Image / Style / Weddings

Real Weddings: Heidy and Bryan’s beautiful country house wedding in Co Wexford

by Shayna Sappington
28th Jan 2024

Dubliner Bryan and Aussie Heidy had somewhat of an unconventional start – kindling their romantic beginnings via Whatsapp during the first lockdown in 2020. Months later, when they finally got the chance for a first date in Dublin, sparks flew! Their story includes an intimate proposal at the Royal Opera House in London and a gorgeous wedding day in the breathtaking Marlfield House in Co Wexford.

THE COUPLE
Heidy, commercial strategist, and Bryan, property director.

THEY LIVE
in Donnybrook, Co Dublin and Southwest London.

THE VENUE
Marlfield House, Co Wexford.

PHOTOGRAPHY
Elaine Barker Photography.

THEY MET
We were introduced by mutual friends – first initiated in March 2020 but we did not actually talk and meet until September of that year because of the first pandemic lockdown. What’s meant to be will always find a way! We were officially introduced via a WhatsApp group and our first date was technically a blind date at Peploe’s in Dublin near Stephen’s Green.

THE PROPOSAL
Heidy is an experienced ballet dancer and, in the few months ahead of the proposal, had booked tickets to a performance of Swan Lake at the Royal Opera House in London. After the performance that evening, Heidy was flustered looking for an umbrella she thought she had lost. As the theatre emptied out, I surprised her by dropping on one knee and asking the big question! (To answer a frequently asked question – no, I did not ‘hide’ the umbrella. Said umbrella remains missing to this day!)

My parents were also in London and joined us afterwards for celebratory drinks. It really was such a magical weekend.

THE WEDDING ATTIRE
Heidy’s dress is a bespoke gown by the inimitable British designer, Suzanne Neville. The cocktail gown she changed into is by Bridget Bahl’s label, The Bar. Heidy paired this with some new jewellery for her something new and some vintage family heirloom pieces for her something old.

My suits are both made-to-measure by my favourite, Louis Copeland. My ceremony suit was a classic black tuxedo and a winter white Italian silk scarf (designed by LC stylist, David O’Connor). I then changed into a midnight blue velvet smoking jacket to dance the night away.

THE CEREMONY
With Heidy hailing from Sydney, Australia, and myself from Dublin – one of the biggest decisions about this wedding was always going to be about location. After tossing up between multiple locations, we decided on Co Wexford, being a relatively close distance to Dublin but also giving guests from abroad an experience of the rural Irish landscape.

We were married at Star of the Sea Church, Riverchapel, by a family priest, Reverand Daniel Callaghan. The music was provided by the enchanting Leinster String Quartet. Heidy walked down the aisle to Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift, and we left the church as newlyweds to Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons: Spring.

THE RECEPTION
Our reception was hosted at Marlfield House, a venue we picked for its people, food and overall atmosphere. The house has been owned by the Bowe family for over four decades and the people who operate the venue, from sisters Margaret and Laura Bowe to Dawn (wedding coordinator) and Jacques (lead waiter), were simply flawless.

Between the two of us, we had guests who flew in from all corners of the world – so we wanted an intimate venue that was ours for the day and that we knew would look after all our international and local guests. Marlfield House was such a warm, intimate venue (the multiple fireplaces aside!) and we could not have asked for a better location to celebrate with our nearest and dearest. We had a wonderful group of people who helped make this a day we will never forget – our biggest thank you to all.

THE ENTERTAINMENT
The Leinster String Quartet joined us at Marlfield House after church to beautifully accompany the drinks reception. We decided to do things a little differently and had our grand entrance into the drinks reception itself and had our first dance earlier in the evening.

Later on, we had a joint father-daughter and mother-son dance to What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. Then Spring Break got everybody up and going (we did not expect anything less from them) including a hotly contested limbo competition!

THE DECOR
When we first decided on a December wedding, one of the first things we were excited about was the ambience that Christmas decorations would have – especially at a place like Marlfield House! For the most part, Marlfield provided all the décor we could possibly need/think of. It was so easy and seamless working with this very experienced team. We only complimented this with a few accents to highlight our personalities.

Given that our wedding kicked off Christmas month, we had the White Company’s Winter scent botanical candles around the venue to fill the air with cinnamon, clove and orange. While we did not go floral-heavy on décor, we also brought a lot of additional candlesticks as extra accents.

We coupled Marlfield’s gilded but warm atmosphere with timeless black and white stationery and finishing touches, such as black wax melts with ‘B&H’ initial stamps adorning black velvet ribbons at each table setting. We also sought to be quite considered by designing a personalised logo to represent both our Australian and Irish heritage. These were featured across our invitations and different finishing touches throughout the day.

THEIR TOP TIPS
(1) Be present and take it all in. We had heard and read this again and again in the lead-up to our wedding day but it was a lot harder than we thought it would be.

(2) In the lead-up to the wedding, it is very easy to say “Don’t stress the small details”. Heidy, for one, will tell you she wouldn’t listen to that advice. Ultimately, however, on the day, it is how you and your guests feel that matters – and they will be enjoying themselves regardless!

(3) Trust and lean on your suppliers and service providers. They do this professionally and know what they are doing. Be clear about what you want, of course, but also remember that you have selected them for a reason. Believe in the research you have put in and trust the process.

THEY WISH THEY HAD
We did a lot of back-and-forth on whether or not to have a videographer. We love the photos and slideshow we received, and overall have no regrets. However, if we were to do it again, there were moments of unplanned pure chaos, laughter and emotions which would have been lovely to capture on film.

THEIR BEST MOMENTS
The whole day was a dream. Some core memories…

Getting ready in the morning with both our private group of friends. One of Heidy’s close friends was also the girls’ hair stylist that day, which made it a little bit more special.
Our 1:1 photo session in the Marlfield gardens before group shots. It was our first time truly alone together as newlyweds and our photographer made it so much fun.
Our grand entrance to all of our family and friends and into the first dance – it was quite emotional and far less daunting than the moment of walking down the aisle! It was the first time we were both able to truly take in everybody that was there to celebrate with us.

THEIR FIRST DANCE SONG
At Last by Etta James.

THE CREW
Wedding Dress: Suzanne Neville and The Bar. Bride’s Shoes: Aquazzura. Bride’s Jewellery: Design Yard by Ronan Campbell. Groom’s Suit: Louis Copeland. Groom’s Shoes: Santoni. Make-up: Ailbhe Lynch. Hair: Alex Keville. Music: Leinster String Quartet and Spring Break. Stationery: Heidy’s own design, printed by Eason’s. Flowers: Tara Hill Flowers. Cake: RK’s Cakes & Bakes.