Talk about making a personal mark! Meadhbh and Alan, a most creative couple, have invited us to their ultimate festival wedding of dreams, which took place in Kilcullen, Co. Kildare, last September. Trust us when we say, we have a fun-filled and artistically creative treat in store for you. The groom designed the engagement ring, the mother of the bride created the wedding dress and the theme was completely customised around their passion for music festivals! Get your glamping chairs at the ready as the incredibly talented Louise Scott Photography captured every moment of this headliner of a real wedding!
Meabhdh and Alan first came acquainted in their local pub Flanagans in Newbridge. The same spot where they continue to visit, and even made a quick stop on their wedding day for some memorable photographs. Meabhdh tells us how their love story began: "Alan is friends with my brother, but he had no idea that he had a sister. He happened to be out the same night I was with my brother and his wife. We hit it off and talked all night and went on to the local nightclub Swifts – where all good love stories in Newbridge start. Over the next few days, Alan built up the courage to ask my brother was he okay with him asking me out, being his younger sister. 10 years later, we’re pretty happy he was okay with it!" laughs Meabhdh.
As the years passed and their love continued to blossom, Alan who studied fine art in college, was keen to make his proposal to Meabhdh unique and incredibly personal. Alan designed the engagement ring with the help of a jeweller. "He said it was touch and go with delivery, but it arrived on the day of our ninth anniversary. He waited until the Friday so we could celebrate with a few drinks," she said. "I had just come home from the gym and Alan had Ralph our dog on the lead ready to go for a walk. We were down by the bog where we live and had just let Ralph off the lead. As I turned around, he was down on one knee. I couldn’t tell you what he said, but I know he grabbed my right hand first. We came back and my sister and parents were at home to celebrate!"
Meadhbh's dress is unique, one-of-a-kind, and sprinkled with her mother's creative touch! The mother of the bride had a creative input in the wedding, designing and making the wedding dress, bridesmaid's dress, décor elements, and even the wedding cake. She produced a beautiful simple slip and complemented it with a cropped embellished and ethereal cape. To finalise her stand-out look, she wore a striking gold headpiece and a pair of block bridal shoes with their own creative story. "I originally bought a pair of rose gold Jenny Packham diamante shoes but I wasn't mad about them with my dress. So I just bought a pair of white block heel shoes and painted them using leather paint!"
The style doesn't end there. The groom's choice of ensemble truly reflects his personality and artful side with this sophisticated suit. His tweed jacket was styled with an Irish teal wool waistcoat, and brown trousers and topped with the most important accessory - his grandfather's pocket watch. The floral buttonhole infused a pop of colour and fun for their festival wedding day. Alan thoughtfully bought Maeve a gold bracelet for their wedding day with the lyrics to their first dance song on it, but she also had something borrowed for her accessories. She wore two rings belonging to her mum as well as the Claddagh ring her sister got her. Spot her retro gold Casio watch too!
Before the ceremony, Meadhbh and Alan chose to do a first look. An intimate moment where the couple sees each other before the nuptials take place, allowing for them to spend some time together and relish the moment. "The first look and photographs before the ceremony made it very special for us. Alan said it eased his nerves. We did the first look in the bog where we got engaged and then we went on to Flanagans where we first met so it was very special and personal." says Meadbh.
Hand in hand, they make their way to begin the happily ever after!
Fallon's was a no-brainer when it came to choosing the perfect venue for their intimate festival wedding day. "The food in Fallon's is incredible and the venue itself is beautiful without any décor. But Patsy sold it to us! She loved the style we were going for and gave us free rein to
do pretty much what we wanted with decoration and with the day in general," they reveal. "We had a civil ceremony in Fallon's with an HSE registrar and only had about 20 people at that - both of our immediate families, my grandad and godparents. Then everyone else arrived at 4pm for a drinks reception."
The gorgeous bridal party! The bridesmaid's pretty mustard dress is also custom-created by the mother of the bride. The earthy shade complements the sunflowers, theme and gold accents perfectly. The breathtaking wedding flowers comprises a joyful mixture of rainbow shades and unique floral types.
Keeping in spirit, the venue was instilled with bunting, signage, personal character, simply so much festival fun! "Alan and I have gone to almost every Electric Picnic since we started going out and we just love it. So that had a big influence on our day – the whole theme was festival from the ticket style invites, to the wedding favours, the table names, our guest book, the direction signs, bunting and even the food was influenced by Electric Picnic. I think that made it unique to us - it was Wedfest!" says Meadbh.
A nod to the musical element was vinyl guest books - creative keepsakes to frame post wedding. Guests were also greeted with a fun Instax selfie station. It's no shock that the creative couple styled their festival wedding day themselves given their artistic talents. "We did a lot of DIY décor! My brother had white lanterns on the tables at their wedding so I painted them bright colours and stained the glass in
them. We also collected bottles, like prosecco, gin, whiskey and olive oil bottles. Alan’s sister took this job very seriously," she jokes. "She also designed the stickers to go on them as table names. Our table names were all areas of Electric Picnic!" she adds.
The priority from the start was to do things their way and not feel pressured into having a big wedding. "We only wanted a small ceremony but also wanted to celebrate with our friends and wider family afterward - the best of both worlds. We were incredibly lucky with our timing too. We were allowed to have live music and 100 guests. It was as good as it got really. Personally, it was a bit of a blessing in disguise, as we never really wanted the 200+ big day. Each to their own, but it just wasn’t for us. Likewise, people will probably see our wedding and think we were bananas!" they laugh.
A special moment recalled was when Meabhdh's sister-in-law surprised them with a rendition of Can’t Help Falling in Love With You – the Lick The Tins version on the tin whistle. Meanwhile the chocolate biscuit cake, made my Meabhdh mother was given pride of place on a cake stand make by her father using log bases from her brother's wedding seven years before! Their advice to those planning is all about ensuring that personal stamp: "Do it your way and don’t feel pressured by family members, friends, or anyone else. It’s your day and ultimately if you plan it to your liking then you won’t regret anything. We would also both highly advise a first look if you're nervous or anxious."
Thank you to the beautiful couple for sharing their epic festival wedding with us. And of course, thank you to Louise Scott Photography for capturing all of the intimate details and festival fun!
Looking to book your own festival wedding? Check out our Favourite Festival Wedding Venues in Ireland.
