A Destination Wedding at Killruddery House

When Megan and Bryan first reached out to me in January 2019 for their Summer 2020 Wedding in Ireland, little did we know what was ahead of us as we commenced this Destination Wedding Planning Journey. Their dream was to bring their close family and friends from the US. They wanted to have an amazing 72 hours of wedding celebrations, experiencing all that Ireland has to offer. Megan has family in Co. Wicklow. She would have spent many summers here growing up and her dream was to get married in Ireland. Thus, the seed was planted for this destination wedding at Killruddery House.

Their first trip to kick start the wedding planning process was March 2019 where we visited some wedding venues. Following the site visit to Killruddery House and Gardens, I can easily say it was love at first sight. With the stunning architecture, the jaw dropping Orangery, the lush well maintained gardens and The Grain Store, it is a difficult wedding venue to top. Killruddery House was just perfect for this Destination Wedding.

Although, as Covid-19 took a turn for the worst, plans had to change as well as some suppliers. In saying that, we were so thankful to be able to keep Killruddery and our photographer Elaine Barker Photography. Dates moved, and moved again and finally in April 2022 the dream became the reality.

Wedding Celebrations begin

Megan and Bryan had a few nights in Dublin with some of their guests. This included a dinner at Pichet, before they headed to Bray, Co. Wicklow to begin the wedding celebrations. Rehearsal lunch took place at the light filled Fern House at Avoca Kilmacanoge. From there everyone headed to the Butler and Barry in Bray to enjoy the seaside views, some cocktails and food. The videographer was Hunter Floyd who also joined them for the rehearsal night. The wedding film is a stunning cinematic film of this epic destination wedding at Killruddery House!

The Wedding Morning at Killruddery House

The bridal party prep and getting ready was in full steam when I arrived at Killruddery House on the morning. Our beauty team were the fabulous Sian Sharkey for hair, and Aoife Callaghan for Makeup. Nicki Fanning was onsite to look after some of the bridal party for Hair and Makeup.

Sally Horn and her amazing team of florists were busy prepping The Orangery and the Bridal Bouquets and Boutonnieres. Because The Grain Store operates as a cafe during the day, we were unable to get access until the evening.

Wedding Styling and Design

Megan had spent so much time on the styling and I knew she had a fabulous styling eye when she brought the swatches of bridal party dresses to Ireland on her trip. She had velvets, satins, blues, lilacs and plum tones in mind and that set the scene for the styling. Finally, while we worked on the styling boards, Megan was adamant she wanted fresh fruit used as decor on the tables. It all couldn’t have worked more perfectly together. She even brought an additional suitcase (or two) with styling items from the US. And, this included the table runners that she dyed herself!

The Wedding Day at Killruddery House

Berenice Farrell of Spiritual Ceremonies kicked off the day and officiated the wedding ceremony. The Carolan String Quartet provided music for the ceremony and drinks reception. Ultimately, we were so lucky with the weather on the day. Guests were able to enjoy drinks outside after the ceremony, including the signature cocktail ‘The Atticus’, named after Megan and Bryan’s adored dog.

Once evening came, it was time to head over to The Grain Store for dinner. Set up time for The Grain Store was short so Sally, her floral team and I were to the wire, but it was so worth it! The finished product was absolutely stunning, and included the addition of the Wedding Cake by Louisa at Croft Cake D e sign. The cake was delish, and the flavour was quite unique – Spinach and Blueberry (yes green)! It was such a joy to see guests faces as they arrived to The Grain Store and saw the ultimate romantic set up with candlelight flickering in every corner.

Guests finished their dinner and drinks and headed to the dance-floor. Traffic Wedding Band kicked off with the first dance. The dance-floor was full for the entire night (even some wedding suppliers were spotted having a boogie!). The night came to an end with a final surprise for guests – burgers and chips provided by Feed Catering! The bride and groom just about managed to get an order in, this was such a hit! For those that needed to sit down, they had the option of heading over to ‘The Shoot Room’ for a glass of whiskey and a cigar in the cozy snug where the fire was lighting.

If you are thinking about your Destination Wedding in Ireland, click here to read more about my Full Wedding Planning Package.