A Gatsby Garden Party in Liss Ard Estate – Real Wedding by DKPHOTO {Part 1}

Real Weddings

 The couple: Isobelle Kelly & Edward Nealon

Length of engagement: 6 months  | Wedding Date: 1st June 2013

Wedding venue:  Liss Ard Estate, Skibbereen, Co. Cork

Photographer: DKPHOTO

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We met… We met over ten years ago in UCC.  We were both in the same class in Computer Science however it wasn’t in lectures that we met for the first time – it was out on a college night out, needless to say a very studious pair!

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Our proposal… Eddie whisked me away to Frankfurt at the start of December last year under the premise that it was my Christmas present as I had expressed a wish to go to the Christmas markets in Germany during the summer.  He arranged a stay at a castle called Auf Schönburg in the medieval town of Oberwesel, overlooking the river Rhine and proposed to me there!  It was all very romantic – even if he did say so himself!!

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My dress… I really didn’t know what sort of dress I wanted – the only prerequisite that I had loosely set was that I would have liked something beaded.  I actually chose the dress first before we really decided on the theme and vibe of the party as everything seems to hinge off this decision.  I headed to Dublin in late January to have a look in some vintage stores, and made a few appointments in some of the wedding dress shops too.  I fell in love with the first dress I tried on in Jenny Vanders by Que-Va designs and bought it the very same day!

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My accessories… There are so many different looks to choose from in the shops right now making it easy to style up your dress and really make it your own.  I bought a really pretty Jenny Packham headpiece from Knightsbridge in Dublin which was so comfortable on the day.  The girls in Azure Jewellery, Cork were really fabulous in helping me select my jewellery and at an affordable price which is always a bonus.  They have a great service where they allow brides to take a few different pieces to try on with your dress at home.   I ended up finding a really complimentary set for my headpiece and even accessorised the bridesmaids up too!

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My hair and make up… When we decided that we were going for a vintage themed wedding, I called Rosa-O immediately to ensure that I had her booked in for my hair.  I had seen her work on another bride and loved it, plus she is a friend of the family!  She is a real wizard with hair and has this wonderful ability to create a style without making it look like it’s too styled!

I found the area of makeup to be the most stressful, particularly as I was going with a vintage theme!  I wanted the look to be as authentic as possible without looking too fancy-dress!!  After a few trials, I decided that I was going to do my own foundation and base myself!  Like all brides-to-be, wedding forums become your life so I read about other brides experiences.  Following advice, I went to every make-up counter in Brown Thomas to find a match.  Rosa-O was then the natural choice as she was doing my hair, to apply my eye makeup and contour up my face.

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What our bridal party wore… I really didn’t have any idea for the girls until the very day that we arranged to shop for the dresses in Dublin.  That day, Shutterbug in Kilkenny had just posted lots of vintage beaded dresses up on their Facebook site.  I showed them to the girls as a potential idea and to give them a feel for what I was thinking.  Rather than waste time in Dublin, the girls were keen to drive to Kilkenny and see if these dresses were the ones! The staff in Shutterbug were so accommodating – the girls tried on lots of dresses in all shapes and sizes and after an hour, we came out with three of the same dresses in the same colour with different patterns!

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“My favourite part of the wedding day was walking down the stairs in Liss Ard House where Eddie was waiting for me to walk me out.  It was a really special moment for the two of us.”

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Our ceremony… We both wanted a short outdoor ceremony if possible.  We opted for a humanist ceremony where we were allowed the freedom to write our own script.  There is a beautiful big tree in Liss Ard where we exchanged our vows surrounded by our family and friends.  We were just so lucky with the weather that we were able to comfortably have everything outside – it made it really special for us.

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His suit… If Eddie had his way, all of the boys would have been wearing Hawaiian shirts and shorts as this is his usual attire at a festival! Given that the girls weren’t going to be wearing matching grass hula skirts, the Irish weather and the fact that the theme was vintage not beach-party we decided that maybe they should wear something more appropriate!  We sourced Eddie’s trousers, which are original 1930’s dinner trousers in Harlequin, Dublin.  We saw the top-hats there the same day and decided that we could create a look around these.  Brooks Brothers were doing a Gatsby range at the time so Eddie bought the waistcoats and dickie-bows there.  The shoes and braces were all internet purchases!

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Click here to see Part 2 of Isobelle and Edward’s gorgeous Great Gatsby style wedding by DKPHOTO!