A Dream Destination Wedding in Ireland

We are delighted to be able to share this very special Olivia Buckley International wedding at Adare Manor that was featured on Wedding Chicks and the DWP Insider. We asked our wonderful clients Jennifer and James to sum up their experience of their dream destination wedding in Ireland.

THE WEDDING PLANNING PROCESS

When we had decided that we wanted to get married in the beautiful Adare Manor, we began by interviewing a number of different planners in Ireland to assist us with creating our dream wedding. When we spoke with Olivia Buckley International and viewed their portfolio we were blown away by what they had created previously and there was no question that this was the company we wanted to work with. We wanted to work with a young, dynamic team that pushed the boundaries. For us, we wanted to take our guests on a journey the whole weekend, to surprise and delight at every corner and create something unique. The coming together of two cultures made the process really fun. It meant that we could bring lots of ideas, traditions and styling concepts to the brief to Olivia and her team. We really wanted our personalities to come through in the design.

WORKING WITH AN IRISH WEDDING PLANNER

As Olivia and her team are based in Ireland and we are based in Australia, we had some concerns over communication and working across the different time zones but careful planning and scheduling monthly and bi-weekly skype and conference calls and of course WhatsApp made it all very seamless. We spoke at length about the different styles and designs that interested us with Olivia but really, for us it was more about creating an unforgettable experience for our family and friends who had travelled to Adare Manor from Dublin and Australia. Olivia and her team delivered the most exciting designs and concepts that excelled all of our expectations and so it became a really exciting process and we loved the lead up to our wedding.

"When we spoke with Olivia Buckley International and viewed their portfolio we were blown away by what they had created previously and there was no question that this was the company we wanted to work with"

THE DRESS

We were getting married in Ireland but having lived in Sydney for the last 7 years, I only wanted to wear Australian designers. I met with a couple of designers but instantly felt a connection with Steven Khalil and his designs. Steven designed 3 amazing gowns for me. The first gown was for our ceremony. Because of the setting we went with a more traditional look where I could really create “an entrance”. For the second gown, I changed into a sexy, vintage style beaded gown for our first dance and post-ceremony party. My third dress that Steven designed was for our post wedding day Australian festival BBQ. It was super fun and playful to go with the style of the day with lots of tulle and flowers in my hair. Since moving to Australia, I had always followed Viktoria Novak so when it came to my wedding, I knew that I wanted to wear one of her exquisite designs. Together, we came up with a concept and she custom made my wedding headpiece for the ceremony. It was truly perfect!

THE CELEBRATIONS

I suppose we should start off with the fact that this was a wedding weekend and not just a day, with lots of different events over three days! We started off our celebrations with an Irish themed evening at the Manor which was enriched with local artisan cuisine, authentic traditional performances and rich indigenous designs stimulated guests senses. This included a theatrical Guinness and Oysters station where chefs shucked oysters in front of guests, wonderful artisan cheeses from our local cheese makers and of course traditional Irish soda bread. Irish dancers and musicians performed on this night and sealed the night with fireworks. This Welcome celebration evening created the perfect atmosphere to encourage wonderful interactions between families and guests. This meant that by the wedding ceremony and reception the following day, everyone was familiar with each other and it really lent itself to the lovely atmosphere.

"Standing there and marrying each other was the most beautiful and surreal feeling and one that we will cherish forever"