Today's real wedding felt like a living work of art. Martha and James planned a celebration at the magnificent Killruddery House and Gardens in Co. Wicklow that was a masterpiece of understated and timeless elegance. The style was nothing short of superb, the bride was a vision in a corsetted, curve-celebrating Vivienne Westwood gown while her bridesmaids were equally magical in mix-and-match Reformation dresses.
With a classic palette of white and muted greens and an abundance of flowers plucked from the estate, the couple exchanged vows in a breathtaking ceremony in the orangery surrounded by 127 of their loved ones. From sipping on their favourite sparkling wine to their romantic first dance song by Frank Sinatra, the couple paid tribute to their love story in countless sweet ways. They wanted the celebration to feel like their perfect version of a party, and as you will see from the sublime imagery from Peter Carvill it sure was!
Martha is from Meath and James is from Tunbridge Wells in Kent and they live in London. They met when they were sent on secondment to the Singapore offices for their respective law firms. They went on a group trip to an Indonesian island with other trainee lawyers and they fell for each other pretty quickly!
The overall look and feel of their dream day was understated elegance with an endless array of timeless and classic features. The dashing groom executed the brief flawlessly wearing a made to measure suit from Suitsupply which included a white tuxedo jacket in a vintage style.
James proposed on a beautiful beach in Harlyn Bay in Cornwall while they were staying at one of the Pig Hotels which happens to be their favourite hotel chain. "We got to the beach just before the sun had finally set that evening and it was empty. He proposed with a gorgeous ring and a bottle of English sparkling wine ready to pop just as the sun was setting."
They exchanged vows in the orangery which is inspired by the Renaissance gardens of Italy. Lush foliage complemented the verdant countryside setting which was coupled with a romantic assortment of white blooms nearly all of which were grown on the Killruddery estate.
Trends come and go but a Vivienne Westwood bride is timeless. Martha was mesmerising wearing the Cocette dress which she sourced at the Vivienne Westwood bridal boutique on Davies Street in London. "It was the very first dress I tried on in any bridal store and I fell in love immediately. I tried on about 25 more in six other stores but couldn't stop thinking about the Cocette dress!"
Her accessories included an iconic pair of bridal shoes, the Camellia Pearl Pleated Bow Heels from Loeffler Randall, pearl drop earrings and a bracelet from Monica Vinader, and a beautiful veil.
They wanted their dream day to reflect what they cared about most: people, music, food and drink! "We chose a date (crucially a Saturday) and location (Wicklow, being close to Martha's family, and reasonably close to Dublin airport for the English guests) to maximise the attendance of our favourite people."
They were searching for a really special space for their ceremony and nothing else compared to the orangery at Killruddery House. "It allowed us to feel close to nature even when the weather was not on our side that day (it was grey and drizzly!). The high ceilings and Roman marble statues gave the room an elevated feel that really heightened emotions on the day - there were a lot of tears shed by both of us!!"
They dreamt of a timeless and classic celebration that was elevated but not pretentious. "We were inspired by the orangery and châteaux and other historic venues in France and Italy that we initially looked at before deciding Ireland was the right location to maximise guest attendance."
From the string quartet during the ceremony to the DJ setlist at the end of the night, the couple wanted the music to reflect them as a couple and to keep the energy high. "We spent long car journeys during the summer before our wedding year planning our band setlist and ceremony music. It was a fun way to pass the time!
As for wedding planning they advise couples to book key suppliers as soon as you have the wedding date set to avoid missing out and to start thinking about the little things early to avoid feeling overwhelmed closer to the big day. "If you have chosen a venue that has in-house catering, we would also recommend looking into sourcing your wine externally. It can work out cheaper than purchasing wine through your venue (even when you take into account the corkage costs). We sourced our wine through O'Briens and had a really great experience. They offer a wedding wine tasting for free for couples, and were really helpful when it came to recommending pairings with our menu. They also allow you to refund a limited amount of your wine order if you have unopened bottles left after your wedding."
They imported their favourite English sparkling wine, Chapel Down, for their reception drinks. They had drank it during many key milestones during our relationship and what better to way to toast to their happily ever after. They held their reception in the rustic Grain Store.
As for the aesthetic they highlight, "As lawyers, we are in suits quite frequently so we wanted our wedding day to feel a bit more polished than the average day in the office. We didn't follow many trends - we wanted to keep the colour scheme and decor quite simple - white and muted greens - to complement, but not take away from, the stunning setting that is Killruddery." The seasonal flowers, curated by Hanka of Killruddery Cut Flowers, which had a delicately wild vibe brought an air of relaxed elegance to the celebrations.
The food offering was another reason they fell head over heels for the Wicklow wedding venue. "As two foodies, we loved that the menu was sourced from local ingredients grown on Killruddery's farm. Our guests are still raving about the lamb main course dish."
Martha's bridesmaids looked gloriously chic in mismatched green bridesmaids dresses which included moss velvet, sage satin and even fabulous florals prints.
The groomsmen wore slick black suits from Tangos Suit Hire, Dublin. "It somehow worked perfectly despite all of the groomsmen being based in London and unable to try the suits until the day before the wedding."
They chose You Make Me Feel So Young by Frank Sinatra as their first dance song as they love listening to music from that era when cooking at home together. "We had lessons in London with Vera the Diva dance school to make sure we kicked off the dancing (relatively) smoothly. Our older guests were probably baffled by our re-entrance song, Sandstorm by Darude, but as two people who love any excuse to get up dancing we loved the energy of the song and how it got all of the guests up on their feet. The Cazettes kept the dancefloor full all night and the groom even made a guest appearance on the drums as he played two songs with the band."
The newlyweds jetted off to the Maldives for their honeymoon which included spending a week on a diving liveaboard! "It was the most incredible experience - we saw so many sharks and manta rays. We went with ScubaSpa which offer a more luxury liveaboard experience, so we had incredible dining options available to us and could treat ourselves to spa treatments in between dives. We then spent a few days on a resort called Vakkaru which was a picture perfect island in the Maldives. The whole experience was idyllic."
Thanks so much to Martha and James for letting us in on your big day, and to Peter Carvill for documenting it so magically - visit the gallery below to see even more from their captivating country house celebration!
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