It looks as if there may be a heck of a lot of Autumn weddings this year and I’ve got just what you need if you’re planning your September or October celebration.
Today’s wedding makes the most of the beautiful Irish woodland at the height of Autumn and I think the soft, dewy colour palette is utter perfection for a crisp day, captured beautifully by Calvin Craig Photography.
Calvin Craig Photography + Follow
Please welcome Lauren, who works in communication and PR and Cameron, who is in web development to Love My Dress. The pair wed in a Christian ceremony at Newtownbreda Baptist Church on 10 October 2019 followed by a cosy, rustic reception in the spectacular gardens and beautiful barn at Larchfield Estate, Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
“My make-up artist was Nicole Moynagh (one of the lead make-up artists for Charlotte Tilbury here in Belfast) and hair was done by Dani Belle Wedding Hair. Perfume was Jo Malone Poppy and Barley.”
Rime Arodaky is the designer behind Lauren’s gorgeous ‘Blair’ gown; I’m obsessed with the delicate blooms that trail from the low-back bodice to the skirt. I always think, too, that a sheer layer over a nude underlay is so incredibly sexy, especially with the deep slit.
“I purchased my dress from The White Gallery in Newry, Northern Ireland and had the most amazing experience – so much so, it was the only bridal boutique I went to.”
“I attended the boutique on a special designer day where they had Rime Arodaky in the shop. I worked with her to pick out styles I liked and styles that she through that I would suit. It was truly amazing to be able to have that one on one time with the designer.”
“In the end, I selected my Blair dress (which was in fact the first dress I tried on!). Rime and the team at The White Gallery made my shopping experience so unique, special and something that I will remember forever.”
“Before I went wedding dress shopping I did lots of research on Instagram and Pinterest to understand what style and looks I liked. I loved the effortlessly cool yet classy vibes the Rime dresses had and knew that this style of dress would fit perfect into relaxed day I wanted to have.”
“I loved everything about my dress: the detail on the bodice and sleeves, the low back, the slit and the fit of it… I can’t choose just one thing.”
To echo the gown’s bodice detail, Lauren wore a simple, rose gold hair band embellished with flowers, which also matched her earrings.
“I decided to go for the matching Rime Arodaky veil. It was cathedral length and had the same flowers from my bodice scattered throughout the train.”
I love the combination of the veil and pretty hairband with Lauren’s super-shiny waves, but she has a word of caution for other brides on the subject of hair styles.
“I wish I’d brought curlers with me! My hair dropped SO much after the ceremony and you can really see it in some of my photos. I always wanted a relaxed, soft curl but wish I touched it up slightly before my photos.”
“Cameron and myself are both Christians and attended Newtownbreda Baptist Church together throughout our relationship. We grew a lot together here so it was important for us to have our ceremony here. I loved Larchfield Estate’s rustic style barn and acres of gardens.”
“From the moment we got engaged, I had an exact vision of the type of wedding I wanted. I wanted a day which was relaxed, a day where my friends and family could let their hair down and have a ball.”
Lauren’s dad sadly passed away with cancer seventeen months before the wedding, so she asked her big brother to walk her down the aisle. They travelled to the church in a white Jaguar from Angels Wedding Cars and the rest of the bridal party made their way in a Land Rover.
The processional song was the acoustic Hillsong UNITED’s ‘Highlands (Song of Ascent)’ and the couple wed in a Christian service. They chose readings from the Bible and gave each other rings from Lunn’s Jewellers.
“My wedding band matches my engagement ring and Cameron wanted a thick ring.”
Cameron and Lauren first crossed paths at school and were engaged for just under a year.
“We had been friends for a number of years until I asked him to my school formal & that’s where our love story began. We started dating a short number of weeks after (back in 2013) and got engaged on 3 November 2018 at Murlough beach in County Down.”
Cameron chose for him and his groomsmen to wear matching suits in a deep blue check from Herbie Frogg, along with burgundy ties.
“From the moment we got engaged Cameron knew he wanted the boys to all have a pocket watches. These were purchased from a shop online.”
Here at Love My Dress we are such devotees of Rewritten, and their gowns are shown off to perfection by Lauren’s bridesmaids who wore the floaty Mykonos dress in oyster. If you like their style, why not check them out on the Love My Dress Wedding Directory?
“They wore Kurt Geiger shoes and Ted Baker rose gold necklaces.”
I adore these newly-wed shots; as well as getting a breath of fresh air and some time together, what a way to enjoy the incredible gardens and views at Larchfield Estate.
Over to Lauren to explain the concept behind the delightful floral styling.
“After lots of Instagram stalking we decided to go with the florists Floralearth. With the wedding being in October, I wanted my flowers to have an autumnal nod with a pop of burgundy mixed in with the lighter pink flowers.”
“I feel like flowers can really lift a wedding so wanted to invest a little more money here with the addition of a flower arch for the top of the aisle, trailing flowers at the end of each row in the church, flowers incorporated into the candelabras and on each table setting at the reception.”
The reception was set up in Larchfield’s rustic barn, with elegant and minimal decoration from fairy-lit branches, touches of foliage and that autumnal flower arch.
“Cameron’s dad is a graphic designer so we were lucky enough to have him do our stationery for us. My dad sadly passed away from cancer seventeen months before our wedding so we wanted to incorporate as many nods as possible to him throughout our day. For our wedding favours, we decided to donate money to the charity Marie Curie and leave the pins at each place setting with a card saying, ‘More than just a favour’.”
Old Barn Catering provided the newly-weds and their guests with the wedding breakfast and they chose a selection of elegant, blush-tinted cakes from Baked By Corri.
“I went for a three-tiered textured caked but wanted it more of cake ‘table’ style rather than all stacked on top of each other.”
“The speeches were definitely my favourite part of the day. The room was filled with so much love, joy and happiness– a moment and feeling I’ll never forget.”
Remember those pre-Covid times when we could dance and sing all night long? I’m so glad that this couple made the most of the freedom, with music from Party DJ NI and a first dance to ‘From the Ground Up’ by Dan & Shay.
“The lyrics of this song really spoke to us and again, give a little nod to my dad.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Enjoy the process and don’t get tied down in the little detail. It will all work out!
Ahh, Cameron and Lauren, it’s been a total joy. Thank you so much for whisking us to Northern Ireland for your delightful wedding, and thank you Calvin Craig too. Lovelies, if you’ve fallen in love with these soft, autumnal tones please do take a look at these other Love My Dress weddings for inspiration. And, for more Rime Arodaky loveliness, check out these brides.
With love,
Ele xx
Eleanor Crossland
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Ele lives in the Lincolnshire countryside, close to the beautiful coast. A qualified Pilates teacher, she loves fitness, yoga, Pilates and has a healthy addiction to baking, writing and travel.