Saint Patrick’s Day has come and gone, but you can thank the luck of the Irish for bringing you this beautiful Irish wedding today. From the beautiful Bride’s custom-designed wedding dress to the gorgeous Powerscourt House setting, Naomi and Mark’s traditional wedding is the kind of pretty you can only dream about. And thanks to photos from Ann-Kathrin Koch, you can get lost in it all in The Vault!
From Ann-Kathrin Koch…“These two are next” Glynis said to me with a barely noticeable nod in the direction of Naomi and Mark cuddled up close. She has a knowing smile on her face and adds: “They are good together.” That was three years ago at Daniel and Emily’s wedding. Daniel is Mark’s brother and Glynis is Mark’s mother.
Fast forward to earlier last year and it’s Glynis again who gets in touch, telling me how Naomi and Mark got engaged and how they’ll get married this year and if possible, how they’d all love to have me there as the photographer again. This may seem odd at first but not if you know the Good family – they are truly fabulous people. You often hear that the Irish are the nicest people in the world. Having photographed these two weddings with all Irish people I have to agree! Coming back to Ireland and walking into a house full of people I knew felt a little bit like sinking into a warm, soft pillow. Exhale and relax and take it all in.
What followed was a most wonderful church ceremony at Crinken Church, a drinks reception in the almost-sunny but still quite blustery afternoon with a view over Powerscourt Gardens and a reception at Powerscourt House. There was so much warmth and happiness around us, so much laughter and joy that I can only agree with what Glynis said to me two years ago: Naomi and Mark, they are good together.
From The Bride…What did you envision your wedding being prior to planning?
I originally wanted an outdoor wedding, but with Ireland being the Climate it is I knew I couldn’t rely on a dry let alone tepid day! The main reason for an outdoor wedding was to be in nature, loads of green leaves, trees and garden flowers. I’ve always loved flowers, so I wanted to bring the outdoors inside and try have as many flowers as possible!
What was your color palette and your style vision?
Pretty pale and soft natural colours was my palette. My favourite flowers our peonies and tea roses so soft pinks and peaches with a dusty green was the vision I wanted.
What unique elements or DIY details did you include?
It was definitely a family effort! Thankfully my mother in law and sister in law share a passion for flowers and DIY, and were an amazing help! Glynis up-cycled old wine boxes which turned into window arrangements, Emily and I used hula hoops to make large wall wreaths and even my grandmother in law got involved making all the jam jar flower arrangements!
What was your favorite moment? Your favorite crafted detail?
I loved our table runners..it really brought my vision of an indoor/outdoor feel to life. At the end of the night they could be separated and taken away as individual flower favours for our guests to enjoy!
Tell us about your flowers, your gown, your favors, your cake, your photographer etc.
Our Photographer Ann-Kathrin was amazing, she has such an unique eye for detail! She had already done my Sister in Law Emily’s Wedding, so I knew she was the perfect fit and would capture the day beautifully. We couldn’t have been happier with our photos.
My gown was made by DaPaor Designs, a tailor in Wicklow called Gay who could not have been more helpful and easy to work with. Being an artist I knew exactly what I wanted, so it was tricky to find a ready made dress that ticked all my boxes. I knew I wanted something beaded but not sparkly and Gay understood my vision perfectly, making my dream dress a reality. I couldn’t have love my dress more!
Our cake was made by Caroline Goulding, a teacher I had worked with who had done wedding cakes on the side! I am delighted but not surprised to hear her business has really taken off. She presented the cake exactly as I imagined. I had seen ‘naked cakes’ on Pinterest and loved the rustic look of them. Fresh fruit, cream, sponge..doesn’t get much more summery and yummy then that!
Our favours were a fun novelty item! We got our faces put on M&M’s, put them in small jam jars and used them as a place name setters. I still can’t bring myself to eat mine!
What is one piece of advice that you could give brides-to-be?
Planning a Wedding doesn’t have to be stressful. We did ours in six months, and if your flexible and organized it can be really fun! Pinterest is amazing but can double your budget lol! Get people involved and make fun DIY days out of it! :)
Photography: Ann-Kathrin Koch Photography | Floral Design: Flowers Made Easy | Wedding Dress: De Paor Designs | Ceremony Venue: Crinken Church | Reception Venue: Powerscourt House | Groom's Attire: T.M. Lewin | Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab