A Romantic Garden Party Style Wedding

Articles, Real Weddings

Louise and Fergal wanted their wedding to feel relaxed and personal, so they created a romantic garden party feel, with the help of the team at Bellinter House and their florist, Siobhan of Clinton Flowers.

 

Your Names: Louise McCann & Fergal Cooney

Length of engagement: 2 years 7 months

Wedding Date: 2019-06-01

Wedding location: Bellinter House, Co. Meath

Photographer: Niall Coogan Photography

 

 

Louise and Fergal met at a popular music venue in Drogheda, McPhails, and dated long distance for a year. “On a Friday afternoon on 4th November 2016, in our little London flat, a month before we had planned to move back to Drogheda and properly ‘settle down’, Fergal got down on one knee. Though we had been together for 9 years it still came as a shock… mainly because I hadn’t thought Fergal would be able to organize a proposal without me knowing, but he did! He even organized for us to fly home and celebrate with our family and friends that weekend.”

 

 

Their wedding venue of choice was the beautiful Bellinter House. “We loved the drama of the Georgian house, and all its quirky features, the beautiful grounds and the incredible staff, headed up by their amazingly talented wedding coordinator Barbara Tiernan.”

 

 

Louise and Fergal wanted their wedding to feel relaxed and personal, so they created a romantic garden party feel, with the help of the team at Bellinter House and their florist, Siobhan of Clinton Flowers. Together, they created a dream area on the back patio. “We decorated the house with almost 50 photographs – memories from our time together as a couple, great moments with our friends and family and even some embracing childhood snaps! It was all the little touches that made our wedding feel so unique and special to us. An avid whiskey lover, Fergal even managed to incorporate a whiskey blending ritual into our Humanist ceremony!”

 

 

Louise’s bridal look was timeless and classic. She opted for a simple ivory v-neck and A-line style dress, with pockets! Her hair was a relaxed Old Hollywood style and her makeup completed her look with soft, dewy shades. “The dress fell beautifully and allowed me to easily move around, mingle with our guests and dance until the very early hours of the morning!”

 

Louise’s sister and bridesmaid, Laura, wore an elegant high neck dusty rose dress by Dessy from La Bella Sposa in Swords. It was the perfect colour palette for this summer wedding and was beautifully complemented by the white bouquets.

 

Their beautiful Humanist ceremony was the perfect choice as neither of them is religious and they wanted to celebrate their vows on the grounds of Bellinter House. Their ceremony included three beautiful readings recited by each of their brothers and a friend from London. They also included three ceremony rituals; a flower giving ritual where they collected a flower from each other’s family to signify their families coming together, a traditional lighting of candles and a whisky blending ceremony as a symbol of their new life together as a married couple.

 

 

“The ceremony was punctuated by our choice of music from the incredibly talented musician Eimear Carroll, which created a truly magical experience on Bellinter’s grounds. The aisle was lined with beautiful white flowers tied to the end of chairs, with stunning displays used on mine and Fergal’s chairs as well as for a centerpiece at the top of the aisle. All created by Clinton Flowers. I remember so clearly the fun and laughter throughout our ceremony, and so many of our guests remarked on how much they enjoyed the change from a church wedding.”

 

 

“We had exclusivity of Bellinter House and were able to dress it with all our personal photographs which really made it feel like ours for the day. The quirky interior was a real talking point, with the grandeur of the main fireplace creating a real feature for our table place display. Drinks were served from the horsebox outside after the ceremony and the boys even managed to get in a game of pool in the games room!
Downstairs where our wedding meal was hosted was beautifully decorated with an abundance of flowers from Clinton Flowers and candelabras.  The room was the perfect size to create an intimate atmosphere but also gave way for plenty of dancing once The Enemies hit the stage.”

 

 

Louise’s favourite memory was of walking out of Bellinter House on her dad’s arm to Eimear singing Songbird by Eva Cassidy, seeing all her closest friends and family smiling and Fergal standing at the top of the aisle, surrounded by the stunning views of the Boyne Valley.

 

“Don’t sweat the small stuff, you really don’t miss or notice them when the big day comes round.”

 

Suppliers

Wedding venue: Bellinter House | Photographer: Niall Coogan Photography | Planner/coordinator: Barbara Tiernan | Musician: Eimear Carroll-King Music and The Enemies | DJ: Ronan McQuillan | Hair: Vicky Gorman | Makeup: Karen Lynch, The Beauty Barn | Dress: The Bridal Studio | Suits: Chris Curtis | Bridesmaids dresses: La Bella Sposa | Cake: Sheridans Cheesemongers | Celebrant: Sally O’Kelly | Stationery: Blush and Gold | Jewellery: Helen Cui | Flowers: Clinton Flowers