Real Weddings: Kara and Billy’s garden wedding in Co Kilkenny

THE PROPOSAL
In January 2024, Billy dropped to one knee and proposed in the snow in Boston Common. He chose the ring entirely by himself and had already spoken to my parents a few weeks beforehand. Boston has always held a special place in my and my family’s hearts. I was born there and spent the first six years of my life in the city. My family loved Boston so much so that when we moved to Dublin, we returned every summer for holidays for many years. It was the perfect place to begin our chapter. Now, Boston is forever etched into our love story!

THE WEDDING ATTIRE
The dress-finding process was much easier than I had initially anticipated. I knew in broad terms what style of dress I liked and what would suit me. I wanted a timeless dress that had a modern twist. My inspiration was Audrey Hepburn’s style – elegant, refined and structured with a tailored look. I was initially set on getting a dress made bespoke, but first I wanted to have a look around.

The Suite in Dublin was the second shop I went to. Tara was absolutely amazing. I showed her some photos of what I liked, and she produced the exact dress I was looking for. The dress was by the Australian designer, Chosen By Kyha. My mum and I knew straight away this was the dress for me when I tried it on! It was exactly what I envisioned and what I would have been asking for if I went down the bespoke route. It fit me perfectly. It had a structured bodice with a crisp square neckline, a minimalistic silhouette and a dramatic skirt. It really was the dress of my dreams! I paired this with my maternal grandfather’s necklace of long Japanese Sea pearls and matching pearl stud earrings. My heels were Mach and Mach and had subtle pearl details.

Billy got his suit made bespoke in Paul Henry Tailoring. Henry and the team were nothing short of incredible. Billy wanted a unique and understated twist on the traditional black-tie tuxedo. The process began with choosing the fabrics, which were then ordered in from the famous Scabal Mill. He chose a subtle midnight blue 3-piece suit, with a double-breasted horseshoe waistcoat. The lapels, waistband, trouser stripes and cuffs were all black satin. The team were meticulous. He had over ten fittings! Kathleen, who is part of the team here, also tailored my wedding dress. It fit me like a glove, whilst also remaining comfortable. Their attention to detail was immaculate.

THE CEREMONY
We had a humanist ceremony on site at Mount Juliet. From the moment we first visited the venue, we knew having our ceremony outside on the tiered garden in front of the Manor house was our dream setting. It had an elegant, romantic, intimate and storybook-like charm that was perfect for our wedding. It also had a unique setup where the bride walks out of the Manor House and down the aisle towards the guests. Of course, this was weather-dependent, so in the days leading up to the wedding, we were constantly refreshing the weather apps. Thankfully, we got our fairytale ending and were blessed with a beautiful sunny day!

We chose a humanist ceremony because it allowed us to create something deeply personal and reflective of who we are as a couple. Our celebrant, Shona Weymes, was fantastic – she guided us through the collaborative process, and our ceremony felt really unique. We had beautiful pieces of music played by the Leinster String Quartet. An unforgettable moment was walking out with my dad to All I Want Is You by U2, one of his favourite songs. We carefully chose our music and readings to reflect not only our relationship as a couple but also our relationships with and appreciation for our family and friends.

THE RECEPTION
Our entire wedding day took place on the stunning grounds of Mount Juliet. We hosted our drinks reception at Hunter’s Yard, where the bar opened out onto a beautiful courtyard. We were incredibly fortunate with the weather, which meant the string quartet could perform outdoors while our guests mingled and soaked up the sunshine.

THE ENTERTAINMENT
We had the Leinster String Quartet play during our ceremony and drinks reception. For the evening entertainment, we had Spring Break – they were amazing. One of my best friends, Alannah, was the MC for the night and definitely deserves a mention for all of the entertainment she brought. She is one of the funniest people we know, and she really set the tone for the evening. Several guests actually asked me if she was a professional comedian.

THE DECOR
I really enjoyed bringing our wedding vision to life and designing the overall theme. We aimed for elegant minimalism, with a timeless yet contemporary feel and refined simplicity at the heart of it all. The mood we wanted to create was soft, romantic luxury, with clean and crisp details. Our colour palette was sage green and soft neutrals, white and ivory, and hints of black. We carried these tones through every detail of the day.

Our starting point began with selecting the flowers. We worked together with our amazing florist, Orla from Soah Flowers, and everything was built from there. The calla lilies became a key design element and were a unifying element across all aspects of the wedding.

My mum played a huge role in the creative process. She is incredibly artistic and has an amazing eye for detail. She really was the one behind the scenes doing the hard work and putting everything together! She drew the calla lilies, which were used for our on-the-day stationery. She also made our magnificent cake. It was truly nothing anyone had ever seen before. The cake was set up as a chessboard, with Billy as the king, and me as the queen (with my veil). Our logo was on the cake, with our bridal party as pawns dressed in their wedding outfits. It was the perfect finishing touch. And, it was all edible!

For our wedding favours, we chose pistachio and vanilla macarons from Monsieur Macaron. We’d discovered him during our regular visits to the Herbet Park market.

THEIR TOP TIPS
As soon as you have the venue booked, try and secure your key vendors. Don’t be afraid to reach out and stay in touch with them throughout the planning process; good communication makes a big difference. Delegate tasks to your bridal party so you can enjoy the experience without getting too overwhelmed.