The couple at the centre of today's real wedding, Melissa and Eamon, had some really ambitious plans for their big day, purely in terms of the styling. As well as spoiling their guests rotten with a relaxed, house party-style bash at the endlessly gorgeous Ballyvolane House, they wanted to create a day that reflected all of the things they love most, including vintage '60s style, classic rock, contemporary rock, retro Hollywood glamour, French New Wave cinema, and gin cocktails, to name just a few! A celebration like this takes so much passion and creativity, so we're beyond delighted that they agreed to share the story behind their day with us, along with the incredible imagery by Danielle O'Hora Photography. If you're looking for unique wedding inspiration, you've found it!

Irish groom Eamon tells us that he met Canadian bride Melissa through mutual friends a few years after he moved to Toronto. "Ironically enough, Melissa was, at the time, already preparing to move to Dublin to complete a Masters degree program. A year later, Melissa moved back home to Toronto. A chance to begin again. So we did."

Eamon popped the question during a weekend break to Langdon Hall, a country house hotel about an hour outside of Toronto. "Although I'm not good with surprises, I was genuinely shocked when Eamon got down on one knee to propose," Melissa says. "I was also surprised at the fact that the engagement ring was hidden in our apartment for weeks and somehow I didn’t find it! Once recovery from the shock was complete (and I said yes!), we had a lovely dinner to celebrate, before sharing the news with Canadian and Irish friends and family the next morning."

From the beginning, this couple knew that they wanted to have the full run of their wedding venue for an entire weekend. "Having Ballyvolane House exclusively to ourselves was really important," Melissa says. "As a group, we wanted to feel spoiled and treated! We wanted our wedding to be a memorable and unique experience for everyone, especially for the 50+ guests who had travelled all the way from Canada to join us on the day." 

It was also incredibly important to this pair that they express their individuality on the day. "We wanted the wedding to be uniquely us. This meant that we wanted to bring our favourite pieces of writing and music into every aspect. Our humanist celebrant encouraged and supported us in this, and we were able to include music and readings in the ceremony that were meaningful and significant to us both individually, and to our time spent together."

Melissa and Eamon's ceremony sounds just magical! "Groomsman Liam O’Connor and bridesmaid Chloe La Bella serenaded me down the aisle to Summer Wine by Lee Hazelwood and Nancy Sinatra. They also sang our favourite songs throughout the ceremony. Everyone commented on how well they sang together - we were lucky, as they’re from different countries, it was the first time they had sang together! My brother read an abridged version of Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye by Leonard Cohen and Eamon’s godmother read Begin by Brendan Kennelly."

From very early on, Melissa and Eamon knew that they wanted to be married in Ireland. "We trawled through a seemingly endless list of venues (OneFabDay was a very useful resource in this respect!) before selecting a shortlist to visit in person." Delighted to be of help, guys!

Ballyvolane House captured the couple's hearts on their very first visit, and honestly, we can't say we're surprised! "We flew to Ireland around the June bank holiday weekend to visit our list of venues. We almost didn’t visit Ballyvolane, as we had seen some other promising venues. Moments after we arrived, we were greeted in the sitting room with tea, coffee and biscuits, presented in this beautiful antique silverware, and the impact was immediate! We loved Ballyvolane House because it looked and felt like a rock 'n' roll retreat, like the Rolling Stones would have recorded an album in."

Once the venue was booked, Melissa and Eamon set about creating a gorgeous aesthetic for their big day. "We had so many different inspirations for our wedding," Melissa says, "the majority of them coming from music and eras we love; the psychedelic music and aesthetics of the 1960s, French New Wave films, and the 1950-60s Hollywood glamour of Elizabeth Taylor’s early weddings. Inspiration also came from my maternal and paternal grandmothers, as both possessed unique individual style."

Have you ever seen a more stylish bridal party!? Melissa combined a vintage wedding dress with a raised headband with floral accents and dressed her girls in yellow and vintage-inspired mix and match bridesmaids dresses in lemon yellow and ditsy floral print.

The look and feel of the day was defined by lots and lots of thoughtful details. "We created our own, personalised, 1950s-esque cocktail menus, and offered guests cigars after dinner with little, custom-made matchboxes. I purchased the ceramic table décor (vases, candleholders) via Etsy, giving the tables a 1960s Beverly Hills Hotel vibe. Each table was finished off with a custom-made table runner, complete with gold fringe, extra-long tapered candles with some tables adorned with a glowing orb for a bit of a vintage look." 

Melissa's planning advice for engaged couples is to make sure you're both equally invested in the day. "We worked as a team, because it was the type of wedding we both wanted." She also advises making a detailed budget and tracking it. "And include a decent buffer!"

These custom cocktails have got such a summery feel! They're one of my favourite details from the day, along with the custom CD wedding favours (pictured above), and the Lou Reed, David Bowie and Iggy Pop-themed bunting that adorned the band stage area at Ballyvolane (keep scrolling for a pic!)

After dinner, Melissa changed into a vintage jumpsuit - a great choice for dancing it has to be said with The Suitcase Trio serving up hit after hit! Right after their wedding, Melissa and Eamon went on a two-week honeymoon to Italy. "We went to Florence, Tuscany and Liguria, ending our honeymoon off with a bang, with a few nights in a secluded hotel on the Tuscan coast, which featured in many of Slim Aarons’ photographs."

We can't quite believe this wedding is real! Before we leave you, we've got to say a huge thank you to Melissa and Eamon for sharing their day with us, and to Danielle O'Hora for providing the beautiful imagery! You'll find lots more photos from the couple's wedding in the gallery below.

Getting married? Check out more stunning Irish Real Weddings and get inspired!