Our real wedding couple Ali and Chris, flew across the world to embark on their next chapter as husband and wife. Alongside 60 of their loved ones, they travelled from South Carolina to Ireland to say their 'I dos' in one of our favourite wedding venues, Gloster House in Co. Offaly. The October day was finished with the most spectacular displays of tangerine and dusty blue decor, and sprinkled with personal touches that paid tribute to their families and their much-loved dogs! From the bridal prep to the last dance, Studio Brown captured the all the magic of their Gloster House wedding, and we can't wait to present you with this Pinterest-worthy wedding of dreams.
These wedding details are simply swoon-worthy from the Jimmy Choo bridal shoes, the wedding stationery suite, and even those perfect roses make for the most divine flatlay!
A swipe in the right direction was the start of Ali and Chris' love story when the lovebirds matched on Tinder! After a couple of weeks of good banter (which is always the basis for a very promising first date!), they met in person for the first time at The Royal American, their mutually favourite dive bar in Charleston. However, the proposal occurred during a weekend getaway at Ali’s family’s house in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Ali explains: "Chris poured a couple of mimosas and proposed on the back porch surrounded by our two dogs, Levon and Hugo, and beautiful mountain views. He surprised me with a custom ring that combined the diamonds from my late mother’s and grandmother’s engagement rings!" What a thoughtful touch!
Ali, our beautiful real bride who hails from South Carolina wore a classic lace wedding gown, with a bodice made up of intricate floral detail and a skirt with a flirty dipped hem allowing for her bridal shoes to have their moment in the spotlight! We wouldn't have hidden those beauties either.
The wedding florals were bursting with detail, made with love by Kristine Hayes Wedding Design. The bouquets comprised pastel shades of pink, peaches and lemons and came together with a draped sky-blue ribbon. "Our wedding’s look and the theme was an explosion of colour and florals – celebration personified. Kristine is an absolute artistic genius and literally took our breath away with her design, which managed to strike a perfect balance between elegance and fun. The flowers were like a fine art exhibit, yet the vibe was warm and inviting," the couple says.
Before the ceremony took place, the couple chose to take a memorable moment for just the two of them and shared a first look on the morning of their wedding day, which made for some fabulous wedding portraits on the grounds of Gloster House. Check out Chris' adorable reaction!
The wedding venue that stole their hearts in an instant was Gloster House, a magnificent Georgian residence located at the base of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, tucked away within 150 acres of private gardens, lakes and woodlands. "Since all of our guests were travelling to attend our wedding, we had originally envisioned getting married closer to Dublin so that no one would have to travel after landing in Ireland. That plan changed immediately upon seeing Gloster House. The house is stunning yet comfortable – an ideal combination and the White Chapel provided an absolutely perfect blank canvas for our vision to create a colourful explosion of visual happiness!" says Ali.
The couple added special touches by curating their ceremony with meaningful readings and music. "Much to my own surprise, the ceremony ended up being one of my favourite parts of the wedding. We didn’t have a traditional wedding party, so it was really important to us for each of our closest friends and relatives to have a role in the ceremony and wedding day. I still had all of my best friends have our hair and makeup done together, which was incredibly fun," says Ali.
"Chris’ dad sang Annie’s Song by John Denver, and our nephew, William who was 11 years old at the time, brought down the house with the reading How Falling in Love is Like Owning a Dog and then gifted us a framed rendering of our dogs with the poem inscribed – in the middle of the ceremony!" Ali reveals.
As both Chris and Ali sadly lost their mothers at relatively young ages, and there were beautiful touches that made their presence felt on the day. Chris’ family gifted them a framed portrait of Tessa, his mom, on the wedding day, and Ali's dad gave her a coffee table book that he and her mom picked up on a trip to Ireland in the 1980s, which they then used as their guest book. "Chris’ groom’s gift was a pair of cufflinks with sapphires that belonged to his mom, and his family gifted me a sapphire necklace that she wore on her wedding day. It was all really special," says Ali. One more really special touch was the creation of 'Don’s Cigar Bar', which the couple surprised Ali's dad Don with on the day - how fun!
As they were pronounced husband and wife, the newlyweds made their way out of the ceremony in a bubble of love to Dreams by The Cranberries.
The decor continued to glisten and inspire, with breathtaking florals, and eye-catching colours that matched magnificently with the couple's aesthetic. Just wait until you see the reception room - prepare to be blown away.
The tablescapes of wedding dreams! Between the dreamy colourful flower clouds overhead and the unique colour palette of vibrant orange, peach and dusty blue, Ali and Chris were certainly not afraid to play with colour and allow their personalities to shine through to great effect!
We must know - what inspired this colourful and cheerful aesthetic? "I have to say that I think our somewhat maximalist aesthetic was at least partly due to being cooped up inside for more than a year (at that point) due to covid. We definitely compensated for the long wait for our wedding day. Mostly, though, our aesthetic was inspired by our goal to personify a vibe of happiness and celebration throughout every part of the day and weekend. Kristine really ran with our ideas and created an aesthetic that completely exceeded anything we could have ever imagined!" they say.
Cupcakes and Counting really knocked it out of the park with this floral confection!
As for some wedding advice to those in the wedding planning process, Ali and Chris said: "Be really intentional about taking it all in. Look around the room and let yourself feel the full impact of being absolutely surrounded by the people who love you the most. Remember, everyone is pulling for you on your big day, and it does not have to be absolutely perfect to be wonderful! And finally, don’t make it about other people’s expectations of you. It’s your day and an expression of your love for each other and your friends and family, and it’s okay to break away from tradition and expectations."
A very special thank you to Ali, Chris and of course Studio Brown for sharing this delightful and dreamy Gloster House wedding day with One Fab Day! There are tonnes more incredible photos in the gallery below.
Planning your own autumn wedding? Check out these gorgeous autumn-inspired wedding cakes, flowers and invites here!
