tier, as per the invites, and on top was a tent and a couple sitting outside it. It was fun, in theme with the wedding and representative of us. We loved it!
The cake was made by a local supplier in Omagh, Co Tyrone.
Hootenanny
We had a Belfast band called The Hootenanny’s. We first heard of them when we asked the venue to name some bands they had seen play before and which created a good atmosphere. We then listened to a number of them online and preferred The Hootenanny’s. We spoke with Paul a few times before booking. The band name was also the name of a pub local to us in Brixton – so I took this as a sign!
We were so happy with them, the dancefloor never cleared and everyone let their hair down. We had great feedback from everyone.
Once the band finished we had a disco in The Cellar Bar of the hotel which continued until 2.30pm.
Enjoy The Tango
We wanted to be in keeping with our travel theme, plus we wanted a little surprise for our guests and to put some effort in to it, so we decided to do a short tango.
Traditional tango music would not have meant much to everyone and we wanted contemporary music so we selected Depeche Mode’s musical version of ‘Enjoy the Silence’ as it had a reasonable tango beat, plus the actual words are quite appropriate.
The dance was about 3 minutes, and we actually really enjoyed it – the actual dance, plus the effort we had to put in to getting a routine before the day, and meeting our great teacher Louis Rodriegez in Peckham.
The Luck Of The Irish
We wanted to give our guests a little gift to take away from our wedding and their trip to Ireland (132 at the wedding, approx. 85 came over from England) so we decided on little four leaf clover pots and seeds to symbolize Irish Good Luck. We branded the pots with our colours, i.e. white pots with blue copy using the actual K&B emblem and design from the invites etc.
Candles & Lights
The little church could look a little dark so we dressed the church with blue tea lights along the sides, and large white candles in glass vases on the aisle, plus white ribbons on the pew ends. We also had a few flower displays on the altar. The venue worked with our colour scheme and took fresh flowers from the garden to put on each table, which looked lovely.
I think having all our guests come away for the weekend/night helped to build the atmosphere, plus having only our guests in the venue, so everyone there was part of the wedding.
Choosing a venue that you trust is really important. The staff and owners, Mark and Mary, of Rathmullan House were absolutely excellent. They are professionals and we took advice when they made recommendations. This helped the day to flow really well, and they also let us be as involved as we wanted to be.
Also, I think it is your day to treat people so as long as budget allows. Having little surprises for them is good, and maybe a free bar helps!
Click here & view all images from this wedding
Dress: Tantrums And Tiara’s
Shoes: John Lewis
Make-up: Ashburn Image
Florals: Tiger Lily of Letterkenny
Maids: Monsoon
Groom: William Hunt
Band: The Hootenanny’s
I Love the fashion in today’s nuptial offering… I have been a fan of William Hunt suits (and shirts and jumpers too) for a while now and Cathy’s dress accessorised with her bolero jacket is absolutely perfect… Providing a bit of high end fashion (And much needed warmth) on the Irish coast.
Adam.