Real Weddings: Jacqui and Seamus tie the knot at Gloster House, Birr

THE PROPOSAL

We got engaged in Ballyfin House in 2022. Jacqui went to school there prior to it becoming a hotel. Jacqui’s parents, Tony and Anne, were in on the plan since Seamus had asked Tony for his blessing the week before while they were fishing for trout on Lake Corrib.

The proposal almost faced a hiccup as Seamus had been very ill the night before and, in the chaos of packing, left the ring behind at Tony and Anne’s house. Jacqui’s brother Gary and his wife Tracy came to the rescue, searching through Seamus’s luggage to find the ring and discreetly bringing it to the hotel. Meanwhile, Seamus, Tony, and Anne kept Jacqui distracted all morning, even convincing her to go for a swim despite her being all dressed, make-up on and ready for the day. Tony’s persuasive words, “Ah, would you live a little,” finally got her to the pool, where the ring was sneakily placed in Seamus’s bathrobe.

After a chaotic golf buggy ride around Ballyfin grounds while trying to avoid the other hotel guests, Seamus popped the question at the top of the round tower, with the views looking out over Laois.

THE WEDDING ATTIRE

Wedding dress: “Jean” by Liz Martinez from The Ivory Room, Paddington, Sydney.

Groom’s suit: Custom from Theodore, Surrey Hills, Sydney.

THE CEREMONY

We were set on getting married on the lawn outside of Gloster House and despite it raining all morning, the sun came out and our ceremony was held outdoors. We couldn’t visualise it happening anywhere else, so it was perfect to see it come together. We were blessed with the weather; I don’t think our Australian guests were prepared for how hot an Irish summer day can be! The factor 50 was passed around and there were a few sunburns showing on day two.

THE RECEPTION

We had a gorgeous reception outside – the drinks flowed, the music vibed and we had lovely canapés. We wanted to incorporate little bits of Ireland and Australia into the day, so we served Guinness and oysters as well as South Australian wines. It was important for us to spend time at the reception, so we opted not to take a ton of formal photographs; instead, we snuck away during intervals throughout the evening. We did things a little out of order with parents’ speeches happening at the drinks reception and during dinner, we also had the bridesmaids do a joint speech, which was nice. Of course, the evening ended in “Aussie Aussie Aussie” chants before we went on to party the night away.

THE ENTERTAINMENT

Ceremony: Vltava String Quartet. Key songs: The groom’s entrance was Concerning Hobbits, the bride’s entrance was Ocean Eyes, and the signing ceremony was Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

Reception: New Brass Kings, who played Crazy In Love as our recessional song which led our guests to drinks. Evening band: Poplife.

Day two band: Juke.

THE DECOR

We let the venue do most of the talking with regard to decor, but it was elevated thanks to Aoife from Blue Blossom Creative, who put together such a beautiful vision for us. We also leaned into creating impact with greenery, which Gloster House kindly provided.

THEIR TOP TIPS

• Canva is your best friend; we did all of our own menus, placenames and other creative assets using it, which saved us time and money.
• Utilise your network; we had flowers from family friends, wine supplied from friends with access to wholesale and one of our groomsmen hand-drew the house for invitations.
• Get recommendations; we asked our friends what wedding suppliers they had used for their own weddings because planning a wedding on the other side of the world is so hard!
• Invest in the experience you care most about; we cared most about throwing a party, so we invested more in entertainment and drink selections because it was important to give our guests a great experience. We traded off things like cake and florals.

THEY WISH THEY HAD

A few special loved ones who were missed on the day.