CIARA & SIMON
“Love & Gatherings styled and managed our wedding at Ballynahinch Castle and they were perfection. I knew I wanted to work with Kate as I loved her more relaxed yet styled weddings - she brought our vision to life and was a huge support for the months coming up to the wedding.”
Garden Ceremony magic at one of our Favourite venues
This ceremony was a special kind of beautiful
When Ciara and Simon first got in touch, I knew this would be a special one. They'd met at Trinity College Dublin, got engaged six years later in Paris — a Christmas proposal at Hotel Costes — and Simon flew Ciara's family to Dublin the following week for a surprise celebration dinner. They wanted to marry back home in Ireland, and Ballynahinch Castle in Connemara… it doesn't get more right than that.
They had a clear vision — warm, wildly beautiful, deeply personal — and The Walled Garden was the only choice for the ceremony. Celebrant Siobhan Manning spoke to them separately, then wove their story into something entirely her own. Simon's mother read the Song of Songs — the same passage from his parents' wedding thirty years before; Ciara's brother delivered Scaffolding by Seamus Heaney, her aunty Elizabeth read from First Corinthians. Ciara's dad recited a Heaney poem in his speech — Seamus Heaney was a regular Ballynahinch visitor. That layered meaning… you can't plan it.
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The Wild Bunch created wild flower arches plucked straight from the landscape. We styled candles up to the castle doorstep, baskets of flowers dotted throughout. After Ciara removed her veil, wild flowers were pinned into her hair — she wore the Danielle Frankel Ruby dress, perfectly boho, laidback, classic. Simon was in a bespoke navy velvet tux from Cad and the Dandy, with his great-grandfather's vintage cufflinks — the same ones his father wore at his own wedding.
Drinks overlooked the Owenmore River with jazz from The Bentley Boys, and The Fisherman's Pub hosted dancing both nights. Hanya Carter's stationery drew from the walled garden's flowers and fruits — custom matchboxes, napkins, every detail considered. Chris Copeland captured it all with that rare, quiet instinct for emotional moments.
PLANNING & DESIGN: LOVE & GATHERINGS
VENUE: Ballynahinch Castle
PHOTOGRAPHY: Chris Copeland
BRIDAL WEAR: Danielle Frankel
FLORALS: The Wild Bunch
STATIONERY: Hanya Carter
HAIR: Michelle Grimes
MAKEUP: Aoife Callaghan
CELEBRANT: Siobhan Manning
“On the day, Kate and her team managed the wedding seamlessly from start to finish. Everything flowed so well due to all of her work behind the scenes and we couldn’t be happier with how it all went!”