Ready to be enchanted? Today's real wedding featuring fabulous couple Diana and Thomas was a dream from start to finish. It was a relaxed weekend of joy in a luxury country house they love, Ballymaloe House in Co. Cork. It was so important to the couple that their guests had as fabulous a time as they did. When you see the endless dreamy details in the photos from Jonathan Ryder Photography, you'll know that they did just that. From their walled garden ceremony to their reception under twinkling lights in the Grain Store, seriously stylish spring wedding inspiration is coming your way.
First things first, let's learn all about their love story which is oh-so gorgeous. Thomas is from Dublin and Diana is from Belfast and they live in Holywood. They met through Diana's grandad’s carer Wendy, “Thomas was gardening for my grandad Berry and she thought we would get on and boy was she right!” They had their first date in the Botanic Gardens Belfast and the rest is history!
Now to their proposal story, "Thomas proposed the day after his sister Gabe’s wedding on 20th June 2021 at Tyrella beach in Downpatrick, he insisted on going down to beach in the morning, I was a bit grumpy and hungover! Finally he persuaded me, thankfully we made it to the beach, we had a swim with a lot of seals! It was the most beautiful sunny day, Thomas had the ring hidden in his white towel from our accommodation at Tyrella House which is where my grandad Berry grew up after the war. It is now a lovely B&B run by John & Hannah Corbett."
With a long-standing connection to Ballymaloe House, it was the perfect place for the couple to say 'I do'. "I grew staying in Cork over the 12th July, we always went to Ballymaloe for dinner with lots of delicious lunches in the Ballymaloe coffee shop. We introduced Thomas to Ballymaloe, he was blown way and had our first stay there, before our wedding and that’s when we knew it was the one."
The bride was a picture of elegant romance wearing an Anna Sorrano column dress with sparkling straps. She accessorised with pearls right down to her stunning Jimmy Choo heels and she wore a breathtaking red rose headband in her hair which married with the amorous hues of her bouquet.
Dapper groom Thomas opted for a brown three-piece tweed suit from Focus Menswear in Bangor which he styled with brown brogues, a green silk pocket handkerchief and a pink rose buttonhole.
Their ceremony in the walled garden was so romantic! Iona Murray, Ballymaloe’s in-house florist, created the romantic and lush floral displays along with the bride's headband.
Reminiscing on the ceremony the bride explains, "Having my dad walk me down the aisle was really special, he passed away at Christmas 2023, I cherish the photos and memories with him!"
80 of their loved ones joined them for their joyous day in April.
They included a number of super sweet rituals in their ceremony including a sand pouring ritual and a handfasting.
Their ceremony readings included He’s Not Perfect by Bob Marley. "I feel so grateful I got to visit Bob Marley’s home in Kingston Jamaica in January the year after. Apparently if you touch his bed you get pregnant, so I lay on it!"
"Our wedding was an absolute dream from start to end. Having all our loved ones there to celebrate with us made our day extra special. It had a relaxed feel and emphasis on everyone having a good time, with good food and drink! Which I think we accomplished! It was important to us that everyone had as good a day as us, a relaxed weekend away and experience Ballymaloe, a place which we love, being able to share with the ones we love is pure magic!"
Diana’s mum did her radiant makeup look which also included a soft bronzed eye makeup with red lipstick. Her friend Karina created her relaxed and beautiful half-up-half-down hair do.
The couple adore the home-from-home vibe of the venue. "We loved how welcoming the staff our, Fern Allen and her incredible team. You feel part of the family when you go. The attention to detail is amazing, the food is the best with their own farm, with the most delicious food! The grounds are beautiful also, lots of amazing photo opportunities inside and outside the house. Fern Allen gave our wedding guests a history tour which our guests really enjoyed!"
They also had a great trip lined up for their guests as they visited the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School which is just a few miles from the venue. "It is a fun visit for wedding guests, with an outdoor food truck, shop and gardens and even a maze which I still haven’t worked out yet!"
Diana still has her headband and she also preserved her bouquet as her sister-in-law Gabe very kindly dried it for her.
Diana's leading ladies wore elegant neutral bridesmaids dresses from Willow & Pearl with draped necklines with a dash of sparkle coming courtesy of their New Look court heels.
Diana has loads of wonderful tips for couples planning their special day. "Give yourself lots of time and go with your gut with a venue and pick the one that’s most special to you! Don’t sweat the small stuff, what’s important is the reason you’re there, to marry the love of your life surrounded by loved ones! Also a venue that can cater for everything in-house, it definitely takes the stress away for you and the guests as once they arrive they don’t have to leave."
They held their reception in the Grain Store at Ballymaloe which boasts a dazzling string light chandelier. They gave yin yang badges as wedding favours in support of cancer research.
Their scrumptious berry wedding cake was created by JR Ryall, the head pastry chef at Ballmaloe.
They enlisted good-time supergroup Spring Break as their band and DJ and they chose a sweetly sentimental song for their first dance, Elvis Presley's Can’t Help Falling in Love with You which Thomas always sang to Diana when they met.
The newlyweds jetted off to Japan for their honeymoon. "We would highly recommend, it was absolutely amazing! We flew into Osaka, took the bullet train to Kyoto, staying in the most beautiful hotel by the river. We then spent time in Mount Koya and spent time with the monks, we then went up into the mountains to Hakone and experienced the hot springs, our highlight! We ended in Tokyo and stayed in the Park Hyatt which was amazing!"
Diana and Thomas your special day was pure magic! A very special thank you to our wonderful couple and Jonathan Ryder Photography for sharing today's chic country house wedding with One Fab Day!
