Rachelle & Austin's Ballintaggart House Wedding in Dingle
Rachelle and Austin travelled from the US to have an intimate destination wedding in Ireland last November. They first met while they were both working at a wine store. Austin immediately noticed Rachelle when she took a job there after college. Austin is the kind of person who is initially reserved, but once you get to know him he is relaxed, competent, intelligent, and always hilarious to be around. Rachelle, on the other hand, is more bubbly and outgoing, so it's no surprise they became good friends. Austin tried to help "educate" Rachelle on popular culture ("apparently not recognizing bands like The Cure or knowing the lead singer of AC/DC is a crime" - Rachelle). After a year of being friends, one coworker in particular would always try to set them up; the phrase "why don't you date Austin, Rachelley?" became an everyday occurance. She eventually gave Rachelle's phone number to Austin, and the rest is history.
"In the fall of 2016, we'd been together for almost 7 years. For birthdays we take trips to explore different cities around the country. For Austin's October birthday, we took a trip to Portland, Maine. We really enjoyed the fresh, crisp air and the colorful leaves, along with the fantastic food (Maine has some phenomenal all-natural donuts at The Holy Donut!!). We had a great day exploring the famous Portland Head Lighthouse and picnicking on a hill overlooking the ocean. As we went to bed that night, Austin said "tomorrow will be even better." The next day, we tried to go apple-picking, but everything was already closed for the season. Disaster! However, Austin reassured me that his birthday was not ruined, and instead we found a fantastic antique warehouse where we spent hours exploring. Afterwards, we headed out to a different lighthouse and grabbed lobster rolls for dinner. We strolled along the rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean, which was extremely cold and windy! When asked several times if he wanted to head inside, Austin insisted we should stay to watch the colors of the sunset. As the reds and golds faded, the full moon rose, and the sky turned to purple twilight, Austin plopped me up on a rock so we were the same height. He pulled out a beautiful ring and asked me if I would be happy going on adventures with him for the rest of my life. Filled with joy, I couldn't even say "Yes!" but could just nod and smile through happy tears. He spoke the truth; it was an even better day than the day before".
"As a little girl, I was never one to imagine what my wedding day would be like. However, when I studied abroad for a semester at University College Cork, our Irish class took a field trip out to the Dingle area. I absolutely fell in love with the rolling green hills, the sky that stretched for forever, and the wild and majestic coast. I recall that we even drove past Ballintaggart House on our tour bus, and the thought flitted across my mind that if I were to someday get married, here would be a magical spot to do so. When we started to consider what we wanted our wedding to be like, I immediately started to think "destination" and "Ireland." Having an intimate, low-key wedding with close family and friends to celebrate our love and future lives together was more "us" than a big to-do. Also, Austin has always wanted to visit Ireland. We chose Ballintaggart House for the area and for the food! One of my co-workers married there previously and couldn't rave enough about it. Clodagh and John of Ballintaggart did a fantastic job for us and helped make our wedding a dream come true. We had an outdoor ceremony surrounded by our friends and family. We included Celtic traditions like blessings and a handfasting, beautiful readings from our guests, and we wrote our own vows to one another".
Any advise for couples getting married soon?
Do what is right for you, and what makes *you* happy. It's your day. Treat your wedding as a representation of what best fits you as a couple and how you intend to live the rest of your lives together. Plans are great, but don't get caught up trying to make it too perfect. Small imperfections make the day real, and are opportunities to look back later and laugh at the memories (for instance, we forgot to pack one of the bridesmaids' shoes, and a copy of the wedding invitation for pictures!) The best advice that was given to us as we were planning our wedding is as follows: The day goes by quickly. When you are in the middle of all the chaos, spend a few minutes together or separately to take it all in, breathe, and appreciate the moment.
Suppliers List
The dress - Alesea by David Tutera (Amara Bridal)
Hair and make-up -Clodagh from Ballintaggart House & MUA Tricia O Sullivan of Mobile Munster Hair
Your flowers - Leona from Every Occasion Flowers
His suit - Jos A Bank
Videographer - D. Art Wedding Stories
Dara Molloy - officiant
Sue from Crystal Avenues - handcrafted all the jewelry for me and for my sisters
Kennedy Coaches - transportation for our whole week