Real Weddings: Holly Carpenter’s sun-soaked French celebrations
Content creator Holly Carpenter tied the knot with fiancé Jamie Hunt in a rustic French farmhouse setting, followed by a Day Two pool party. The florals were colourful, the mood was fun and dancing went long into the night.
THE COUPLE
Holly Carpenter, content creator, and Jamie Hunt, wine salesman.
THEY LIVE
In Stoneybatter, Dublin 7
THE VENUE
We visited a few large Chateaus when we were venue hunting. They were very impressive from the outside, but the guest rooms were often dated, dark and had no air conditioning, which was a deal breaker for me. I wanted our guests to have modern, bright rooms. That’s when we found Le Domaine De Baulieu in Auch, France.
Our venue was an old farmhouse converted into a hotel. I loved that there was a rustic feel with the view of the rolling French countryside, the old exposed stone walls, and they had really cute donkeys and chickens on site too. There was also a spa and a chic vibe to the venue.
We were able to have around 80 guests stay at our venue, and it was mostly family, so it was a great way to spend time with everyone.
PHOTOGRAPHY
VIDEOGRAPHY
Olga Dragon, Seaforest Films.
THEY MET
We had crossed paths a couple of times over the years through mutual friends, and then Jamie asked me out during lockdown. We had our first date in Charlotte Quay restaurant in October 2020, where we later had our legal ceremony in May 2025. It was a beautiful full-circle moment.
On the day of our legal ceremony, I pulled up outside the restaurant in a taxi with my mum at the exact same spot that my taxi pulled up on our first date. I had butterflies both times, and now Charlotte Quay will always be our special place.
THE PROPOSAL
In the early days of our relationship, we often walked my dog Max out at the Poolbeg lighthouse. We have enjoyed a lot of sunrise walks and swims out there. In May 2024, we went for a sunrise walk, and as I was setting up our picnic blanket, Jamie got down on one knee. He had arranged for our friend Tom to hide behind some rocks and take our photos. Jamie took the day off work, and we headed to Kinsale to celebrate our engagement with both of our families. Jamie’s dad, Keith, sadly passed away last September, so the memories of us all celebrating our engagement together are so special. I’m really glad I took so many photos.
THE WEDDING ATTIRE
My wedding dress was from Verona Bridal in Belfast. The suits were from Louis Copeland, and the bridesmaids’ dresses were from Dresscode. The bridesmen’s shirts and shorts were from Louis Copeland too.
THE CEREMONY
Our good friend and neighbour, Ronan Linehan, married us. We included the rose ritual at our wedding. Our mums brought up a rose each (one white and one red) and handed them to us. Then Jamie and I exchanged roses as our first gift to each other as a married couple. The rose, often seen as the universal symbol of love, represents the beauty, passion and commitment of our relationship.
We also tied the knot with white and red ribbon – the colours of Munster (Jamie is a very proud Cork man!) and also the colours of Auch, where we got married.
I think getting married outdoors in the sunshine made the ceremony feel much more relaxed than a church. All of our guests were dressed in vibrant colours, and it felt like a big reunion for a lot of our friends who had travelled from all over the world. There was a sense of giddiness, and I was so excited to see Jamie after spending the night before apart. I walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of Bob Marley’s Is This Love. Our band had limited options for what we could walk down the aisle to, and we ended up going with Hey Ya by OutKast – which was a bit random, but it got everyone going!
THE RECEPTION
Our reception was at the wedding venue with live music. The chef in our venue has a Michelin star, so the food was amazing! We didn’t have a traditional wedding cake. We had three of our favourite desserts served to our guests instead.
THE ENTERTAINMENT
French band Detroit Rumour and Irish singer Josh Keating. Plus DJ Glamo from Dublin, who regularly plays in Mother in town.
THE DECOR
We had Voya candles on each table. It was lovely to include one of my favourite Irish brands, and now when I smell that scent (Eucalyptus, Rosemary & Lime), it brings me right back to our wedding weekend in France.
My Pinterest board for my wedding flowers was an explosion of colours. I went with a classic white and green bouquet in our Dublin ceremony, so then I had a vision of our French flowers looking a little more wild, playful and bright. I enjoyed having the best of both worlds. Emma Rose Floristry absolutely nailed the brief at both ceremonies, and their creations exceeded my expectations. Jamie works in the drinks industry, so he was busy sorting the best wine and booking a team of skilled barmen for our cocktail bar. He was happy for me to go with whatever I liked when it came to the flowers. Which, let’s face it, I was always going to be in charge of that department!
Our fan programmes were by Sattal Print.
THEIR TOP TIPS
Having the wedding in France meant we could have a later ceremony, which kicked off around 3.30pm. This meant we both had a very chilled morning separately and an early afternoon to get ready. I did my own make-up, so I was glad to be able to take my time. I know I would have found it stressful if our ceremony had been early in the morning.
We took a few breaks just the two of us after our speeches and before our first dance. It was lovely to take a moment together and soak it all in as the day flies by so quickly. I was so glad that I made a speech. I know not all brides choose to do this, but I’m really happy that I did.
THEY WISH THEY HAD
I wish I hadn’t stressed about the small stuff in the lead-up. It’s so true when they say that on the day you really don’t mind if a few things don’t go to plan, and your guests won’t notice.
THEIR BEST MOMENTS
Unfortunately, my dad, Karl, couldn’t be there as his cancer treatment plan changed close to the wedding date. My younger brother Ben read my dad’s speech out for him as my dad watched on Zoom. Of course, it wasn’t how I imagined my dad’s speech to go on my wedding day, but I was so incredibly proud of Ben.
Jamie and I both absolutely loved our Day Two. We started the day with a relaxing couples massage in the hotel’s spa, which was much needed after a late night of dancing! Then we had a pool party with live music, DJs and a magician. It felt like there was less pressure that day, and I loved hanging out by the pool with my friends and family.
THE FIRST DANCE SONG
She’s The One by Robbie Williams. We went to see him in Croke Park the week before we flew to France for the wedding. We had a couple of dance lessons in Viva Dance in Fairview, and I highly recommend them. They helped us learn a simple routine, and we had such a laugh at the lessons.
THE CREW
Wedding Dress: Verona Bridal. Suits: Louis Copeland. Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Dresscode. Skin Prep: Kerry Hanaphy. Hair: Matthew Feeney. Florist: Emma Rose Floristry. Videography: Seaforest Films. Entertainment: Detroit Rumour, Josh Keating, DJ Glamo.
See more photographs from Holly and Jamie’s wedding in the gallery below.
Want to see your Real Wedding on IMAGE.ie? Email shayna.healy@image.ie with the subject line ‘Real Wedding’.
Photography by Susie Kelly
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